€¦ · iv PREFACE. emulate peas . Each work shouldadd to the features o f lite rature, not merely...
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Transcript of €¦ · iv PREFACE. emulate peas . Each work shouldadd to the features o f lite rature, not merely...
W H I T E L I E S .
a é to rg.
CHARLE S READE .
I N T H R E E V OL UME S .
V OL . 1.
L ONDON
T BUBNE R C O .,60 PA T E RN O S T E R R OW .
1857 .
[The right of Rep r oduction and T rangzation rewrvedj
PRE FA C E .
W H I TE L IES is a r ep rin t . In its first stag e
simple souls wrote to the publisher,This is a
French translation ; just look at the idioms !’
It is something to be a biped the quadruped o fthis species could not take a well for a
'
p uddle .
As if the smallest master could not Angliciz e
French o r any other language . vide Clouds andF Sun shine ,
’ which 1s French Angliciz ed .
3 But a voice from the Public 1s n ot to be neg
E lected : nor can I aff ord to let an error o f this“lso rt defeat my great labour, and rob a reader o f
m any pleasure or profit it might otherwise give him .
A French theme has been selected,French
{Murces dr awn upon , and French idiom s sprinkled,
3 0 11 on e principle o f art .
Q True art is a severe battle,not only against
egotism,but against monotony . Books should n o t
iv PREFACE.
emulate peas . Each work should add to the features
o f literature, not merely to its lamentable bulk .
Therefore I,who have been called a hard
,dry
copyist o f actual life , present you here heroic
though human characters, with the faults and vir
tues o f sex. Therefore I,whohave painted English,
Scotch,and Irish
,try my hand at French, and,
my story be ing on French gr oun d,I give it what
French colour my n arrow pallet holds . I nter
d iet, I sprinkle a few French idioms . Why
n o t ? I coloured Chris tie Johnstone Sco tch on
this principle,and will colour m y n ext tale
German . It is mere mim icry ; but n o t m isp laced.
Shallow sham scholarship is at war with idiom
but idioms are the cream o f human language .
I have se en with pain that my countrym en
receive as truth the m isrepresentations o f French
morals that issue fr om a clever but ignorant clique
o f Parisian novelists. W hat doe s the mill-horse
o f the Boulevard know about France ? He
has never seen her with the bo dily eye,far less the
mental . A m ill-round o f anything contracts the
vision . But a mill-round o f vice !
I beg the English reader to believe, what the
English traveller kn ows,that husban ds an d wives
PREFACE .
diff er little from English ones, in Brittany, Nor
mandy,Auvergn e
,Picardy
,Provence
,and other
nation s unexplored by Parisian mill-horses,and
called France : and generally, though this story
is necessarily full o f errors o f detail, yet in
essentials it is a fair national portrait : at least it
is not a too flattering tribute to that high-minded
and refined nation,where I have met so many
gallant men , and so many virtuous women .
L on
v
don , November 28 , 1 8 57 .
WHI TE L IE S.
CHAPTER I .
TOWARDS the close o f the last century the Baronde Beaurepaire lived in the chateau o f that namein Brittany . His family was o f prodigious an
tiquity . Seven successive barons had alreadyflourished on this spot o f France when a youngerson of the house accompanied his neighbour theDuke o f Normandy in his descent on England ,and was rewarded by a grant o f land
,on
/which he
dug a moat and built a chateau,and called it
Beaurepaire : the worthy natives turned this intoBo rr ep er without an instant
’s delay . Since thatday more than twenty gentlemen o f the samelineage had held in turn the original chateau andlands
,and handed them down to their present lord .
Thus rooted in his native Brittany,Henri
Lionel Marie St . Quentin de Beaurepaire was asfortunate as any man can be pronounced before hedies . He had health, rank, a good income , a fairdomain, a goodly house, a loving wife , and twolovely young daughters all veneration and aff ec
tion. Two months every year he visited theVOL . 1. B
2 WHITE LIES .
Faubourg St . Germain and the Court . At bothevery gentleman and every lacquey knew hisname and his face : his return to Brittany afterthis short absence was celebrated by a rustic fete .
Above all,Monsieur de Beaurepaire possessed
that treasure of treasures,content . He hunted no
heart-burns . Ambition did not tempt him . Whyshould he listen to long speeches
,and court the
unworthy,and descend to intrigue
,for so pre
carious and equivocal a prize as a place in theGovernment, when he could be De Beaurepairewithout trouble o r loss o f self-respect ? Socialambition could get little hold of him . Let parV enus give balls half in doors half out , and lighttwo thousand lamps
,and waste the ir substance
battling and manoeuvring for fashionable distinction ; he had nothing to gain by such foolery,n othing to lose by modest living ; he was thetwenty-ninth Baron of Beaurepaire . So wise
,so
proud, so little vain , so strong in health and
wealth and honour,one would have said nothing
less than an earthquake could shake this gentleman and his house . Yet : both were shaken
,
though rooted by cen tur 1es to the soil . But byno vulgar earthquake .
For years France had bowed in silence beneathtwo galling burdens
,a selfish and corrupt monarchy
,
and a multitudinous,privileged
,lazy
,and op p res
sive aristocracy,by whom the peasant
,who is n ow
the principal proprietor o f the French soil,was
handled like a Russian serf.
WHITE LIES . 3
No'
w when a high-spirited nation has been longsilent under oppression—tr emble Op p r esso r s l
The shallow misunderstand nations as they domen . They fear where n o fear is
,and play
cribbage over a v olcano . Such are they whoexpect a revolt in England whenever Englandgrum bles half a note higher than usual . They donot see that she is venting her ill hum our insteado f bottling it
,and getting her grievance redressed
gradually and safely . Such is the o ld lady whopinches us when the engine lets o ff its steam witha mighty pother . Then it is she fears an explosion . Such are they who read the frothybombast o f I talian Republicans, and fancy thatnation o f song
,superstition
,and slavery is going
to be free—is worthy to be free—has the heart o rthe brains o r the soul to be f ree .Such were the British placemen
,and the pig
headed King,who read the calm
,business-like
,
respectful,yet dignified and determined address of
the American colonists,and argued thus What !
they don’t bluster ; these then are men we can
Such were the French placemen, who did notsee how tremendous the danger to that corruptgovernment and lawless aristocracy
,when an
Compare the manif estoes o f Italian Republicans with the proclamatio ns and addresses of the American colonists e . , compare the wordso f the men of words with the words o f the men o f deeds—the men whofail with the men who succeed ; it is a lesson in human natur e. Theydiff er as a. bladder f rom a bludgeon, or harlequin’s sword fro m Noll
4 WHITE LIES .
ardent people raised their heads,after centuries o f
brooding,to avenge centuries o f wrong.
We all know this wonderful passage o f history .
H ow the feeble king was neither woman n o r m an
—could neither concede with grace, nor resistwith cannon . H ow his head fell at a momentwhen it was monstrous to pretend the liberties o fthe nation ran any risk from the poor o ld cipher .How the dregs o f the nation came uppermost andpassed for ‘the people . ’ How law, religion ,common sense
,and humanity
,hid their faces
,
the scaff old streamed with innocent blood,and
terror reigned .
France was preyed on by unclean beasts,half
ass,half tiger . They made her a bankrupt, and
they were busy cutting her t hroat,as well as
rifling her pockets,when Heaven sent her a Man .
He drove the unclean beasts o ff her suff ering body,
and took her in his hand,and set her on high
among the nations .But ere the Hero came—among whose many
glories let this be written,that he was a fighting
m an,yet ended civil slaughter—what wonder
many an honest man and good Frenchman desp aired o f France ! Among these was M . deBeaurepaire . These Republicans—murderers o f
kings,murderers o f women
,and persecutors o f
children—were,in his eyes
,the most horrible
monsters Humanity ever groaned under.He put on black for the King
,and received n o
visits. He brooded in the chateau,and wrote and
WHITE '
L IES . 5
r eceived letters ; and these letters came and wentby private hands . He felled timber . He raisedlarge sums o f money upon his estate . He thenwatched his Opportun ity
,and o n pretence o f a
journey disappeared from the chateau .
Three months after,a cavalier, dusty and pale,rode into the court-yard o f Beaurepaire
,and asked
to see the baroness ; he hung his head and heldout a letter . It contained a few sad words fromM . de Lar ochejaquelin . The baron had just fallenin La Vendee
,fighting
,like his ancestors
,on the
side o f the Crown .
From that hour till her death the baroness woreblack .
The mourner would have -been arrested,and
perhaps beheaded,but for a friend
,the last in the
world on whom the family reckoned for any solidaid . Doctor St . Aubin had lived in the chateau
“twenty years . He was a man o f science,and did
n ot care a button for money ; so he had retiredfrom the practice o f medicine
,and pursued his r e
searches at ease under the baron’s roof. They allloved him
,and laughed at his occasional reveries
,
in the days o f prosperity ; and now,in on e great
crisis,the p r ote
'
g e' became the protector
,to their
astonishment and his own . But it was an age ofups and downs . This amiable theorist was o n e ofthe oldest verbal Republicans in Europe . This isthe less to be wondered at that in theory a Re
public is the perfect form o f g overnment . It ismerely in practice that it is impossible ; it is only
6 WHITE LIES .
upon gcmg o ff paper into'
reality,and trying
actually to self-govern old nation s with limitedterritory and time to heat themselves white hotwith the fire o f politics and the bellows o f bombast—that the thing resolves itself into moonshine andbloodshed—each in indefinite proportions .Doctor St . Aubin had for years talked and
wr itten speculative Republicanism . So,n o t know
ing the man,they thought him a Republican .
They applied to him to know whether the baronessshared her husband’s opinions
,and he boldly
assured them she did n ot ; he -added,
‘She is apupil o f
'mine On this audacious statement they
contented themselves with laying a heavy fine onthe lands o f Beaurepaire .
Assignats were abundant at this time, but goodmercantile paper—a notorious coward—had madeitself wings and fled
,and specie was creeping into
strong boxes like a startled rabbit into its hole .
The fine was paid,but Beaurepaire had to be
heavily mortgaged,and the loan bore a high rate
o f interest .This was no sooner arranged than it transpired
that the baron just before his death had contractedlarge debts
,for which his estate was answerable .
The baroness sold her carriage and horses , andshe and her daughters prepared to deny themselvesall but the bare necessaries of life
,and pay o ff their
debts if possible . On this their dependents fellaway from them ; their fair-weather friends camen o lon ger near them ; and many a flush of indige
WHITE LIES . 7
nation crossed their b rows; and many an achingpang their hearts
,as adversity revealed the base'
ness and inconstancy o f common people high orlow. When the other servan ts had retired withtheir wages
,on e Jacin tha remained behind
,and
begged permission to speak to the baroness .
‘What would you with me,my child ?’ asked
that high-bred lady,with an accent in which a
shade of surprise mingled with great politeness .
Forgive me,madame the baroness
,
’ beganJacintha
,with a formal curte sy ; ‘but how can I
leave you,and Mademoiselle Josephine
,and Made
m oiselle Laure P Reflect,madame I was born at
Beaurepaire ; my mother died in the chateau ; myfather died in the village ; but he had meat everyday from the baron’s own table
,and fuel from the
baron’s wood,and died blessing the house o f Beau
repaire—Mademoiselle Laure,speak for me ! Ah
,
you weep ! it is then that you see it is impossibleI can go . Ah no ! madame , I will not go forgiveme ; I cannot go . The others are gone becauseprosperity is here no longer . Let it be so ; I willstay till the sun shines again upon the chateau ,and then you shall send me away if you are benton it ; but n o t now my ladies—oh, not now ! Ohoh ! oh "
The warm-hearted girl burst out sobbing un
gracefully .
My child,
’
said the baroness,these sentiments
touch me,
’ and honour you . But retire, if youpleas e
,while I consult my daughters .’
8 .WHITE LIES .
Jacin tha cut her sobs dead short,"
and retreatedwith a most cold and formal reverence .The consultation consisted o f the baroness open
ing her arms,and both her daughters embracin g
her at once .
My children ! there are then some who loveyou .
’
No ! you, m amma ! It is you we all love .
’
Three women were n ow the only pillars,a man
o f science and a servant o f all work the only out
side props, the buttresses, o f the great old house o fBeaurepaire .
As months rolled on,Laure de Beaurepaire re
covered her natural gaiety in spite o f bereavementand poverty— so strong are youth
,and health
,and
temperament . But her elder sister had a grief allher own . Captain Dujardin
,a gallant young
officer,well born
,and his own master
,had courted
her with her parents’ consent ; and even when thebaron began to look coldly on the soldier o f theRepublic
,young Dujardin
,though to o proud to
encounter the baron ’s irony and looks o f scorn,
would n ot yield love to pique . He came no moreto the chateau ; b ut he would wait hours and hourson the path to the little oratory in the park on thebare chan ce of a passing word o r even a kind lookfrom Josephine . So much devotion graduallywon a heart which in happier t imes she had beenhalf encouraged to give him ; and when he lefther o n a military service o f uncomm on danger ,the woman’s reserve melted
,and
,in answer to his
W II ITE LIES . 9
prayers and tears,she owned for the first time that
She loved him better than any thing in the world—except duty and honour .She hid her despondency to comfort him .
Be prudent for my sake,if not for your own .
May God watch over you ! Your danger is our
only fear ; for we are a united family . My fatherwill never force my inclinations ; these unhappydissensions will soon cease
,and he will love you
again . I do not say Be constant .” I will notwrong either myself o r you by a doubt ; butpromise me to come back in life
,oh Camille
CamilleThen it was his turn to comfort and console her .
He promised to come back alive,and with fresh
honours,and so more worthy the Demoiselle de
Beaurepaire . They pledged their faith to on e
another .Letters from the camp breathing a devotion
little short o f worship fed Jo sephin e’
s attachment ;and more than one public mention of his name andserv ices made her proud as well as fond o f thefiery young soldier .The time was not yet come that she could Open
her whole heart to her parents . The baron wasn owtoo occupied - with the State to trouble hishead about love fancies . The baroness , like manyparents
,looked o n her daughter as a girl though
she’
was twenty years old. She was o f the old
school . A passionate love in a lady’s heart beforemarriage was with her contrary to etiquette, and
B 3
10 WHITE LIES .
therefore improper ; and to her the great wordimproper included the little word impossible ino n e of its many folds . Josephine loved her sistervery tenderly ; but Laure was three years .
herjunior
,and she shrank with modest delicacy from
making her a confidante o f feelings the barerelation o f which leaves the female hearer a childn o longer .Thus Josephine hid her heart
,and delicious first
love nestled deep in her nature,and thr illed ' in
every secret vein and fibre. Alas the time camethat this loving but proud spirit thanked Heavenshe had never proclaimed the depth of her attachment f or Camille Dujardin .
They had parted two years,and he had join ed
the army o f the Pyrenees about on e month,when
suddenly all cor respondence ceased on his part .Restless anxiety rose into terror as this silence
continued ; and“
starting and trembling at everysound
,and edg ing to the window at every footstep,
Josephine expected hourly the tidings o f her lover’sdeath .
Months rolled on in silence .
Then a n ew tor ture came .
‘Since he was notdead he must be unfaithful . At this all the prideo f her race was fired in her .The struggle between love and ire was almost
t09 much for nature violently gay and moody byturns she alarmed both her mother and the goodDoctor St . Aubin . The latter was not
,I think
,
quite without susp lczon o f the truth ; however, he
12 WHITE LIES .
Josephine,
’
sa1d Laure ,‘I am young
,but
already I feel that all troubles are light comparedwith those o f the heart. Besides
,we Share our
misfortunes and our bereavement, and cheer on e
another . It is only you who are a miser,and
grudge me my right—a share o f all your j oys,
and all your griefs ; but do you know that youare the only on e in this chateau who does not lovemeAh
,Laure
,what words are these ? my love is
older than yours . ’
No ! noYes
,my little fawn
,your Josephine loved you
the hour you were born,and has loved you ever
Since without a moment’s coldness . ’
‘Ah ! my sister —m y sister ! A S if I did notknow it . Then you will turn your face to me ?’
SeeAnd embrace meThereAnd, now,
b osom to bosom,and heart to heart ;
tell me all ! ’
I will—to-morrow .
’
At least give me your tears ; you see I am n ot
niggardly in that respect . ’
Tears,love—“
ah ! would I couldBy and by then—meantime do not palpitate so .
See , I unclasp my arms . You will find me areasonable person—indulgent even ; compose yourself ; or, rather watch my proceedings ; you areinterested in them .
’
WHITE LIES . 13
It appears tome that you propose to -sleep here .
’
Does that vex you ?’
On the contrary .
’
There I am cried Laure,alightin g among the
sheets like a snow flake on water . I await you,
mademoiselle .
’
Josephine found this lovely face wet,yet smiling
saucily,upon her pillow . She drew the fair
own er softly to her tender bosom and achingheart
,and watched the bright eyes close
,and the
coral lips part and Show their pearls in childlikesleep .
In the morning Laure,half awake
,felt some
thing sweep her cheek . She kept her eyes closed,
and Josephine,believing her still asleep
,fell to
kissing her,but only as the south wind kisses the
violets,and embraced her tenderly but furtively
like a feather curling round a lovely head,caress
ing yet scarce touching,and murmurin g ‘little
angel ! ’ sighed gratitude and affection over her ;but took great care not to wake her with all this .The little angel , who was also a little fox, lay stilland feigned sleep
,for she felt she was creeping
into her sister’s heart o f hearts . From that daythey were confidan tes and friends, as well as sisters,and never had a thought or feeling unshared .
Josephine soon found she had very few facts toreveal .Laure had watched her closely and keenly for
months . It was her feelings,her confidence the
little love wanted ; not her secret—n that lay bare
14 WHITE LIES .
already to the shrewd young mmx—I beg herpardon—lynx .
Give sorrow words . T he grief that does n ot speak,Whispers the o’er-fraught heart, and bids it break .
A deep observer proclaimed this three hundredyears ago
,and every journal that is printed now a
days furnishes the examples .’
From this silent,moody
,gnawing
,maddening
sorrow,Laur e saved her elder sister . She coaxed
her to vent each feelin g as it rose ; her grief, herdoubt
,her m ortification ,
her indignation,her pride
,
and the terrible love'
that at times overpowered all .Thus much Was gained ; these powerful an tag o
n ists were no lon ger cooped up in her bosom“battling together and tearing her .
’
They returnedfrom FrejuS : Josephine with a delicate rose tintinstead o f the pallor that had alarmed St. Aubin .
-Her mood fluctuated no more . A gentle pensiveness settled upon her . She looked the goddessPatience . She was unconceivably lovely. Lauresaid to her
’
on e day,after a long gaze at her
I fear I shall never hate that madman as Iought . Certainly when I think o f his conduct Icould strike him in the face .’ Here she clenchedher teeth
,and made her hand into a sort o f irre
gular little snowball . But when I look at you Icannot hate
,I can but pity that imbecile—that
Oh ! sister,
’ said Josephine,im ploringly
,
‘letuS not degrade one we have honoured
-
with our
esteem—fo r our own sakes,not his
,
’ added she
hastily,not looking Laure in the face .
WHITE LIES . 1 5
NO forgive my vivacity . I was'
going to tellyou I feel more pity than anger for him . Does hemean to turn monk, and forswear us all ? if not,what does he intend to do ? Where can he hopeto find any on e he
'
can love after you ? Josephine,
the more I see o f our sex,the m er e I see that you
are the most beautiful woman in France , and by ,
consequence in Europe .
’ The smile this drew wasa very faint on e . Were this so , surely I couldhave retained a single heart . ’
‘You have then forgotten your La Fontaine ?Does he n o t Sing how a dunghill cock found apearl necklace
,and disdained it ? And why ?
No t'
that p earls are worth less than barley corns ;but because he was a sordid bird
,and your prede
cessor s were wasted on him my Josephine . So Ipity that dragoon who might have revelled in thelove o f an angel , an d has r ejected it, and lost it forever . There , I have made her sigh .
’
Forgive me . ’
‘Forgive her ? for sighing ? I am,then
,very
tyrannical . ’
One day Laure came into the room where thebaroness, Doctor St . Aubin
,and Josephine were
sitting . She sat down unobserved .
But JoSephin e , looking up a minute after, sawat a glance that something had happened . Laure ,under a forced
‘
calm n ess,
'
was in'
great emotion andanxiety . Their eyes met . Laure made her ascarce perceptible signal
,and immediately after
got up and left the room .
Josephin e waited a few seconds ;‘then rose and
1 6 WHITE LIES .
went out,and found Laure in the passage, as She
expected .
My poor sister,have you courage
He is dead ! ’ gasped JosephineNo ! he lives . But he is dead to us and France .
Oh ! Josephine, have you courage ?’
I have,
’ faltered Josephine, quIv er In g from
head to foot .You know Dard
,who works about here for
love o f Jacin tha For months past I have set
him to speak to every soldier who passes throughthe village . ’
Ah you never told me .’
Had you known my plan, you would have been
for ever on the gui vice ; and your tranquillitywas dear to me . It was the first step to happiness .
Hundreds of soldiers have passed,and none o f them
knew him even by name . To-day,Jo séphin e , two
have come that know all ! ’
All ! Laure—LaureHe is disloyal to his country . W hat wonder
he is a traitor to you ! ’
It is false ! ’
The men~
are here . Come, will you speak tothemI cannot . But I will come—you speak I shall
hear . ’
They found in the kitchen two dismounted dragoons
,before whom Jacin tha had set a bottle o f
wine .They arose and saluted the ladies .Be seated
,m y brave m en ,
’ said Laure, and
WHITE LIES . 17
tell me What you told Dard about Captain Du
‘Don’t stain your mouth with the captain m ylittle lady . He is a traitor
H ow do you know ?’
Marcellus ! mademoiselle asks us how we knowCaptain Dujardin to be a traitor . Speak .
’
Marcellus,thus appealed to
,told Laure after his
own fashion that he knew the captain well : thaton e day the captain rode out o f the camp andnever returned that at first great anxiety was felton his behalf
,for the captain was a great favourite
,
and passed f or the smartest soldier in the divisionthat after a while anxiety gave place to some veryawkward suspicions
,and these suspicions it was his
lot and his comrade’s here to confirm . About amonth later he and the said comrade and two morewere sent
,well mounted
,to reconnoitre a Spanish
village . At the door o f a little inn they caughtsight o f a French uniform . This so excited theircuriosity that he went forward nearer thanprudent
,and distinctly recognised Captain Dujar
din seated at a table drinking,between two
guerillas ; that he rode back and told the others,who then came up and satisfied themselves it wasso : that if any o f the party had entertained adoubt
,it was removed in an unpleasant way . He,
Marcellus,disgusted at the sight ‘Of a French
uniform drinkin g among Spaniards,took down his
carabine and fired at the group as carefully as asomewhat restive horse permitted
,at Which , as if
18 WHITE LIES .
by m a'
g ic, a”
sco re Or So o f'
guerillas poured out f f oniHeaven knows where
,musket in hand
,and de
livere‘
d a volley : the”
officer in command o f theparty fell dead
,Jean Jacques got a broken arm ,
and his own horse was wounded in two places,and
fell from loss of blood a few furlongs from the
French camp,to the neighbourhood o f which the
v agabonds pursued them hallooing and shoutin gand firing like barbarous banditti as they wer efHowever
,here I am
,
’ concluded Marcellus,‘invalided for a while
,my little ladies
,but n o t
expended yet : we will soon dash in among themagain for death o r glory ! Meantime
,
’ concludedhe
,filling both glasses,
‘let us drink to the eyes o fbeauty (military salute) , and to the renown o f
France—and double damnation to all her traitors,like that Captain Dujardin—whose neck may thedevil twist .’
In the middle o f this toast Josephine, who hadstood rooted to on e place with eyes glaring uponeach speaker in tur n
,uttered a feeble cry like a
dyin g hare,and crept slowly out o f the room with
the carriage and manner o f a woman o f fifty .
L AURE ’
S first impulse was to follow Josephine ,but this would have attracted attention to herdespair. She had the tact and resolution to remainand say a few kind words to the soldiers, and thenshe retired and darted up by instinct to Jo sep hin e
’
s
bedroom . The door was locked .
‘Josephine ! Josephine ! ’ No answer .
20 WHITE LIES .
lose your esteem I should die . Oh, how awful yethow beautiful is your scorn ! Fo r worlds I wouldnot be that Cam Josephine laid her handimperiously on Laure’s mouth .
T o mention that man ’s name to me will be toinsult me ! De Beaurepaire I am
,and a French
woman ! Come,love
,let us go down and comfort
our mother . ’
They went down ; and this patient suff erer andhigh-minded conqueror o f her own accord took upa common-place book
,and read aloud for two
mortal hours to her mother and St . Aubin . Hervoice never wavered.
To feel that life is ended—to wish existence,too ,
had ceased ; and so to sit down,an aching hollow,
and take a part and sham an interest in twaddle toplease others—such are wom an’s feats . How likenothing at all they lookA man would rather sit on the buffer o f a steam
engin e and ride at the great Redan .
Laure sat at her elbow,a little behind her, and
turned the leaves,and o n on e pretence o r other
held Josephin e’
s hand nearly all the rest o f the day .
Its delicate fibres remained tense like a greyhound’
ssinews after a race
,and the blue veins rose to sight
in it,though her voice and eyes were mastered .
So keen was the strife—”so matched the an
tag on ists—so hard the victory !
For ire and scorn are m ighty .
And noble blood in a noble heart is a hero .
AND L OV E IS A GIANT .
WHITE LIES . 2 1
CHAPTER II .
ABOUT this time, the French provinces were organ iz ed upon a half military plan
,by which all the
local authorities radiated towards a centre o f g o
v ernm en t. This feature has survived subsequentrevolutions and political changes .In days of change
,youth is always at a premium
because,though experience is valuable
,the exp e
rien ce o f one order o f things un fits ordinary menfor another order o f things . A
ag ood many—old
fogies in office were shown to the d oor, and a gooddeal of youth and energy infused into the veins o fprovincial government .Citiz en Edouard Riviere, who had but just com
p leted his education with sin gular e’
clat at a m ilitaryschool
,was on e fine day ordered into Brittany to
fill a responsible post under the CommandantRayn al .
‘Nervousness in a new situation generally accom
p an ies talent . The young citizen, as he rode topresent his credentials at head quarters
,had his
tremors as well as his pride ; the more so as hisnew chiefwas a blunt
,roug h soldier , that had risen
22 WHITE LIES .
from the ranks,and bore a much higher character
for zeal and moral integrity than for affability .
While the young citizen rides in his breechesand English top boots
,his white waistcoat and
cravat,his abundant shirt frill, his short-waisted
blue coat with flat gilt buttons, his pig tail , hishandsome though beardless face and eager eyes
,to
this important interview, settling"
beforehand afterthe manner of novices what he shall say, what shallbe said to him
,and what he shall reply
,let us
briefly dispose o f commandant Rayn al’
s previoushisto ry.
He was the son o f a widow that kept a grocer’sshop in Paris . She intended him for Spice
,but he
thirsted for g lo ry’
an d vexed her . Soldiering intime o f peace,
’ said she,such nonsense—it is like
swimming on a carpet . ’ War came and robbedher satire o f its point . The boy was resolute .The mother yielded now ; she was a Frenchwomanto the back bone .In the armies of the Republic a good soldier rose
with unparalleled certainty,and rapidity too ; for
when soldiers are being mowed down like cats,it
is a glorious time for such o f them as keep theirfeet . Raynal rose through all the interveninggrades to be a commandant and one o f the general’saides-du-camp
,and a colonel’s epaulettes glittered
in sight . All this time Raynal used to write tohis mother
,and joke her about the
’
army beingsuch a bad profession
,and as he was all for glory
,
no t money,he lived with Spartan frugality
,and
WHITE LIES . 23
saved half his pay and all his prize money for theOld lady in Paris .And here this prosperous man had to endure a
great disappointment ; on the same day that heWas made commandant came a letter into thecamp . His mother was dead after a short illness .This was
[ a te rrible blow to the simple ruggedsoldier
,who had never had much time nor inclina
tion to flirt with a lot of girls, and toughen hisheart .He came back toParis honoured and rich
,but
downcast .On his arrival at the old place it seemed to him
not to have the Old look . It made him sadder .To cheer him up they brought him a lot Of money .
The widow’s trade had taken a wonderful start thelast few years
,and she had been playing the same
game as he had,living on tenpence a day an d
saving all for him . This made him sadder .What have we bo th been scraping all this dross
together for ? I would give it all to sit on e hourby the fire
,with her hand in mine
,and hear her
say, Scamp, you made me unhappy when youwere young
,but I have lived to be proud of you .
”
He found out the woman who had nursed her ,flung more fiv e-franc pieces into her lap than she
had ever seen in on e place before,applied for
active service,no matter what
,Obtained at once
this post in Brittany,and went gloomily from
Paris,leaving behind him the reputa tion o f an
ungracious brute devoid o f sentiment . In fact, the
24 WHITE LIES .
on e bit o f sentiment in this Spartan was any thingbut a romantic one ; at least I am n ot aware Of anysuccessful romance that turns on filial aff ection ;but it was an abiding on e . Here is a proof. Itwas some months after he had left Paris
,and
,
indeed,as
‘n early as I can remember, a couple o f
months after young Riviere ’s first interview withhim
,that
,being in conversation with Monsieur
Perrin the notary,he told him he thought he ‘never
should cease to feel this regret .The notary smiled incredulous
,but said nothing .
‘We were fools to scrape all this money together ; it is n o use to her
,and
,I am sure
,it is none
to me ! ’
Is it perm itted to advise you ?’ asked his friend
persuasively.
Speak ! ’
This very money,which your elevated nature
contemns,may be made the means o f healing your
wound . There are ladies, fair and prudent,who
would at once capitulate—he he —to you,backed
,
as you are,by two or three hundred thousand
francs . One o f these , by her youth and aff ection,would in time supply the place o f her, your devotion to whose memory does you so much credit .That sum would also enable you to become thepossessor o f an estate—a most advisable investment
,since estates are just n ow unreasonably
depressed in value . Its wood and water wouldsoothe your eye , and relieve your sorrow by thesight Of your wealth in an enjoyable form .
’
WHITE LIES . 25
Halt ! say that ag aln ln half the roaredthe commandant roughly.
You can buy a fine restate and a chaste wifewith the money,
’ snapped this smooth p ersonage ,substituting curt brutality for honeyed prolixity
.
(Aside) Marriage contract so much commissionso ~much .
’
The soldier was struck by the propositions themoment they hit him small and solid
,like his much
loved bullets . H e
Granted half his prayerScornful the rest dispersed in emp ty air .
Have I time to be running after women ? ’ saidhe . But the estate I ’ll have
,because you can g et
that for me without my troubling my head .
" Is ita com misssion then ? ’ asked the other sharply .
Parbleu . DO you think I speak for the sake o ftalking .
N0 man had ever a larger assortment o f toolsthan Bonaparte
,o r knew better what each Oould
do and could not do . Raynal was a perfect soldieras far as he went
,and therefore was valued highly .
Bonaparte had formed him,too—and we are not
averse to our own work .
Raynal,though not fit to command a division
,
had the chic Bonaparte vis ibly stamped on him bythat m asterhan d.
For a man of genius spits men o f talent by thescore . Each o f these adopts one o r other o f hismany great qualities
,and builds himself on
'
it . IVOL . I . c
26 WHITE LIES .
see the m are’clm ls o f the empire are beginning tobrag—now every body else is dead . Well
,dissect
all those m are’
chals,men Of talent every o n e o f
them,and combine their leading excellences in on e
figure,and add them up Total—a Nap oleon etto .
*
Who is that ? I am busy writing .
’
Monsieur the Commandan t,I am the citiz en
Riviere,I am come to present myself to you , and
toI know—come for orders . ’
Exactly,commandant . ’
Humph ! Here is a report just sent in byyoung Nicole
,who fills the same post as you
,only
to the northward . Take this pen and analyse hisreport
,while I write these letters . ’
Yes,commandant .
Write out the heads of your analysis Goodit is well done . Now take your heads home andact under them ; and frame your report by them ,
and bring it me in person next Saturday .
’
It shall be done,commandant . W
’
here are myquarters to beThe commandant handed him a pair o f com
passes,and pointed to a map on which Riviere’s
district was marked in blue ink .
Find the centre of your district .
’
I m ean,of course, as far as soldiering goes ; but soldiering was on ly a
part of the man,a brilliant pait which has blinded some people as to the
p rop ortl ons o f this colossal fig ure. H e was a profound, though, fromnecessity
,n o t a hb eral statesman, a great civil engineer, a marvellous
orator in the boudoir and the field, a sound and original critic in all theal ts, and the greatest legislator in modern his tory .
28 WHITE LIES .
administration . He imprinted on his beardlessface the expression o f a wearied statesman
,and
strolled through an admiring village . The m en
pretended veneration from policy . The women,
whose views o f this great man were shallower butmore sincere
,smiled approval o f his airs .
The young puppy aff ected to take no notice o f
either sex .
Outside the village,Publicola suddenly en
countered two young ladies,who resembled n othing
he had hitherto met with in his district . Theywere dressed in black
,and with extreme simplicity ;
but their easy grace and composure,and the
refined sentiment o f their gentle faces, told ata glance they belonged to the high nobility.
Publicola,though he had never seen them, divined
them at once by their dress and mien,and as he
drew near,he involuntarily raised his hat to SO
much beauty and dignity,instead o f poking it with
a finger at la Re’
p ublique. On this, the ladies instan tly curtseyed to him after the manner of theirparty, with a sweep and a majesty, and a precisiono f politeness
,that the pup would have laughed at
if he had heard o f it ; but seeing it done , and welldone
,and by lovely women o f high rank , he was
taken aback by it,and lifted his hat again , and
bowed again after he had gone by,which was
absurd and was generally fluster ed. In short,
instead of a member o f the Republican Government '
saluting private individuals o f a decayed partythat existed only by suff erance
,a handsome, vain ,
WHITE LIES . 99
good-natured boy had met two self-possessed youngladies o f rank and breeding
,and had cut the figure
usual upon such occasions .Fo r the next hundred yards
,his cheeks burned
,
and his vanity was cooled . But bumptiousness iselastic in France as in England and among theEsquimaux.
Well,they are pretty girls
,
’ says he to himself.I never saw two such pretty girls together—e theywill do for m e to flirt with while I am banished tothis Arcadia .
’
(Banished from school .)And awful beauty ’ being n o longer in sight
,
Mr . Edouard resolved he would flirt with them totheir hearts’ content .But
'
ther e are ladies with whom a certain preliminary is required before you can flirt withthem. You must be on speaking terms . Howwas this to be managed ? Oh ! it would comesomehow o r other if he was always meeting them—and really a man that is harassed
,and worked
as I am,requires some agreeable recreation o f this
sor tf
Etc.
’
He used to watch at his window with a telescope ,and whenever the sisters came out o f their owngrounds
,which unfortunately was n ot above three
times a week,he would throw himself in their way
by the merest accident,and pay them a dignified
and courteous salute, which he had carefully gotup before a mirror in the privacy o f his ownchamber .
30 WHITE LIES
In return he received two 'reverences that Wereto say the least as dignified and courteous as hisown
,though they had not had the advantage of a
special rehearsal .S O far so good . But a little circumstance cooled
our Adonis’s hopes'
Of turning a bowing acquaintance into a speaking one
,and a speaking into a
flirting.
There was a'
flaw at the foundation of thispyramid o f agreeable sequences . Studying the
faces of these courteous beauties,he became certain
that no recognition of his charmin g personmingled with their repeated acts o f po liteness .
Some one o f their humbler neighbours had thegrace to salute them with the respect due to themthis was an unusual but not a strange occurrenceto them even now . When it did happen
,they
made the proper return . They were of too highrank and breeding to be outdone in politeness .But that the sam e person met them whenever theycame out
,and that hewas handsome and interesting
—no consciousness of this phenomenon beamed inthose charming countenances . Citizen Riv iere wasfirst piqued and then r be
’
g an to laugh at his wanto f courage
,and on a certain day when his im
portance was vividly present to him he took a newstep towards making this agreeable acquaintancehe marched up 'to the Chateau de Beaurepaire andcalled on the baroness Of that ilk . He sent up hisname and Office with due pomp . Jacin tha returnedwith a black-edged note .
WHITE LIES . 31
H ighlyflattered byMonsieur de Riviere’
s visit,the
baron ess inf orm ed him that she r eceived n on e but old
acquain tances, in the p resen t g r ief of the f am ily, andof the KINGD OM
’
Young Riviere was cruelly mortified by thisrebuff. He went o ff hurriedly
,grinding his teeth
with rage .Cursed aristocrats ! Ah ! we have done well
to pull you down , and we will have you lowerstill. How I despise myself for giving any one thechance to affront me thus ! The haughty oldfool ! if she had known her interest, she wouldhave been too glad to make a powerful friend .
These Royalists are in a ticklish position : I cantell her that. But stay—she calls me De Riviere .She does not know who I am then ! Takes m e fo rsome young aristocrat ! Well then after all—butno that makes it worse . She implies that nobodywithout a De to their name would have the presumption to visit her o ld tumble down house .W
'
ell,it is a lesson . I am a Republican, and the
Commonwealth trusts and honours me ; yet I amso ungrateful as to go out of the way to be civil toher enemies—to Royalists ; as if those worn out
creatures had hearts—as if they could comprehendthe struggle that took place in my mind betweenduty and generosity to the fallen , before I couldmake the first overture to their acquaintance—asif they could understand the politeness of theheart
,o r anything nobler than curvin g and ducking
and heartless etiquette . This is the last notice I
32 WHITE LIES .
will ever take o f that family,that you may take
your oath o f !
He walked home to the town very fast,his
heart boiling and his lips compressed,and his brow
knitted .
Just outside the town he met Josephine andLaure de Beaurepaire. f
At the sight o f their sweet faces his moody browcleared a little
,and he was surprised into saluting
them as usual,only more stiffly
,when 10 ! from
on e o f the ladies there broke a smile so sudden , sosweet
,and so v ivid
,that he felt it hit him on the
eyes and on the heart . His teeth unclenchedthemselves
,his resolve dissolved
,and another
came in its place . Nothing should prevent himfrom penetrating into that fortified , castle
,which
contained at least on e sweet creature who hadrecognized him
,and given him a smile brimful o f
sunshine .That night he hardly slept at all , and woke very
nearly if n o t quite in love . Such was the powero f a sm ile .Yet this young gentleman had seen many
smilers,but to be sure most o f them smiled with
out efl'
ect,because they smiled eternally ; they
seemed cast with their mouths open,and their
pretty teeth for ever in sight,which has a sadden
ing influence on a man o f sense—when it has any .
But here a fair pensive face had brightened atsight of him ; a lovely countenance on which circum stan ces
,n o t Nature
,had impressed gravity
,
WHITE LIES . 33
had sprung back to its natural gaiety for a moment,
and for him .
Difficulties spur us whenever they do not check
My lord sat at his wm dow with his book andtelescope for hours every day .
Alas ! mesdemoiselles did n ot leave the premisesfor three days . But on the fourth industry wasrewarded : he met them
,and smiling himself by
anticipation,it was his fate to draw from the lady
a more exquisite smile than the last .Smile the second made his heart beat so he could
feel it against his waistcoat.Beauty is power : a smile is its sword . These
two charming thrusts subdued if they did notdestroy Publicola’
s wrath against thebaroness , andhis heart was now all on a glow . A passingglimpse two o r three times a week no longersatisfied its yearning . There was a little fellowcalled Dard who went out shooting in the capacityof a beater—this young man seemed to know agreat deal about the fam ily . He told him thatthe ladies Of Beaurepaire went to Mass everySunday at a little church two miles Off . Thebaroness used to go too
,but now they have no
carriage ‘She stays at home . She won’t
‘
go tochurch o r anywhere else now she can’t drive upand have a blazing lacquey to hand her outAr isto cd
Riviere smiled at this flow o f plebeian bile .Aristocrat go to !
34 WHITE LIES .
Next Sunday saw him a political renegade . Hefailed in a prime article of Republican faith . Hewent to church .
The Republic had given up going to churchthe male part in particular .Citizen Riviere attended church and there wor
shipped—Cupid . He smarted for this . The youngladies went with higher motives, and took nonotice of him . They lowered their long silkenlashes over one breviary
,and scarcely Observed the
handsome citiz en . Meantime he, contemplatingtheir p IOus beauty with earthly eyes, was drinkinglong draughts of intoxicating passi ’on.
And when after the service they each took anarm o f St . Aubin, and
-he with the air of an ad
miral convoying two ships choke full o f specie,
conducted his pr‘ecious charge away home,our
youn g citizen felt jealous,and all but hated the
worthy doctor .One day Riviere was out . shooting, accompanied
by Dard .
A covey of partridges got up wild,and went out
of bounds into a field of late clover . ‘It is welldone , citizen ,
’ shouted little Dard,
‘at present weare going to massacre them .
’
But that is n o t my ground .
’
No matter it belongs to Beaurepaire .
’
The last people I should like to take a libertywith .
’
You must not be so nice they have n o gamekeeper now to interfere with us they can’t afford
36 WH ITE LIES .
What is the matter ? Are you ill ?’
Very,citizen .
’
What is it ?’
The soldier’s gripes,
’ replied this vulgar littlecitizen , and only smell ; the soup is just comin go ff the fire .
’
This little Dard resembled (in on e particular)Cardinal Wolsey
,as handed down to uS by the
immortal bard,and by the portraits in Magdalen
College .
H e was a m an o f an unbounded stomach.
’
He had gone two hours past his usual feedingtime
,and was in aff liction .
Riv rere laughed and consented . We will haveit in the porch
,
’ said he .
The consent was no sooner out of his mouth thanDard dashed wildly into the kitchen .
Riviere himself was not sorry o f an excuse tolinger an hour in a place where the ladies o f
Beaurepaire might perhaps,
pass and see him in anew costume—his shooting cap and jacket
,adorned
with all the paraphernalia Of the sport,which in
France are got Up with an eye to ornament as wellas use .The soup was brought out
,and for several mi
n utes Dard’s feelings were too great for utterance .But Riviere . did not take after the great cardinal
,
especially since he had fallen in love . He soondispatched a frugal meal ; then went in and gotsome scraps for the dog
,and then began to lay
WHITE LIES . 37
the game out and count it . He emptied his own
pocket and Dard’s game bag,and altogether it
made a good show .
The small citiz en was n ow in a fit state to articulate .A good day’s work
,citizen ,
’ said he,stretchin g
himself luxuriously,till he turned from a rotundity
to an oval ; ‘and most o f it killed on the lands o f
Beaurepaire all the better .
’
You appear n o t to love that family,Dard .
‘You have hit it,citizen . I do not love that
family,
’ was the stern reply .
Edouard , for a reason before hinted at, was in nohurry to leave the place
,and the present seemed a
good Opportunity for pumping Dard . He senttherefore for two pipes : on e he pretended to
smoke,the other he gave Dard : for this shrewd
young personage had observed that these rus_tics
,
under the benign influence o f tobacco,Were
placidly reckless I n their revelations .By
-the-by, Dard (puff) —why did you say youdisliked that family ?’
Because—because I can’t help it it is strongerthan I am . I hate them,
aristo—va
But why —why —whyAh ! good
, you demand why Be
cause they impose upon Jacin tha.
’
OhAnd then she imposes upon me .
’
I do not quite understand . Explain Dard,‘
and assure yourself o f my sympathy
38 WH I T E LIES .
Thus encouraged Dard became loquacious .
‘Those Beaur ep alre aristocrats,’ said he
,with
his hard peasant good sense,are neither on e
thing nor the other . They cannot keep upnobility
,they have not the means— they will not
come down o ff their pe rch,they have not the
sense . NO,for as small as they are they must
look and talk as big as ever . They can onlyafford one servant
,and I don’t believe they pay
her,but they must be attended o n just as Obsequi
ouS as when they had a dozen . And this is fatalto all us little people that have the misfortune tobe connected with them .
’
Why how are you connected with them ?’
By the tie o f aff ection .
’
I thought you hated them .
Clearly : but I have the ill-luck to love Jacintha
,and she loves these aristocrats
,and makes me
do little odd jobs for them,
’ and here Dard’s eyessuddenly glared with horror .Well what o f it‘What o f it citizen
,what ? you do not know
the fatal meaning of those accursed words ?’
Why it is not an obscure phrase . I neverheard of a man’s back being broken by little odd
jobsfPerhaps not his back
,citizen
,but his heart ? if
little Odd jobs will not break that,why nothing
will . Torn from place to place, and from troubleto trouble as soon as one tiresome thing begins togo a bit smooth
,Off to a fresh
’
p lague— a n ew
WHITE LIES . 39
handicraft to torment your head and your fingersover every day indoors work when it is dry
,out
a doors when it snows— and then all bustle—notaking one’s work quietly
,the only way it agrees
with a fellow : no repose . Milk the cow,Dard
,
but look sharp ; the baroness’s chair wants mend
ing—take these slops to the pig,but you must not
wait to see him enjoy them ; you are wanted tochop billets . Beat the mats—take down thecurtains—walk to church (best part of a league)and heat the pew cushions— come back and cutthe cabbages
,paint the door
,and wheel the Old
lady about the terrace,rub quicksilver on the
little dog’s back : mind he don’t bite you to makehimself sick ! repair the ottoman , roll the gravel,clean the kettles
,carry half a ton Of water up three
pair o f stairs,trim the turf, prune the vine , drag
the fish pond,and when you are there, go in_ and
gather water lilies for Mademoiselle Josephinewhile you are drowning the puppies ; that is littleodd jobs : may Satan twist her neck who inventedthem ! ’
‘Very sad all this,
’ said young Riviere,as
gravely as he could ; but about the familyI am citizen . When I g o into their kitchen to
court Jacintha a bit,instead o f finding a good
supper there,which a man has a right to
,courting
a cook —if I don’t take on e in my pocket,there is
no supper,not to say supper, for either
'
her or me .
I don’t call a salad and a bit of cheese rindsupper ! Beggars in silk and satin . Every sou
40 WH ITE LIES .
they have goes on to their backs,instead of into
their bellies . ’
Nonsense,Dard . I know your capacity
,but
you could not eat a hole in their income,that
ancient family .
’
‘I could eat it all,and sit here . Income ! I
would not change incomes with them if they’dthrow me in a pancake a day . I tell you
,citizen
,
they are the poorest family for leagues round ; notthat they need be quite so poor
,if they could
swallow a little o f their pride . But no,they must
have china and plate and fine linen at dinner ; so
their fine plates are always bare,and their silver
trays empty . Ask the butcher,if you don’t
believe m e !You ask him whether he does n o t go three
times to the smallest shop-keeper,for once he goes
to Beaurepaire . Their tenants send them a littlemeal and eggs
,and now and then a hen
,because
they must ; their great garden is chock full of fruitand vegetables
,and Jacin tha makes me dig in it
gratis— and so they muddle on . And then thebaroness must have her coffee as in the days ofOld
,and they can’t aff ord to buy it—so they roasthaw ! haw —roast a lot o f horse beans that costnothing
,and grind them
,and serve up the liquor
in a silver cafetiere,on a silver salver Ar isto cd
Is it possible —reduced to this —oh‘Perdition seize them ! why don’t they melt
their silver into soup -why don’t they sell thesuperfluous and buy the grub ? and I can
’t see why
WHITE LIES . I
they don’t let their house and that accursedgarden
,in which I sweat gratis
,and live in a
small house,and be content with as many servants
as they can pay wages to .
’
Dard,
’ said Riviere thoughtfully,interrupting
him,
‘is it really true about the beans ?’
I tell you I have seen Mademoiselle Lauredoing it f or the old woman’s breakfast ; it wasLaure invented the move . A girl o f nineteenbeg inning already to deceive the world . Butthey are all tarred with the same stick—Ar isto va
Dard,you are a brute ! ’
Me,citizen ?’
‘You ! there is noble poverty,as well as noble
wealth . I might have disdained these people intheir prosperity
,but . I revere them in their afflic
tion .
’
I consent,
’ replied Dard,very coolly . That is
your affair ; but permit me ,’ and here he clenched
his teeth at remembrance Of his wrongs , on myown part to saythat I will n o more be a sculleryman without wages to these high minded starvelings
,these illustrious beggars.’ Then he heate d
himself red hot . I will not even be their galleyslave . Next
,I have done my last little odd job in
this world,
’ yelled the now infuriated f actotum .
A ll is ended . Of two things on e—either Jacin thaquits those aristo s
,or I leave Jacin—eh
'
— ahOh ! —ahem ! How—’
ow d’ye do,Jacintha and
his roar ended in a whine,as when a dog runs
barkin g out and receiv es in full career a cut from
42 WHITE LIES .
his master’s whip,his generous rage turns to
whimper then and there .
‘I was just talking o f
you,Jacin tha
,
’ faltered Dard,in conclusion .
I heard you,Dard
,
’ replied Jacintha,slowly
,
quietly, grim ly .
Dard from oval shrank back to round .
The person whose sudden appearance at thedoor o f the porch reduced the swelling Dard to hisnatur al limits moral and corporeal
,was a strapping
young woman,with a comely peasant face some
what freckled,and a pair of large black eyes
surmounted by coal black brows that inclined tomeet upon the bridge o f the nose . She stood in abold attitude
,her massive but well formed arms
folded so that the pressure o f each against theother made them seem gigantic
,and her cheek
pale with wrath,and her eyes glistening like
basilisks upon citizen Dard . Had petulancem In g led with her wrath , Riviere would havehowled with laughter at Dard’s discom fiture, andits cause ; but a handsome woman , boiling withsuppressed ire
,has a touch o f the terrible
,and
Jacin tha’
s black eyes,and lowering black brows
,
gave her,in this moment o f lofty indignation
,a
grander look than belonged to her . So evenRiviere put down his pipe
,and gazed up In her
face with a shade o f misgivin g .
She now slowly unclasped her arms,and with
her great eye immovably fixed on Dard , Shepointed with a commanding gesture towards Beaurepaire . Citizen Dard was no longer master o f
44 WHITE LIES .
Often looked behind him . He did not relish leaving Jacin tha with the handsome young citizen
,
especially after her discovery that there werebetter men in the district than himself.Jacin tha turned to young Riviere , and spoke to
him in a very different tone—coldly but politely.
Monsieur will think me very hardy thus to
address a stranger,but I ought not to allow mon
sieur to be deceived,and those I serve belied .
‘There needs no excuse,female citizen ; I am
at your service be seated .
’
Many thanks,monsieur ; but I will not sit
down,for I am going immediately .
’
All the worse,female citizen . But I say, it
seems to me then you heard what Dard was sayingto me . What did you listen Oh fieNo
,monsieur
,I did n o t listen,
’ replied Jacin tha,
haughtily I am incapable o f it ; there was n onecessity . Dard bawled so loud the whole villagemight hear . I was passing, and heard a voice Iknew raised so high
,I feared he was drunk ; I
came therefore to the side o f the porch—with thebest intentions . Arrived there
,words struck my
ear that made me pause . I was so transfixed Icould not move . Thus, quite is spite o f
“myself,I
suffered the pain o f hearing his calumnies ; yousee
, monsieur , that I did n o t play the spy on you ;moreover
,that character would nowise suit with
my natural disposition . I heard too your answer,which does you so much credit
,and I instantly
resolv ed that you should’
n ot be imposed upon .
WHITE LIES . 45
Thank you,citizeness . ’
‘Neither'
the family I serve,nor myself
,are
reduced to what that little fool described . I oughtnot to laugh
,I ought to be angry ; but after all it
was only Dard,and Dard is a notorious fool .
There,monsieur
,
’ continued she graciously,I
will be candid,I will tell you all . It is perfectly
true that‘the baron contracted debts
,and that the
baroness,out of love for her children , is paying
them Off as fast as possible ; that the estate may beclear before she dies . It is also true that theseheavy debts cannot be paid o ff without greateconomy . But let us distinguish . Prudence isnot poverty rather
,my young monsieur, it is the
thorny road to wealth .
’
That is neatly expressed , citizenessWould monsieur object to call me by my name ,
since that o f citiz en is odious to me and to mostwomenCertainly not
,Mademoiselle Jacintha
,I Shall
even take a pleasure in it,since it will seem to
imply that we are making a nearer acquaintance ,mademo iselle .
’
Not m adem o1selle , any more than citizen . I amneither demoiselle
,nor dame
,but plain Jacin tha.
’
‘No ! no ! no ! not plain Jacintha ! DO youthink I have no eyes then
,pretty Jacin tha
“Monsieur,a truce to compliments ! Let us
resume ! ’
Be seated,then
,pretty Jacin tha
It is useless,monsieur, since I am going im
46 WHITE LIES .
mediately . I will be very candid with you . It isabout Dard having no supper up at Beaurepaire .
This is true . You see I am candid and concealnothing . I will even own to you that the baroness
,
my mistress,would be very angry if she knew
supper was not provided for Dard ; in a word, Iam the culprit . And I am in the right . Listen .
Dard is egoist . You may even , perhaps, haveyourself observed this trait .’
‘Glimpses o f‘it—ha ! ha ! ha -he ! ho !’
‘Monsieur,he is egoist to that degree that he
has n o t a friend in the world but me . I forgivehim, because I know the reason he has never hada headache or a heartache in his life .
’
I don’t understand you, Jacin thaMonsieur
,at your age there are many things a
young man does not understand . But though Imake allowances for Dard
,I know what is due to
myself. Yes,he is so egoist
,that
,were I to fill
that paunch of his,I should no longer know
whether he came to Beaurepaire for me o r forhimself. Now Dard is no beauty
,monsieur ; figure
to yourself that he is two inches shorter thanI am .
’
Oh,Heaven ! he looks a foot . ’
‘He is no scholar neither,and I have had to
wipe up many a sneer and many a sarcasm on hisaccount ; but _up to now I have always been toreply that this five feet two inches of egoism lovesme disinterestedly ; and the
’
moment I doubt thispoint I give him his congé
4 -poor little fellow !
WHITE LIES . 47
Now you comprehend all , do you no t ? Confessthat I am reasonable .
’
‘Parbleu ! I say,I did not think your sex had
been so sagacious . ’
‘You saw me on the brink o f giving the poorlittle being his dism issalI saw and admired . Well then fellow cit—ah
pardon—Jacintha : so then the family at Beaurepaire are not in such straits as Dard pretendsMonsieur
,do I look like on e starved ?’
By Jove,no —by Ceres, I mean
Are my young mistresses wan—and thin—andhollow-eyed .
Treason —blasphemy —ah! no . By Venusand Hebe
,no ! ’
Jacin tha smiled at this enthusiastic denial , andalso because her sex smile when words are usedthey do n o t understand—guess why ! She resumedWhen a cup overflows it cannot be empty ;
those have enough who have to spare ; n ow how
many times has Dard himself sent o r brought aweary soldier to our kitchen by MademoiselleLaure’s own orders ?’
I can believe it . ’
And how many times have I brought a bottle o fgood Medoc for them from the baroness’s cellar ? ’‘You did well . I see ; Dard
’s egoism blindedhim : they are prudent, but neither stingy or poor .All the better . But stay —the coffee —the beans . ’
Jacin tha coloured and seemed put out,but it was
only for a moment ; she smiled g ood-hum our edly
48 WHITE LIES .
0
enough and put her hand in her pocket and drewout a packet . What is that ?’
Permit me ; it is coffee, and excellent if I mayjudge by the perfume ; you have just bought it inthe village ?’ Jacin tha nodded .
But the beansThe beans —the beans ! Well—he ! he !
Monsieur we have a little merry angel in thehouse called Mademoiselle Laure . She set me o n eday to roast some beans—the old doctor wantedthem for some absurd experiment . Dard came in ,and seeing somethin g cooking
,
“What are theyf or said be
,
“ what in Heaven’s name are theyfor ?” His curiosity knew no bounds . I wasgoing to tell him
,but Mademoiselle Laure gave
me a look . T'
o
’
i ’
make the family coff ee to besure ,
” says she ; and the fool believed it .’
Riviere and Jacin tha had a laugh over Dard’scredulity.
Well,Jacin tha, thank Heaven ! Dard is mis
ta ken ; and yet do you know I half regret they aren o t as poor
,no not quite
,but nearly as poor
,as he
described them—for thenWhat then ?’
You need not be angry now .
’
Me,monsieur ? One is in no haste to be angry
with such a face as yours my young monsieur . ’
Well,then
,I should have liked them to be a
little poor,that I might have had the pleasure and
the honour of being useful to them .
’
H ow could you be Of use to them ?’
WHITE LIES . 49
Oh , I don’t know—in many ways—especially
now I have made your acquaintance—you wouldhave told me what to do . I would n ot have disobeyed you, fo r you are a treasure, and I see . youlove them sincerely ; it is a holy cause ; it wouldhave been I mean ; and we should have beenunited in it
,Jacin tha.
’
Ah yes ! as to that,yes . ’
‘We would have concerted means to do themkindness secretly—without hurting their pride .
And then I am in authority,Jacin tha.
’
I know it,m on s1eur . Dard has told me .
’
‘In great authority for on e SO young . Theyare Royalists—m y secret protection might havebeen of wonderful service to them
,and I could
have given it them without disloyalty to the Statefor
,after all
,what has the Republic to dread from
womenThrough all this
,which the youn g fellow
delivered not flowin g ly, but in a series o f littlepants
,each from his heart
,Jacin tha’
s great ‘blackeye dwelt on him calm but secretly inquisitive
,and
on her cheek a faint colour came and went two orthree times .These sentiments do you honour, my pretty
monsieur,
’
(dwelling tenderly on the pretty .)An d so do yours do you ,
’ cried theyoun g manwarmly . Let us be friends
,us two
,who though
o f diff erent parties,understand o n e another . And
let me tell you Mademoiselle the Aristocrat,that
we Republicans have our virtues too .
’
VOL . I .
50 WHITE LIES .
‘Henceforth I will believe this for your sake,
my child .
’
I am going to tell you on e o f them .
’
Tell me . ’
It is this—we can recognise and bow to virtuein whatever class we find it . I revere you,
citahem —henceforth Jacin tha is to
’
me a word thatstands for loyalty
,fidelity
,and un selfish affection .
These are the soul o f nobility titles are itsvarnish . Such spirits as you
,I say
,are the orn a
ments of both our sexes,o f every rank
,and Of
human natur e . Therefore give me your prettybrown ban d a moment
,that I may pay you a
homage I would not Off er to a selfish,and
,by con
sequence a vulgar,duchess . ’
Jacin tha coloured a little but put out her handwith a smile
,and with the grace that seems born
with French women o f all classes . Riviere heldthe sm ilin g peasant
’s hand, and bowed his headand just touched it with his lips.A little to his surprise , the moment he relaxed
his hold of it,it began to close gently on his hand
and hold it,and even pressed it a very little . He
looked up,and saw a female phenomenon . The
smile still lingered on her lip,but the large black
eyes were troubled,and soon an enormous : tear
quietly rolled out o f them and ran down her tannedcheek .
The boy looked wistfully in her face for anexplanation .
She replied to his mute inquiry by smilin g, and
52 WH I TE LIES .
was disabled by ague for many years be fore hedied was my poor father ; my mother died in thehouse , and was buried in the sacred ground nearthe family chapel . Yes,her body is aside theirsin death
,and so was her heart while she lived .
They put an inscription on her tomb praising herfidelity and probity . Do you think
'
these thingsdo not sink into the heart o f the poor —praise o nher tomb
,and n o t a word on their own ,
but justthe name
,and when each was born and died
,you
know. Ah ! the pride of the mean is dirt,but the
pride o f the noble is gold !For
,look you
,- among parvenus I should be a
servant,and nothing more in this proud family I
am a humble friend ; of course they are not alwaysgossiping with me like vulgar masters and mistresses—if they did
,I should neither respect nor
love them ; but they all smile on me whenever Icome into the room
,even the baroness herself. I
belong to them,and they belong to me
,by ties
without number,by the years themselves—r eflect
,
monsieur,a century—by the many kind words in
many troubles,by the on e roof that sheltered us a
hundred years, and the grave where our bones lietogether till the day of God .
’
Jacintha clasped her hands and the black eyesshone out warm through their dew. Riviere ’sglistened too .
T he French peasant often thinks half a sentence, and utters theother half aloud , and so breaks air in the middle of a thought. ProbablyJac1n tha 8 whole thought, if we had the means of kn owin g it, would hav erim hke this Besides I have another reason . I could n o t be so comfortable myself elsewhere—f o r look you
WHITE LIES . 53
‘It is well said,
’ he cried ; ‘it is nobly said !But
,permit me
,these are ties that owe their force
to the souls,
they bind . H ow often have suchbonds round human hearts proved ropes o f sand !They grapple you like hooks o f steel—because youare steel yourself to the backbone . I admire you,cit—Jacintha dear . Such women as you have agreat mission in France just n ow.
’
Is that true What can we poor women doBRING FORTH HEROE S ! Be the mothers of
great men —the _Catos and the Gracchi o f thefuture .
’
Jacin tha smiled . She did not know the Gracchiand their political sentiments ; and they soundedwell . Gracchi a name with a ring to it. Peopleo f distinction no doubt .That would be too much honour
,
’ replied she
modestly . At present I must say adieu ! ’ andshe moved o ff an inch at a time
,and with an un
certain hesitating manner,looking this way and
that ‘out o f the tail o f her eye ,’ as the Italians and
Scotch phrase it .Riviere put no interpretation on this . ‘Adieu
then,if it must be so
,
’ said he .She caught sight of the game laid out : on this
excuse she stopped dead short . She eyed it wistfully .
Riviere caught this glance . Have some of it,’
cried he,do have some o f it .
’
What should I do with game ? ’
I mean fo r the chateau .
’
They have such quantities o f it . ’
4' WHITE LIES.
Ah ! n o doubt . All the tenants send it I
suppose .
’
Of course they do .
’
What a pity ! It is then fated that I am n ot
to be able to show my goodwill to that family, noteven in such a trifle as this . ’
Jacin tha wheeled suddenly round on him,and
so by an instinct o f female art caught o ff its guardthat face which she had already openly perused .
This done,She paused a moment
,and then came
walking an inch at a time back to him ; enteredthe porch thoughtfully
,and coolly
’
sat down. Atfirst she sat just opposite Riviere
,but the next
moment reflecting that She was In sight from theroad
,she slipped into a corner
,and there anchored .
Riviere Opened his eyes,and while She was settlin g
her skirts he was puzzling his little head .
H ow odd,
’ thought he . So long as I askedher to sit down
,it was always n o
,I am
going .
”
Yes,my friend
,
”
you have divined it !’
Oh have I ? ah,yes—divined what ?’
That I am going to tell you the truth . Yourface as well as your words is the cause ; oh yes
,I
will tell you all . ’
Is it about BeaurepaireYes . ’
But you did tell me all ; those were your verywords . ’
It is possible but all I told you wase - inexact .’
Oh n o, Jacintha, that cannot be . I felt truth
in every tone o f your voice . ’
WHITE LIES . 55
That was because you are true,and innocen t
,
and pure . Forgive me for not reading you at aglance . Now I will tell you all . ’
Oh do ! pray do ! ’‘Listen then ! T - ah my friend
,swear to me by
that sainted woman,your mother
,
‘that you willnever reveal what I trust you with at this moment !
’
Jacin tha, I swear by my mother to keep yoursecret f
Then,my poor friend
,what Dard told you was
not altogether false .
’
Good Heavens ! Jacin tha.
’
‘Though it was but a guess on his part ; for Inever trusted my own sweetheart as now I trust astranger . You that have shown such good sentiments towards us
,oh ! hear and then tell me
,can
nothing be done ? No,don ’t speak to me—let me
go on before my courage dies ; yes, share this secretwith me
,fo r it gnaws me , it chokes, me . T o
?
see
what I see every day, and do what I do, and haveno on e I dare breathe a word to ; oh ! it is veryhard . Nevertheless
,see on What a thread things
turn if on e had told me an hour ag o it was you Ishould open my heart to !My child
,my dear old mistress and my sweet
young ladies are—ah ! no I can’t ! I can’t !What a poltroon I am . Yes ! thank you, your
hand in mine gives me courage : I hOp e I am notdoing ill . They are n o t economical . They arenot stingy .
‘ They are n ot paying o ff their debts .My friend, the baroness and the demoiselles deBeaurepaire—are PAUPERS .
’
56 WHITE LIES .
CHAPTER III .
PAUPERSAlasMembers o f the nobility paupers‘Yes ; for their debts are greater than their
means ; they live by suff erance—they lie at themercy o f the law,
and o f their creditors ; and everyn ow and then these monsters threaten us, thoughthey know we struggle to give them their due . ’
What do they threaten ?’
To petition government to sell the chateauandlands
,and pay them—the wretches
The hogs ! ’
And then the worst o f it is,the family can’t
do any thing the least little bit mean . I was inthe room when M . Perrin
,the n’otary, gave the
baroness a hint to cut down ev eryitr ee on theestate
,and sell the timber
,and lay by. the money
for her own use . She heard him out,and then
,
oh ! the look she gave him—it withered ,him upon his chair.
I r ob my husband’s and my Jo sephin e’
s estateo f its beauty ! cut down the old trees that show
WHITE LIES . 57
the‘chateau is not a thing o f yesterday, like your
Directory,your Republic
,and your guillotine !”
So then,Monsieur Perrin
,to soften her
,said
No,madame
,spare the ancient oak o f course
and indeed all the very old trees ; but sell theothers .”
The others ? what,the trees that my own
husband planted ? and why not knock down ,
mylittle oratory in the park—Qhe built it . The stoneswould sell for something—so would Josephine ’shair and Laure’s . You do not know perhaps, eacho f those young ladies there can sit down upon herback hair . Monsieur
,I will neither strip the
glory from_m y daughters
’ heads,nor from the
ancient lands o f Beaurepaire—nor hallow someRepublican’s barn
,pig stye
,o r dwelling-house,
with the stones o f the sacred place where I prayfor my husband ’s soul .
She had been sitting quite quiet like a:
cat,
watching for him . She rose up to speak,and
those words came from her like puffs o f flame froma furnace . You
'
could not forget on e o f them . if
you lived ever so long. He hasn’t come to see us
since then, and it’s six months ago .
I call it false pride,Jacm tha
Do you ? then I don’t,
’ said Jac1n tha firing up .
Well,n o matter ; tell me more .
’
I willtell you all . I have promised ,’Is it true about the beans ?’
It Is too true . ’
But this coff ee that you have just bought ?’
D 3
58 WHITE LIES ,
I have n ot bought it ; I have em bez zled it .Every n ow and then I take a bunch o f grapesfrom the conservatory . I give it to the grocer
’swife . Then she gives me a little coff ee
, and saysto herself
,That girl is a thief.
”
‘More fool she . She says nothing o f the so rt,you spiteful girl.
’
Then I secretly flavour my poor m istress’s
breakfast with it .’
Secretly ? But you tellMademoiselle Laure .’‘How innocen t you are —Don’t you see that
she roasts beans that her mother m ay still thinkshe drinks coff ee ; and that I flavour her rubbishon the sly, that Mademoiselle Laure may fancyher beans have really a twang o f coff ee ; an d fo raught I know the baroness see s through us both,and smacks her lips over the draught to makeus all happy ; for women are very deep, my youngmonsieur—you have n o idea how deep they are .Yes
,at Beaurepaire we all love and deceive on e
another.’
You make my heart sick . Then it was untrueabout the wine ?
’
No,it was n o t ; we have plenty o f that: The
baron left the cellar brim full o f wine . There isenough to last us all our lives ; and while we haveit,we will give it to the brave and the poor .
’
And pinch yourselves . ’
And pinch ourselves . ’
‘Why don ’t they swap the win e for nocessaries
60 WHITE LIES .
God knows what we shall do,for I don’t . ’ 'And
Jacin tha turned a face so full o f sorrow on him,
that he was ashamed of having been in . a rage withher absurdity .
And then to come by and hear my own sweetheart
,that ought to be on my side
,running down
those saints and martyrs to a stran to our bestfriend .
’
Poor Jacin thaOh ! no ; don
’t, don’t ! already it costs me a
great struggle not to g ive way .
’
‘Indeed ! you tremble . ’
Like enough—it is the nerves . Take nonotice
,or I could not answer for myself. My heart
is like a lump o f lead in my bosom at this hour .No ! it is not So much for what goes on up at thechateau . That will not kill them . Love nourishesas well as food ; and we all love on e another atBeaurepaire . It is for the whisper I have justhead in the village .’
What —whatThat on e o f these cruel creditors is going to
have the estate and chateau sold .
’
Our se ~him‘He might as well send for the guillotine and
take their lives at . once . You look at me . You
don’t know m yO
m istr ess as I do . Ah ! butchers, ifit is so
,you will drag nothing out o f that house but
her corpse . And is it come to this ? The greatold family to be turned adrift like beggars to wander over the world ? Oh
,my poor mistress ! oh,
WHITE LIES . 61
my pretty demoiselles ! that I played with andnursed ever since I was a child ! I was just sixwhen Josephin e was born ; and that I shall lovetill my last breath .
’
_The young woman, torn by the violence of afeelin g so long pent up in her own bosom
,fell to
panting,and laughing
,and sobbing
,and trembling
violently .
The statesman,Who had passed all his short life
at school and college,was frightened _out of his
wits,and ran to her side
,and took hold o f her and
pulled her,and cried Oh ! don’t Jacintha ; you
Will kill yourself,you will die —this is frightful
help here ! help ! ’
Jacin tha put her hand to his mouth , and , without leaving o ff her hysterics
,gasped out
‘Ah'don’t expose m e.
’
So then he didn’t know what to do ; but heseized a tum bler and with trembling hand filled itwith wine
,and threw him self on his knees
,and
forced it between her lips . All she didwas to bitea piece out o f the glass as clean as if a diamondhad cut it . This did her good—destruction o f
sacred household property gav e her another turn .
There; I’ve broke your glass now,
’ She cried,with
a marvellous change o f tone and she came to, andsobbed and cried reasonably The other youngthing
_o f the tender
,though impetuous heart
,set to
comfort her .Poor Jacin tha ! dear Jacin tha ! I will. be a
friend both to them and you. There is a kiss not
2 WHITE LIES .
to cry so .
’ Oh,oh
,oh ! An d lo, and behold ! he
bur st out crying himself.This gave Jacin tha another turn .
‘Oh,my son ! don’t you cry ! - I will never
H ow can I help it ? Oh ! It is you who m akem e—sobbing and weeping like . ’Forgive me
,little heart . I will be m -more rea-z
sonable—not to afflict you . Oh —Oh —see , Ileave ofl
'
. Oh —. I will take the wine .’
Edouard put the other side o f the glass to herlips
,and she supped a teaspoonful of the wine .
This was her native politeness, not to slight a r emedy he had off ered . Then he put down the glass,and she drew his head lightly to her bosom,
and hefelt her quietly crying . She was touched to thecore by his sympathy . As for him
,he Was
already ashamed o f the weakn ess he could notquite master
, andwas n o t sorry to hide his face so
Oh dear ! Now—a—oh ! you are n ot to fancy (Ican hear your heart beat where I am
,Jacin tha,) I
ever cry . I have n ot done such a contemptiblething since I was a boy.
’
I believe it . Forgive me . It was all my fault .It is no discredit . Ah ! no , my son ; these tearsdo you honour, and make the poor Jacin tha yourfriend .
’
These foolish drops did n ot long quench our
statesman’s and puppy’s manly ardour.
‘Come, com e - he cried ,
‘let us do somethin g,
WHITE LIES . 63
n ot sit blubbering .
’ Ah ! if we could do anything
,
’ cried Jacin tha, catching fire at him .
Why,o f course we can . People never know
what they can ”do till they try . I shall think o f
something, you may depend.
’
(Vanity revived .)And I must run to Beaurepaire ; they will
think I am lost .’
Stop, you will take some o f the game n ow.
’
That I will—from you .
’
Thank you . Quick—quick - f or goodnesssake . Here
,take these four birds . That is right
pin up your apron—that makes a capital pocket .’The hare would be more nourishing than thebirds
,
’ said Jacin tha,timidly .
You are to have the hare as well, o f course ;send me down Dard he shall take her up .
’
‘No ! no ! Dard and I are bad friends . I willask n o favour o f him . He shall be my suppliantall this day, n ot I his . Look at my arm
,do you
think that is afraid o f a hare ?’
Why,it is half as big again as mine , Jacin tha
for all that, I shall carry the hare up in my pocket .France is still France , whatever you may think ;a pretty woman must not be let drag a hare aboutthe nation—com e
Surely,monsieur does
'
not think o f accompany
W hy n ot
Oh ! as for that, I am n o prude—it is a roadtoo on which on e m eets n o one—ah bah ! if youare not ashamed o f me, I am n ot o f you
—allom .
’
WHITE LIES .
They walked up the road in silence . Rivierehad something on his mind
,and Jacintha was
demurely watching for it out o f the tail o f hereye . At last, ashamed o f gowg along and notsaying a word to rustic Hebe
,he dr opped out this
in an absent sort of way I shall never know byyour manner whether you are telling the truth o r
—the reverse .
’ N0 answer . ‘You do it beautifully .
’ No answer . So sm ooth and convincing .
’
No answer .Seriously then
,I used to think it a crime
,a
sordid vice—but now I see that even a falsehood,
coming from a pure heart,is purified
,and becomes
Never ! ’
And useful . ’
What use were mine I had to unpick themthe next minute—and do you think I did not
blush like fire while I was eating my own wordson e after another ?
’
I did not see you.
’
A sign I blushed inside,and that is worse . My
young monsieur,
’ continued Jacin tha gravely,
‘listen to me . A lie is always two thingsa lump of sin
,and a piece o f folly . Yes women
are readier and smoother at that sort o f work thanmen—all the worse for them . Men lie at times togain some end they are hard bent on ; but theninstinct is to tell the truth
,those that are men at
all . But women , especially uneducated ones likeme
’
,run to a lie the first thing, like ratS‘to ahole .
WHITE LIES . 6 5
Now,mark the consequence women sufl
’
er manytroubles
,great and small ; half o f these come to
them by the will o f God ; but the other half theymake fo r them selves by their silly want of truthand candour—there‘Bless my soul ! here is a sermon . Why, how
earnest you areYes
,I am in earnest
,and you should not mock
me . Consider,I am many years older than you
- you are not twenty,I think
,and I am close
upon five and twenty—and I have seen ten timesas much life as you
,though I have lived in a
village .
’
Don’t be angry,Jacintha ; I listen to every
word.
’
I am in earnest,my friend
,because you terrified
me when you smirked like that and talked ofbeautiful lies
,pious lies
, (why not clean filth ?)and then quoted me to prove it . Innocence is soeasily corrupted . And I could not sleep at nightif my tongue had corrupted on e so innocent andgood and young as you my dear . ’
Now,don’t you be alarmed,
’ cried the statesboyhaughtily
,
‘you need not fear that I shall evertake after women in that or any thing else . ’
Mind they will ' be the first to despise you ifyou do—that is their way—it is on e of them thattells you so .
’
‘Set your mind at ease fair moralist ; I shallthink of your precepts . I will even note downon e of the brilliant things you said
,
’ and he took
66 WHITE LIES .
out his tablets . A lie is a—lump o f sin ,and a
bit—no—a piece o f folly,eh ?
That is it ! ’ cried Jacin tha gaily,her anxiety
removed .
I did not think you were five and twentythough .
’
I am then—don’t you believe me ?’
Why n o t ? Indeed how could I disbelieve youafter your lecture ?’
It is well,
’ said Jacin tha with dignity .
She was twenty-seven by the parish bo oks .Riviere relapsed into his reverie .This time it was Jacin tha who spoke first.You forgive me for breaking the glass,
monsieur,and making you cry
Bother the glass—what little things to thinko f ; while I - and as fo r the other businessyou ' did it f airly ; you made a fool o f me , but
you began with yourself—please to rememberthat . ’
Oh ! a woman cries as she spits—that goes fo rnothing—but it is n ot fair o f her to make a mancry just because he has a feeling heart . ’
Stop A wom an m—cries—as she spits !Why Jacintha that is a coarse sentiment to comefrom you who say such beautiful things, and suchwise things—n ow and then ,
’
What would you have ?’ replied Jacin tha with
sudden humility . When all is done I am but adomestic I am not an instructed personOn reflection
,if coarse it is succin ct . I had
68 WHITE LIES .
smiled a little pompously,fo r he felt it was
.
a stepthat stamped him a man . Jacintha’s face expandedwith sacred joy at the prospect of a ‘love a ffair ;then she laughed at his conceit in fancying a boy’ slove could be as grave a secret as hers ; finally shelowered her voice to
'
a whisper,though n o creature
was in sight . Who is it dear ?’ and her eyetwinkled
,and her ear cooked
,and all the woman
bristled .
Jacin tha can’t you guess ?’ and he lookeddown .
Me ? H ow should I know which way yourfancy lies ? ’
But even as she said these words her eye seemedto give a flash inwards
,and her vivid intelligence
seized the clue in a moment . I was blind ! Iwasblind ! It’s my young lady . I thought it was veryodd you should cry for me
,and take such an
interest—ah ! rogue with the face o f innocence !But how and where was it done ? They neverdine from home. You have not been two monthshere—that is what put me o ff the very idea o f sucha thing . The saints forgive us he has fallen inlove with her in church ! ’
No,no . Why I have met her eleven tim es out
walking with her sister,stupid
,and twice she
smiled on me . Oh Jacin tha ! a smile such asangels sm ile—a smile to warm the heart ' andpurify the soul and last for ever in the mind .
’
Well I have heard say that man is fire andwoman tow
,
”but this beats all . Ha ! ha
WHITE LIES . 69
Oh ! do n ot jest . I did not laugh at you .
’
I will not be so cruel , so ungrateful as to jest .Still—he ! he ! ’
N0 Jacin tha, it is no laughing matter ; I r evereher as mortals revere the saints . I love her so
that were I ever to lose all hope o f her I wouldnot live a day . And now that you have told meShe is pooran d in sorrow
,and I think of her walk
ing so calm and gentle—always in black,Jacin tha
—an d her low curtsey to me whenever we met,
and her sweet smile to me though her heart mustbe sad
,oh my heart yearns for her . What can I
do for her How Shall I surround her with m yself unseen—make her feel that a man’s love waitsupon her feet every step she takes—that a man’slove floats in the air round that lovely head . And
,
Jacin tha ! if some day she should deign to askwho is this
,whom as yet I know only by his de
v otion
She will ask that question much earlier than
you seem to think , Innocence .’
Will she ? bless you,Jacintha ; but it is un
generous to think of the reward for loving . No,I
will entertain no selfish motives,I will love and
prove my love whether there is any hope for me o rnot ; dear Jacintha is there any hope for me, doyou think ?’
There is hope for all men . I will do all I canfor you
,and tell you all I see ; but after all it
must depend on yourself ; only I may hinder youfrom going at it in a hurry and spilling the milk
70 WHITE LIES .
fo r ever. After all,’
She continued,looking at the‘
case more hope fully,
i‘the way to win such ladiesas mine is to deserve them—not on e in fifty mendeserves such as they are
,but you do . There
is not a woman in the world that is too good fo r
you .
’
Jacintha,that is nonsense . I deeply feel my
inferiority.
’
And if you were,you wouldn’t
,
’ cried the“
sen
ten tious maid on e o f whose secret maxims appearsto have been point before grammar .
’
Jacin tha,before I go
,remember
,if anythin g
happens you have a friend out o f the house . ’
And you a staunch friend in it.’
Jacin tha, I am to o happy ; I feel to want to bealone with all the thoughts that throng on me .Good bye
,
’ and he was o ff like a rocket .‘My hare ! my hare ! my 'har e screeched Ja
cin tha on the ascending scale .Oh you dear girl ! you remember all the little
things my head’
is in a whirl—come out hare . ’No ! You take her round by the back wall
and fling her over."
Jacin tha gave this order in a new tone—it wasa pleasant on e but there was a little air -o f authority now that seemed to say
,I have got your
secret ; you are“ in my power
, you must obey men ow my son ; o r
Riviere did as ordered,and when he came back
Jacin tha was already within the g rounds o f Beaurepaire . She turned and put a finger to her lips
,
IVE ITE LIES
to imply dead secresy on both sides ; he did thesame
,and so the vile conspirators parted .
‘
Puppies,like prisoners
,and a doz en other classes
,
are o f many classes stupidly co nfounded under on ename by those cuckoos that chatter and scribble usdead
,but never think . There is the commonplace
young puppy,who is only a puppy because he isyoung . The fate o f this is to outgrow his puppydom
,and be an average man—sometimes wise
,
sometimes silly,and on the whole neither good nor
bad . Sir John Guise was a puppy o f this sort inhis youthful day . I am sure o f it . He ended aharmless biped witness his epitap h
There is the vacant puppy,empty o f everything
but egotism,an d its skin full to bursting o f that .
Eye,the colour o f which looks washed out much
nose—little forehead—long ears .Young lady
,has this Sort of thing been asking
you to share its home and gizzard ? On receipt o fthese present say No
,
’ and ten years after go on
your bended knees and bless me ! Men laugh atand kick this animal by turns ; but it is woman
’
sexecutioner. Old age will do nothing for thisbut turn it from a selfish whelp to a surly old
H E EE L I E S
S ir John Guise .No one laughs ;N0 one cries .Where he is gone,And howhe fares,No one kn ows,And no one cares .
72 WHITE LIES .
dog. Unless Religion steps in,whose daily work
is miracles .There is the good-hearted intelligent puppy .
Ah ! poor so’
ul,he runs tremendous risks .
Any day he is liable to turn a hero,a wit
,a
saint, an useful man . Half the heroes that havefallen nobly fighting for their country in this warand the last
,o r have come back scarred
,maimed
and glorious,were puppies ; smoking, drawling,
dancing from town to town,and spurrin'g ; the
ladies’ dresses . They changed with circumstances,and without difliculty .
Our good-hearted inte lligent puppy went fromthis interview with a servant girl—a man .
He took to his bosom a great and tender feelingthat never yet failed to ennoble and enlarge theheart and double the understanding.
She he loved was sad,was poor
,was menaced
by many ills ; then she needed a champion . Hewould be her unseen friend, her guardian angel .A hundred wild schemes whirled in his beatin gheart and brain as he went home on wings . Hecould not go in doors . He made for a green lanehe knew at the back o f the village
,and there he
walked up and down for hours. The sun set,and
the night came,and the stars glittered ; but still
he walked alone,Inspired
,exalted
,full o f generous
and lovin g schemes and sweet and tender fanciesa heart on fire and youth the fuel , and the flamevestal .
WH ITE LIES . 73
CHAPTER IV.
T H IS day so eventful to our ex-puppy’s hearta sad on e up at Beaurepaire .It was the anniversary o f the baron’s death .
The baroness kept her room all the morning,and took n o nourishment but on e cup o f spuriouscofl
’
ee Laure brought her . A t on e o’clock shecame down stairs . She did not enter the sittingroom . In the hall she found two chaplets o f
flowers ; they were always placed there f or—her
on this sad day . She took them in her hand,and
went into the park . Her daughters watched herfrom
’
the window. She went to the little oratorythat was in the park ; there she found two waxcandles burning
,and two fresh chaplets hung up .
Her daughters had been there b efore her .
She knelt and prayed many hours f or herhusband’s soul ; then - she rose and hung up on e
chaplet and came slowly away with the other inher hand . At the gate o f the park filial love mether as Josephine
,and . filial love as Laure watched
the meeting from the window.
Josephine came towards her with tender anxietyVOL . I . E
74 WH ITE LIES .
in her sapphire eyes,and wreathed her arms round
her,and whispered half inquiringly half reproach
fully You have your children still.’
The baroness kissed her and replied with a halfguilty manner NO Josephine, I did not pray toleave your—till you are happy .
’
We are not unhappy while we have our
mother,
’ replied Josephine all love and no logic .They came towards the house together
,the
baroness leaning gently,o n her daughter’s e lbow.
Between the park and the angle o f the chateauwas a small plot o f tur f called at Beaurepaire thePleasance
,a name that had descended along with,
other traditions ; and in the centre o f thisPleasan ce a
or Pleasaunce stood a wonderful oak tree . Itscircumference was thirty-four feet . The baronesscame to this ancient tree
,her chaplet in her hand .
The tree had a mutilated limb that pointed towardsthe house . The baroness hung her chaplet onthis stump .
The sun was setting tranquil and red ; a broadruby streak lingered on the deep green leaves ofthe prodigious oak .
The baroness looked at it awhile in Silence .Then she spoke Slowly to the oak and saidYou were here before us—you will be here whenwe are gone .
’
A spasm crossed Josep hin e’
s face,but She said
nothing.
They went in together.W e will follow them . But first, ere the sun is
76 WHITE LIES .
growing timber . But a century‘
and a half beforethe monk wrote it had become famous in all thedistrict for its girth
,and in the monk’s own day
had ceased to grow,but showed no Sign o f decay.
The mutilated arm I have mentioned was once along sturdy bough worn smooth as velvet In on e
part from a curious cause . it ran about as highabove the ground as a full-sized horse , and theknights and squires used to be for ever vaultingupon it
,the former in armour ; the monk when a
boy had seen them do it a thousand times .The heart Of the tree began to go
,and then this
heavy bough creaked suspiciously . In those daysthey did not prop a sacred bough wi th a line ofiron post as now . They solved the difliculty bycutting this on e o ff within s1x feet o f the trunk ;two centuries later
,the tree being now nearly
hollow,a rude iron bracket was roughly nailed
into the stem,and running out three feet supported
the knights’ bough ; for so the mutilated limb wasstill called .
What had not this tree seen since first it camegreen and tender as a cabbage above the soil
,and
stood at the mercy o f the first hare o r rabbit thatshould choose to cut short its frail existenceS ince then eagles had perched on its crown . and
wild boars fed without fear of man upon its acorns .Troubadours had sung beneath it to lords andladies seated round or walking on the grass andcommending the minstrels tales of love by exchange o f amorous glances . It had seen a Norman
WHITE LIES . 77 »
duke conquer England,and English kings invade
France and be crowned at Paris . It had seen a
woman put knights to the rout, and seen Godinsulted and the warrior virgin burned by enviouspriests with the consent o f the curs she had defended and the curs She had defeated . Mediaevalsculptors had taken its leaves
,and wisely trusting
to Nature had adorned many a church with thoseleaves cut in stone .
Why,in its Old age it had seen the rise o f print
ing,and the first dawn o f national civilization in
Europe . It flourished and decayed in France :but it grew in Gaul . And more remarkable still
,
though by all accounts it is like to see the worldto an end; it was a tree in ancient history : itsOld age awaits the millenn ium : its first youthbelonged to that great tract of time which includesthe birth o f Christ, the building o f Rome
,an d the
Siege of Troy .
The tree had mingled in the fortunes Of thefamily . It had saved their lives and taken theirlives . One Lord Of Beaurepaire hotly pursued byhis feudal enemies made fo r the tree , and hid himself partly by a great bough partly by the thickscreen o f leaves . The foe darted 1n
,made sure he
had taken to the house,ransacked it
,and g ot into
the cellar where by’
good luck was store of Malvoisie :and so the oak and the vine saved the quakingbaron .
Another Lord of Beaurepaire,besieged in his
castle,was shot dead on the ramparts by a cross
78 WHITE LIES .
bowman who had secreted himself un observed inthis tree a little before the dawn .
A young heir Of Beaurepaire climbing for araven’s nest to the top Of this tree , whose crownwas much loftier then than n ow
,lost his footing
and fell,and died at the foo t o f the tree and his
mother in her anguish bade them cut down thetree that had killed her boy. But the baron ,
herhusband refused
,and said
,what in the English
o f the day would run thus—‘ytte ys eneugh thatI lose mine sonne
,I will nat alsoe lose mine Tre . ’
In the male the solid sentiment o f the proprietoroutweighed the temporary irritation o f the parent .Then the mother we are told
,bought fifteen ells Of
black velvet,and stretched a pall from the knights’
boughacross the west side to another branch , andcursed the hand that should remove it
,and she
herself ‘wolde never passe the Tre neither goingnor coming
,but went still about . ’
And when she died and should have been carried past the tree to the park
,her dochter did cry
from a window to the bearers,
-
‘Goe about ! g oeabout and they went about and all the company .
And ‘in time the velvet pall rotted,and was torn
and driven away rap idis ludibr ia ven tis : and whenthe hand o f Nature
,and no human hand
,had thus
flouted and dispersed the trappings o f the mother’sgrief, two pieces were picked up and preservedamong the family relics and the black velvet hadturned a rusty red .
S O the baroness did nothing new in this family
WHITE LIES . 79
when' she hung her chaplet on the knights’ boughand
,in fact, on the west side, about eighteen feet
from the groun d, there still mouldered on e cornero f an atchiev em en t an heir o f Beaurepaire hadnailed there two centuries before
,when his pre
decessor died : ‘fo r,
’ said he,
‘the chateau is o f
yesterday,but the tree has seen us all come and
g o .
’ The inside o f the treeWas clean gone : it washollow as a drum—not eight inches thick in anypart ; and on its east side yawned a fissure as highas a man and as broad as a street door . Dard usedto wheel his wheel-barrow into the tree at a trot
,
and there leave it .In spite o f excavation and mutilation n ot life
only but vigour dwelt in this wooden shell—theextreme ends o f the longer boughswere firewood,touchwood
,and the crown was time gone out o f
mind but narrow the circle a very little to wherethe indomitable trunk could still
‘
Shoot sap from itscruise deep in earth
,and there on every side burst
the green leaves in summer countless as the sand .
The leaves carved centuries ag o from these verymodels
,though cut in stone ”were most Of them
mouldered,blunted
,notched
,deformed—but the
delicate types came back with every summer perfeet and lovely as when the tree was but theirelde r brother—and greener than ever : for fromwhat cause Nature only knows
,the leaves were
many shades deeper and richer than any other treecould show for a hundred miles round—a deepgreen , fiery, yet soft ; and then their multitude
80 .WHITE LIES .
the staircases o f foliage as you looked Up the tree,and could scarce catch a glim pse o f the sky—an
inverted abyss Of colour, a mound , a dome, o f flakeem eralds that quivered in the golden air .
And now the sun sets—the green leaves are black—the moon rises—her cold light shoots across o n ehalf that giant stem .
H ow solemn and calm stands the great roundtower o f living wood, half ebony, half Silver, withits mighty cloud above Of flake jet leaves tingedwith frosty fire at on e edgeNow is the still hour to repeat in a whisper the
words o f the dame Of Beaurepaire You werehere before us : you will be here when we aregone .’
Let us leave the hoary king o f trees stan dIn g In
the moonlight,calmly defying time
,and let us
follow the creatures Of a day ; since what'
theywere we are .
A spacious saloon panelled : dead but snowywhite picked out sparingly with gold . Festoonso f fruit and flowers finely carved in wood on someo f the panels . These
~
also n ot smothered with gilding
,but as it were gold Speckled here and there ,
like tongues o f flame winding among insolublesnow .
Ranged against the walls were sofas and chairscovered with rich stufls well worn . And in on e
little distant corner o f the long room a grey-haired
WHITE LIES . 8}
gentleman and two young ladies sitting on canechairs round a small plain table
,on which burned
a solitary candle ; and a little way apart in thiscandle’s twilight an Old lady sat in an easy chair
,
in a deep reverie,thinking Of the past
,scarce
daring to inquire the future .f Josephin e and Laure
were working : n ot fancy work but needleworkDoctor St . Aubin writing . E very now and thenhe put the on e candle nearer the girls . Theyraised no objection
,only a few minutes after a
white hand would glide from on e o r other o f themlike -a serpent
,and smoothly convey the light
nearer to the doctor’s manuscript . Is it n o t suppertime ?’ inquired the doctor .
One would think n o t . Jacin tha is very p un ctual . ’
So she may be,but I have an inward monitor,
mesdemoiselles ; and by the way our dinner was Ithink more ethereal than usual . ’
‘Hush,
’ said Josephine,and looked uneasily
towards her mother . Wax is S O dear.’
Wax -ah -pardon me,
’ and the doctor returned hastily to his work . Then Laure lookedup and said I wonder Jacin tha does not comeit is certainly past the hour
,
’ and she pried into theroom as if She expecte d to see Jacin tha On theroad. But she saw in fact very little o f anything,for the spacious room was impenetrable to her eye .
Midway from the candle to the distant door itstwilight deepened
,and all becam e shapeless and
sombre .
WHITE LIES .
The prospect ended half way sharp and black ,as in those out O ’
doo r closets imagined and paintedby a certain great painter
,whose Nature comes to
a f ull stop as soon as that great painter sees n ofurther occasion for her, instead o f melting by fineexpanse and exquisite gradation into gen uinedistance as Nature does in Claude and in Nature .
To reverse the picture,standin g at the door you
looked across forty feet o f black,and the little
corner seemed on fire,and the fair heads about
the candle shone like the heads of St . Cecilias andMadonnas in an antique stained glass window .
At last the door Opened , and another candleglowed upon Jacin tha’
s comely peasant face in thedoorway. She put down her candle outside thedoor
,and started as the crow flies for the other
light . After glowing a moment in the doorwayshe dived into the shadow and emerged into lightagain close to the table with napkins on her arm .
She removed the work-box reverentially,the
doctor ’s manuscript unceremoniously,and p ro
ceeded to lay a cloth,in which Operation she looked
at Josephine a point blank glance o f admiration ;then she placed the napkins ; and in this processshe again cast a strange look o f interest uponJosephine . The youn g lady noticed it this time
,
and looked inquiringly at her in return,half
expecting some com m un cation ; but Jacin tha lowered her eyes and bustled about the table . ThenJosephine spoke to her with a sort Of instinct o fcuriosity - that this look might find words .
84 WHITE L I r s z
good friend there had never seen Beaurepaire .Whose Josephine was she then, good people ?
’
‘:Mamma ! whose i s She now ?’ and JOSep hin e wasat her mother’s knees in a moment .‘Good ! ’ said the doctor to Laure . ‘See the
result o f our injudicious competition . A thirdparty has carried her
'
o ff . IS supper nevercoming ? A re you not hungry my child ?
’
Yes,m yfriend—no ! not very .
’
Alas ! if the truth must be told, they were allhungry; S o rigorous was the economy in
‘
thisdecayed
,but honorable house , that the wax candles
burned to-day in the oratory had scrimped theirdinn er
,unsubstantial as it was wont to be . Think
o f that,you in fustian jackets who grumble on a
full belly . My lads,many a back you envy, with
its Silk and broad cloth,has to rob the stomach .
The door opened ; Jacintha appeared in the lightof her candle a moment with a tray in both hands ;and approaching was lost to view. Before she
emerged to Sight agam a strange and’
fragrantsmell heralded her . All their eyes turned withcuriosity towards the unwonted Odour
,till Jacin tha
dawned with three roast partridges on a dish .
They were wonder struck . Jacin tha’
s face wasred as fire
,partly with cooking
,partly with secret
pride and happiness : but She concealed it,and
indeed all appearance o f feelin g,under a feigned
apathy . She avoided their eyes,and resolutely
excluded from her face everything that could implyShe did not serve up partr idges to this family
WHITE LIES . 8 5
every night o f her life . The young ladies lookedfrom the birds to her, and from her to the birds,in mute surprise , that was not diminished by thecynical indifference printed on her face .‘The supper is Served
,Madame the Baroness
,
’
said she , with a respectful curtsey and a mechan ical tone
,and
, p lunging into the night, swamout at her own candle
,shut the door
,and unlock
ing her face that moment,burst out radiant
,and
went down beaming with exultation ; and with atear in her eye , set to and polished all the Oopperstewpans with a vigour and expedition unknown tothe new-fangled domestic.Partridges
,mamma ! What next ?’
Pheasants,I hOp e ,
’ cried the doctor,gaily .
‘And after them hares ; to conclude with royalvenison . Permit me ladies . ’ And he set himselfto carve with z eal .Now Nature is Nature, and two pair o f violent
eyes brightened and dwelt on the fragrant anddelicate food with demure desire . Fo r all that
,
when St . Aubin Offered Josephine a wing,She
declined"
it . NO partridge ?’ cried the servan t
,in
utter amazement .‘Not to-day
,dear friend—it is not a feast day
to-day .
’
Ah ! n o ; what was I thinking o f
But you are not to be deprived ,’ put in Jose
phine,anxiously . We will not deny ourselves
the pleasure o f seeing you eat some . ’ ‘What ?’
remonstrated St . Aubin , am I not on e o f you ?’
8 6 WHITE LIES .
The baroness had attended to every word o f this .She rose from her chair and said quietly Both
you and he and Laure will be so good as to let mesee you eat them .
’
But ~ mamma,’ remonstrated Josephine and
Laure in on e breath .
Je le veux,
’ was the cold reply.
These were words the baroness uttered so seldomthat they were little likely to be disputed .
The doctor carved and helped the young ladiesand himself.When they had all eaten a little
,a discussion
was observed to be going on between Laure andher Sister .
'
At last St . Aubin caught these words .It will be in vain—even .you have not influenceenough for that Laure .’
We shall see,
’ was the reply,and Laure put the
wing o f a partridge on a plate and rose calmlyfrom her chair . She took the plate and put it onthe little work table by her mother
’s side . Theothers pretended to be all mouths
,but they were
all ears .The baroness looked in Laure ’s face with an air
o f wonder that was not very encouraging . Then,
as Laure said nothing,she raised her aristocratic
hand with a courteous but decided gesture o f
refusal .Undaunted little Laure laid her palm softly on
the baroness’s Shoulder,and said to her as firmly
as the baroness herself had just spokenI l le t eat m a m ere
WHITE LIES . 87
The baroness was staggered . Then She lookedsteadily in Silence at the fair young face—then shereflected . At last She said with an exquisitemixture o f politeness and aff ection .
‘It is hisdaughter who has to ld me I l lo veut I Obey .
’
Laure returning like a victo rious knight fromthe lists
,saucily exultant
,and with only on e wet
ev elash,was solemnly kissed and petted by the
’
other two .
Thus they loved on e another in this great Oldfalling house . Their familiarity had no coarseside . A form
,not o f custom but aff ection
,it
walked hand in hand with courtesy by day andnight ; aristo W !
The baroness retired early to rest this evenin g .
She was no sooner gone than an earnest andanxious conversation took place between the Sisters .It was commenced in a low tone not to interruptSt. Aubin’s learned lucubrations .Jo sephin e . Has She heard any thing ?’
Laure . About our harsh creditor—about thethreatened sale o f Beaurepaire ? Not that I knowo f . Heaven forbid ! ’
Josephin e . Laure,She said some words to me
tod ay that make me very uneasy,but I did not
make her any answer . She said, (we were by the
great oak tree ,) You were here before us—youwill be here after us .”
O ! heaven , who has told her ? Can Jacin thahave been so mad ?’
88 WHITE LIES .
That f aithful creature . Oh n o her greatanxiety is lest my mother should know .
’
May Heaven bless her for havm g so muchsense as well as fidelity . The baroness must neverknow this till the danger is past—poor thing ! thedaily fear would shake her terribly .
’
Josephine You have heard what we havebeen saying ? ’
St . Aubin .
‘Every word . Let me put awaythis rubbish
,in which my head but not my heart
is interested,and let us unite heart and hand
against this new calamity . Who has threatenedto sell BeaurepaireJosephine . A single creditor . But Jacin tha
could n o t tell me his name . ’
St . Aubin . That will be easily discovered .
Now as for those words o f the baroness,do no t be
disquieted . You have put a forced interpretationon them my dear . ’
Josephine . Have I,doctor ?’
St . Aubin . The baroness is an o ld lady,con
sciOus o f her failing powers . She stood Oppositean ancient tree . Something o f this sort passedthrough her mind you too are Old, older than Iam
,but you will survive me .”
Laure . But she said us,
n ot me .St . Aubin ‘Oh ! “ us o r
“me . Ladies arenot very exact . ’
Jo sephin e . What you say is very intelligent,my friend ; buH som ehow—thatwas not what Shem eant .
’
WHITE LIES‘. 89
It is the simplest interpretation o f her'
words .’
I confess it .’
Can you give me any tangible reason foravoiding the Obvious interpretation‘No . Only when you are so well acquainted
with the face and voice o f any on e,as I am with
dear m amma ’s, you can seiz e shades o f meaning
that are not to be conveyed to another by a bareaccount o f the words Spoken .
’
This is fanciful }chimerical . ’
I feel it may appear SO .
’
Laure . No t to me,I beg to Observe it is
quite sMp le , perfectly notorious , and as clear asday .
’
St . Aubin . To you possibly,enthusiastic maid ;
but I have an unfortunate habit of demanding atangible reason for my assent to any given propoSition .
’
Laure . It is an unfortunate habit . Josephinedear
,tell me now what was the feeling our mother
gave you by the way She said those words . ’
Yes,dear . Well then —here Josephine slightly
knitted her smooth brow,and said slowly
,turning
her eyes inwards Our mother did not intend tocompare the duration o f our mortal lives with thato f a tree . ’
‘Petitwp rinezp ii,’ said the doctor quIetly .
Plait-ll On the other hand,if she had heard
our impending misfortune,would she not have
been less general ? would She not have spoken tome
,and not to the tree ? I think then that our
90 WHITE LIES .
dear mother had a general m isg Ivm g , a presentiment that we Shall be driven from this belovedspot ; and this presentiment found words at theSight Of that o ld companion o f our fortunes ; buteven if this be the right interpretation
,I cannot
see her come SO near the actual truth withouttrembling ; for I know her penetration ; and oh !
if it were ever to reach her ears that—alas ! mydear mother.’
It never shall,it never Shall ; to leave Beaure
paire would kill the baroness . ’
No doctor,do not say SO .
’
Laure . Let us fight against our troubles,but
n ot exaggerate them . Mamma would still haveher daughters’ love .’
It is idle to deceive ourselves,’ replied St. Aubin .
The baroness would n o t live a month away fromBeaurepaire. At her age men and women hangto life by their habits. Take her away from herchateau
,from the little oratory where she prays
every day for the departed , from her place in thesun on the south terrace
,and from all the memories
that surround her here—she would bow her headand die .
’
Here the savan t Seeing a hobby-horse near,
caught him and jumped on .
He launched into a treatise upon the vitality o f
human beings,wonderfully learned
,sagacious and
misplaced . He proved at ‘length that it is themin d which keeps the body o f man alive for so
great a length o f time as fourscore years. He in
2 WHITE LIES .
without Injury to himself ; this is a flight o f gratitude o f which I
’
be lieve even a notary capable .Are you n o t o f my Opinion
,mademoiselle
Jo sephin e’
s reply was rather feminine than pointblank .
I have already been so unfortunate as to diff eronce with my best friend and She lowered herlashes and awaited her doom .
This dear poltroon,
’ cried Laure speak’
out‘Well
,then
,my friend
,Monsieur Perrin does
not inspire m e with confidence .
’
Humph have you heard anything againsthim‘No ; it is only what I have observed ; let uS
hOp e I am wrong . Well then, Laure , the man’s
face carries on e expression when he is on his guardan d another when he is not. His voice too is n otfrank . It is n o t a genuine part o f himself asyours is dear doctor—and then it is not—it is n oto n e .
’
Diable has he two voices ? ’
‘Yes !_and perhaps more . When he is in this
room his voice is—is—what Shall I say ? Artificialhoney
Say treacle,
’ put in Laure .You have said it Laure ; that is the very word
I was searching for ; but out o f doors I have heardhim speak very differently
,in a voice imperious,
irascible,I had almost said brutal . Ay and the
worst is that bad voice was his own voice .
’
H ow do you know that ?’
WHITE LIES . 93
I don’t‘
knownow I know it dear friend. Some;thing tells me . ’
‘However,you can give a tangible reason of
course,
’ said the doctor treacherously.
‘NO,my friend ; I am not strong at reasons .
Consider,I have. n ot the advantage o f being a
savan t. I am but a woman . My Opinion o f thisman is an instinct
,not a reason .
’
The doctor ’s face was provoking .
Josephine saw It,but She was on e not easily
provoked . She only smiled a little sadly . Laurefired up for her.I would rather trust an instinct of Jo sephin e
’
s
than all the reasons Of all the servan ts in France "
Laure ! ’ remonstrated Josephine,opening her
eyes .‘Reasons —straws cried Laure , disdainfully .
Hallo ! ’ cried S t. Aubin, with a comical look .
‘And there are always as many o f these strawsagainst the truth as fo r it. The Jan sen ists havebooks brim full of reasons . The Jesuits have booksfull against them. The Calvinists and all the
heretics have v olumes o f reasons—so thick . Is itreason that teaches me to pray to the Madonna andthe saints ! and SO—Josephine is right and you arewrong.
’
Well jumped .
‘ Alas ! I am intimidated but notconvinced .
’
‘Your mistake is replying to her , doctor,’ said
Josephine ; that encourages her—a little viragothat rules us all with iron . Come here, child, auct
94 WHITE L IE s’
.
b e well kissed for your eff rontery ; and now holdyour tongue : Tell us your plan doctor, and youmay count on Laure’s co-Operation as well as mine .It is I who tell you SO .
’
She is right again,doctor,
’
said Laure,peeping
at him over her Sister’s Shoulder .St . Aubin , thus encouraged, explained to them
that he would,without compromising the baroness
,
write to Monsieur Perrin,and invite him
’
to aninterview . The result is certain . This harshcreditor will be paid Off by a transfer of the loan
,
and all will be well .’
Meantime there is nothingto despond about ; it is not as if several creditorswere agreed to force a sale . This is but on e
,and
the most insignificant o f them all .”
‘I S it ? I hope it may be . What makes youthink SO ?’ I know it, Josephine .
’
The girls looked at one another .Oh I am not divining . My instin cts are
SO feeble t hat I am driven for aid to that contem p tible ally, Reason . Thus it is . Our largecreditors are men Of property
,and such men let
their funds lie unless compelled to move them .
But the small mortgagee,the needy man
,who has
,
perhaps,no investment to watch but on e small
loan , about which he is as anxious and as noisy asa hen with on e chicken—he is the clamorouscreditor, the harsh little egoist, who at the firstapprehension of losing a crown piece Would bringthe Garden o f Eden to the hammer . Go then torest
,my children
,and Sleep calmly . Heaven
“WHITE LIES .
He deplored the bai on ess’S susceptibility,hIn ted
delicately that She had in all probability alreadyregretted it
,and more broadly that he had thought
her in_the wrong from the first . If Monsieur
Perrin Shared in any degree his regret at theestrangement
,there was now an opportunity for
him to return with credit to his place as friend o f
the family . And to conclude, the writer sought apersonal interview .
Let us follow this letter . It was laid on thenotary’s table the next afternoon . A S he read it
,
a single word escaped his lips, Curious -l’
He wrote an answer immediately .
S t . Aubin was charmed with his reply, and itspromptness . He drew the girls aside
,and read
them the note . They listened acutely .
,Monsieur Perrin had never taken ser ious afienc'
eat
the baroness’
s imp etuosity, f or which so m any excuses
were to be m ade. I t was in p ressing , indiscreetly
p erhap s, her in ter est, that he had been so unf or tunateas to g ive her p ain . H e
'
n ow hop ed Jlf onsieur S t.
Aubin would show him som e way of f ur thering thosein terests without ann oying her . H e would call either
on the doctor or on the bar oness at any hour that
should be nam ed.
’
There,
’ cried St . Aubin , ‘is not that the lettero f a friend , and
‘an honest man,o r at all events
,an
honest notary
j
Oh yes ! but is it not too pure ?’ suggestedJosephine . Such an entire abnegation of self —isthat natural—in a notary, too , as you Observe
WHITE LIES . 9 7
‘Childishness ! this is a polite note,as well as
a friendly on e—politeness always Speaks a languag e
'
the Opposite of egoism,and consequently
o f sincerity—it is permitted even to a notary tobe polite .
’
That is true—may I examine it ? ’
Josephine scanned it as if she would extract thehidden soul o f each particular syllable . Shereturned it with a half Sigh .
‘I wish it had a voice and eyes,then I could
perhaps—but let us hope for the best . ’‘I mean to
,
’ cried the doctor cheerfully . Theman will be here himself in forty-eight hours . Ishall tell him to be sure and bring his voice andhis eyes with him ; to these he will add of his own
accord that little pony round as a tub he goesabout ou—another inseparable feature o f the man .
’
Curious said the notary .
An enigmatical remark ; but I almost think Icatch the meaning o f it . Forgive me for goingback a step to explain .
Outside a small farm-house,two miles from
Beaurepaire,stood a squab pony, dun coloured,
with a whi te mane and tail . He was hooked bythe bridle to a Spiral piece of iron driven into thehouse to hang visitors’ nags from by the bridle .
The farmer was a man generally disliked andfeared
,for he was on e Of those who can fawn or
bully as suits their turn ; just now,however, he
was in competent hands . The owner of the squabdun was talking to him in his own kitchen asVOL . 1 .
F
98 WHITE LIES .
superiors are apt to‘
Speak to inferiors, and assuperior very seldom speaks to anybody .
The farmer, for his part, was waiting his timeto fire a volley of oaths at his visitor
,and kick
him out o f the house . Meantime,cunning first
he was watching to find out what could be thenotary’s game .
So y ou talk of selling up my friend thebaroness‘Well
,notary,
’ replied the other coolly,my
half year’s interest has not been paid ; it is duethis two months . ’
Have you taken any steps ?’
Not yet ; but I am goin g to the mayor thisafternoon—if you have no objection ’
(this with amarked sneer) .‘You had better break your leg
,and stay at
home .
’
Why so ? if you please .
’
Because if you do you are a ruined man .
’
I’ll risk that . Haw ! haw ! Your friends willhave to grin and bear it
,as we used to under
the kings . They hav e no on e to take their partagainst me that I know o f , without it is you ; andyou are not the man to pay other folks’ debts Ishould say .
’
They have a friend who will destroy you if youar e SO base as to sell Beaurepaire fo r your miserableSix thousand fran cs . ’
‘Who is the man ? if it is not asking too
much .
’
100 WHITE LIES .
Yes I can ! yes I can ! especially if I haveyour good word , monsieur and I know you will—ten to on e if my new creditor (curse him is n otknown to you .
’
He is . ’
There then it is all right . Every man in thedepartment respects ‘you . I’ll be bound you canturn him r oun d your finger whoever he is . ’
I can .
’
There is a weight Off my stomach . Well, monsieur
,n ow first o f all who is the man—if it is not
asking too much ?’
It is I .
’
‘You
Well, sir , what is to be done ?
’
Can you pay me ?’
That I can ; but you must give me time .
’
If you will give me security,n ot else .
’
And I will . What security will you have ?’
The notary answered this question by action .
He put his hand in his pocket and drew out aparchment .The farmer’s eye dilated .
This is a bond by which you give me a holdupon your Beaurepaire loan .
’
Not an assignment ?’ gasped Bonard .
Not an assignment . On the contrary a bondthat prevents vour either assigning or selling your
WHITE LIES . 101
loan , or forcing Beaurepaire to a sale—penalty
,
twenty thousand francs In either case .’
The farmer groaned .
Call a witness,and Sign .
’
Bonard went to the window,opened it
,and
called to a man in the farmyard Here,Georges
,
step this way .
’
As he turned round from the window the firstthing he saw was the notary pulling another document out o f his other pocket . Paper this timeinstead o f parchment .No t another ! saints o f paradise
,n ot an o
ther ! yelled the farmer .This is to settle the interest—s n othin g more.
’
What interest ? Ours ? Why the interest issettled—it is three per cent . ’
Was ! but I am n o t SO Soft as to lend money atthree per cent .—Are you ? You bleed the baroness Six per cent . ’
What has that to do with it ? I take what Ican get . But I can’t p ay six per cent .’
You are n ot required . I am n o t an usurer. Ilend at five per cent . what little I lend at all, andI’ ll trouble you fo r your Signature .
’
NO ! no ! ’ cried the farmer, standing at bay,you can
’t do that. Three p er cent . is the termsOf the loan. Hang it man, stand to your own
bargain ! ’
The notary started up like jack In the box, withstartling suddenness and energy .
Pay me my twelve thousand francs ! ’ cried he
102 WHITE LIES .
fiercely,
or I empty your barns and gut your housebefore you can turn round . You can’t sell Beaurepaire in less than a month
,but I’ll sell you up in
forty-eight hours . ’
Sit ye down sir ! for Heaven’s sake Sit ye downmy good monsieur
,and don ’t talk like that—don’t
quarrel with an honest man for a thoughtless word .
Ah ! here is Georges . S tep in Georges,and see
me Sign my soul and en trails away at a Sittingugh ! ’
Five minutes more,the harsh creditor
,the parish
‘
bully,was Obsequiously holding the notary’s Off
stirrup . He mounted the squab dun and canteredOff with the parchment sword and the paper javelinin the same pocket now—and tacked together by aIn .PNow you See why the notary said Curious
When fiv e days after this he read the doctor’s in v i
tation xto Beaurepaire .
04 WHITE LIES .
a rider with a veiled steed . He seemed an enorm OuS horsem an’s cloak—a pyramid o f brown clothwith a hat on its apex
,an d a pony’s nose pro
trudin g at on e base, tail at the other . Rider’s facedid n o t Show
,being at the top o f the cone but in
side it.At the sight o f this pageant Laure could hardly
suppress a scream o f joy . Knight returning fromCrusades was never more welcome than was thistriangle o f broad-cloth .
She beckoned secretly to St . Aubin . He came,an d at the Sight went hastily down an d ordered ahuge wood fire in the dining-room
,now little used .
He then met the notary at the hall doo r,and cour
teously invited him in .
But stay —your pony—what Shall We do withhimGive yourself n o trouble on his account mon
sieur ; he will not stir from the door ; he is Fidelityin person .
’
St . Aubin apologized for not taking his visitorup to the baroness ; ‘but the business is one thatmust be kept from her knowledge . ’ At thismoment the door opened
,and Josephine glided in
but here,
’ said he,
‘is Mademoiselle de Beaurepairecome to bid you welcome to a house from whichyou have been too long absent . Mademoiselle
,
now that you have welcomed our truant friend,be
SO good as to describe to him the report which Ionly know from you .
’
Josephine briefly told what she had heard from
WHITE LIES . 105
Jacin tha, that there was on e cruel creditor whothreatened to sell the chateau and lands of Beaurepaire .
Mademoiselle,
’ said the notary gravely,that
report is true . He openly bragged of his intentionmore than a week
’
ago .
’
Ah ! we live SO secluded—you hear everything before uS . Well Monsieur Perrin
,time
was you took an interest in the fortunes of thisfamily—3
Never more than at the present moment,mon
sieur in saying this he looked at Josephine .The more to your credit monsieur .’
DO you happen to know what is the sum due tothis creditorI do . S ix thousand francs . ’
St . Aubin looked at Josephine triumphantly .
One o f the very smallest creditors then .
’
The smallest of them all,’ replied the notary.
Another triumphant glance from S t. Aubin .
Fo r all that,
’ said Monsieur Perrin thoughtfully
,I wish it had been a larger creditor
,and a
less unmanageable man . T he other creditors couldbe influenced by reason
,by clemency
,by good
feeling,but this is a man o f iron ; humph —may I
adviseIt will be received as a favour .’
Then—pay this man Off at once—have nothingmore to' do with him .
’ His hearers opened theireyes .Where are we to find Six thousand francs ?’
E 3
106 WHITE LIES .
The notary reflected .
‘I have not at this m o
ment six thousand francs,but I
,could contribute
two thousand of the Six .
’
We thank you Sincerely,but
There then ; I must contrive three thousand .
’
St . Aubin shook his head,We cannot find three
thousand francs . ’
Then we must prevail on Bonard to move nofurther fo r a time ; and in the interval we mustfind another lender
,and transfer the loan .
’
‘Ah ! my good Monsieur Perrin , can you dothis for usI can try ; and you know zeal goes a good way
in business . I will be frank with you ; the cha
racter of this credito r gives me some uneasiness ;but courage ! all these fellows have secret histories,secret wishes
,secret interest
,that we notaries can
penetrate—when we have a suflicien t motive topenetrate such rubbish—but as it is not a matterto be tr ifled with
,forgive me if I bid you and
Mademoiselle an unceremonious adieu .
’ He rosewith zeal depicted on his face .
Such a day for you to be out on our service,
’
cried Josephine,putting up both her hands the
palms outward,as if disclaimin g the weather .
‘If it rained hailed and snowed,I Should not
feel them in your cause mademoiselle,
’ cried thechivalrous notary an d he took by surprise o n e o f
Jo sephin e’
s white hands,and kissed it with the
deepest respect ; then made Off all in a bustle .St. Aubin followed him to the door
,and 'lO !
l 08 WHITE LIES .
Not that I Observed .
’
Ah ! if it had been Laure , She would have n u
dersto od it directly.
’
Josephine,be candid : what Sinister motive can
this poor man have ?’
Indeed I don’t know . Forgive me my unchar itable instinct
,and let uS admire your reasonable
sagacity. It was our smallest creditor ! LaureShall ask your pardon ; dear friend, She will notleave our mother alone : be SO kind as to go intothe saloon ; then Laure will come out to me .
’
The doctor did as he was bid and sure enough,
her mother having now a companion,Laure
whipped out and ran post-haste to her sister forthe news . Thus a secret entered the House o f
Beaurepaire ; a secret from which one person , themistress o f the house
,was excluded .
Theirs’ was no vulgar secrecy—no disloyal,nor
se lfish,
'
nor even doubtful motive mingled with it .Circumstances appeared to dictate this course totender and vigilant aff ection . They saw andobeyed . They put up the Shutters —not to keepout the
.
light from some action that would not bearthe light—but to keep the wind of passing troublefrom visiting the aged cheek they loved, and r e
vered,and guarded .
In three days the notary called again . The poorsoul seemed a little downcast . He said he had beento Bonard and made n o impression on him ; andto tell the truth had been insulted by him
,o r next
door to it . On this they were greatly dispirited .
WHITE LIES . 109
Maitre Perrin recovered first . He brightenedup all in a moment . I have an idea
,
’ said he ;‘we Shall succeed yet ; ay, and perhaps put all
the liabilities on a more moderate scale Of interestmeantime and here he hesitated . I wish youwould let an old friend be your banker and advanceyou any small sums you may need for presentcomforts o r conveniences . ’ Laure
’s eyes thankedhim i but Josephine, a little to her surprise, put ina hasty and firm though polite negative .
The notary apologiz ed for his officiousness,and
said,I do n ot press this trifling Off er o f service but
pray consider it a permanent Ofler which at anytime you can honour me by accepting .
’ He ad
dressed this to Josephine with the air o f a subjectoffering one little acorn back out o f all the woodsand forests to his sovereign .
While the Open friend Of Beaurepaire was thusexhibiting his z eal
,its clandestine friend was mak
ing a chilling discovery youth and romance haveto make on their road to old age and caution ,namely
,how much easier it is to form many plans
than to carry out one . This boiling young hearthad been about to do wonders for her he adored,and f o r those who were a part o f her . He hadbeen going to interest the Government in theirmisfortunes—but how ? Oh some way o r other .
’
Looked at closer some way had proved im p racticable
,and the other ’ unprecedented
,i. e.
,im p os
Sible .
110 WHITE LIES .
He had n ot been a mere dreamer in her causeeither. He had examined . the whole estate OfBeaurepaire
,and had scient ifically surveyed on on e
government pretence o r another two or three Ofthe farms . He had discovered that all the farmswere underlet ; that there were n o leases ; SO thatan able and z ealous agent could in a few monthsincrease the baroness’s income thirty per cent .But when he had got this valuable intelligencewhat the better were they o r he ? T o Show themthat they were not SO poor as they in their aristocratical incapacity for business thought themselves
,
he must first win their ear : and how could he dothis ? If he were to call at Beaurepaire
,word
would come down again n o t at hom e to strangersuntil the Bourbons come back .
’ If he wrote, theanswer would be Monsieur
,I understand abso
lutely nothing o f business . Be kind enough to
make your communication to our man o f business—who must be either incapable o r dishonest
,argued
young Riviere,o r their aff airs would not be thus
v ilely neglected ; ten to o n e he receives a secretcommission f rom the farm ers to keep the rentslow ; SO no good could come Of applying to himand here stepped in a little
,bit o f self—for there
are no angels upon earth except in a bad novel,
and the poor boy was n o t writing a bad novelbut acting his little part in the real world . NOsaid he
,I have f ound this out : perhaps She will
never love me,but at least I will have her thanks
and the pride and glory Of having done her and
12 WHITE LIES .
the rest o f the day : and he lost his colour and hisappetite
,and fretted and pined fo r this on e look
three times a week . And she who could havehealed this wound with a glance o f her violet eyeand a smile once o r twice a week : She who without committing herself o r caring a straw for him ,
could have brought the colour back to this youngcheek and t he warmth to this chilled heart by justshining out of doors now an d then instead of in
,
sat at home with un p aralelled barbarity and perseverance .
At last he lost all patience . ‘I must see Ja
cin tha,
’ said he,and if she really imprison s herself
to avoid me,I will leave the country— I will g o
into the army— it is very hard She Should be robbedof her health and her walk because I love herand with this generous resolution the poor littlefellow fel t something rise in his throat and nearlychoke him . Forgive him ladies : though a statesman
,he was but a boy— boys will cry after women
as children fo r toys . You may have observed this !He walked hurr edly up to Beaurepaire , asking
himself how he Should contrive an interview withJacin tha.
On his arrival there , casting his eyes over thepalings
,what did he see but the two young ladies
walking in the park at a considerable distance fromthe house !
'
His heart gave a leap at the sight o fthem . Then he had a sudden inspiration . Thepark was not strictly private
,at least Since the
Revolution . Still it was SO far private that re
WHITE LIES . 113
sp ectable people did not make a practice o f crossing it. I will seem to met them unexpectedly
,
’
thought young Riviere ,‘and if She smiles
,I will
apologize for crossing the park—then I Shall havespoken to her. I Shall have broken the ice .He met them . They looked SO loftily sad he
had n ot the courage to address them . He bowedrespectfully, they curtseyed , and he passed oncursing his cowardice .I m ust see Jacin tha.
’ He made a long detour ;his Object being to get where he could be seen fromthe kitchen .
Meantime the following Short dialogue passedbetween the SistersLaure Why he has lost his colour ! What a
pity ! ’
Who,dear ?’
That young gentleman who passed uS just n ow.
I think he has been ill . I am so sorry .
’
Who is he ?’
I don’t know who he is ; I know what he is,thoughf
And what is heHe is very handsome ; and he passes uS oftener
than seems to me quite natural ; and n ow I thinko f it
,
’ said Laure,Opening her eyes ludicrously,
I have a sister who is a beautiful wom an ; andnow I think o f it again ,
’ —Opening her eyes stillwider -
‘if I do n o t lo ok her up, I shall perhapshave a rival in her aff ections . ’
Child Moreover he seemed to me a mere
1 14 WHITE LIES .
boy .
’ Laure gave a toss o f her head, and a susp icious
’
look at Josephine . Oh,mademoiselle
,there
are forward boys as well as backward ones . ButI shall have an eye on you both .
’
Josephine smiled very faintly ; amidst so manycares she was hardly equal to what she took forgranted was a pure jest Of Laure’s
,and their con
versation returned to its usual channels . Edouardgot round to the other side o f the chateau ,
“
andstrolled about outside the palings some thirty yardsfrom the kitchen-door ; and there he walked slowlyabout, hopin g every moment to see the kitchendoor open and Jacin tha come out . He was disappointed and after hanging about nearly an hour
,
was going away in despair,when a windowat the
top o f the house Suddenly opened,and Jacin tha
made him a rapid Signal with her hand to g onearer the public road . He obeyed ; and then Shekept him waiting till his second stock o f patiencewas nearly exhausted but at last he heard a rustle
,
and there was her comely face set between twoyoung acacias . He ran to her. She received himwith a rebuke . Is that the way to do —prowlingin sight like a house-breaker .’
Did any o n e see me ? ’
Yes ! Mademoiselle Laure did ; and what ismore, She spoke to me , and asked me who youwere . Of course
,I said I didn’t know.
’
Oh did you ?’‘Then She asked me if it was n ot the young
monsieur who sent them the'
game . Oh I forgot,
116 WHITE LIES .
Jacin’
tha’
s merry countenance fell . My poorlad
,
’ said she kindly,
‘don’t torment yourself, o rfancy I have been such an ill friend to you, o r sucha novice
,as to -put them on their guard against
you . No ; it is the old story—want o f money .
’
That keeps them in doors ? H ow can that be ?’
Well n ow,
’ said Jacin tha,it is just as well you
have come to-day,for if you had come this time
yesterday I could not have told you,but I Over
heard them yesternight . My son,it is for want
o f clothes . ’ Riviere looked aghast at her .Don’t cried the faithful servant don’t look
at me so, o r I Shall give way, I know I Shall ; n o r
don ’t mistake me either—they have plenty o f
coloured dresses ; Old ones, but very good Onesbut it is their black dresses that are worn shabbyand they can’
t afford to buy new ; and all the Olddresses are coloured
,and it goes against their hearts
to go flaun tin g it . They were crying last nightto think they could n ot aff ord even to mourn fortheir father, but must come out in colours, for wantOf a little money .
’
Jacin tha,they will break my heart . ’
So it seems they have settled n o t to g o out o f
the grounds at all . Thus they meet nobody ; SOnow they can wear their mourning till it is quitethreadbare. Ah
,m y son
,how diff erent from most
women,that can’t forget the dead too quick
,and
come flaring out again ! And to-morrow is herbirthday. I mind the time there was on e beautifulnew gown sure to be laid out on her bed that
WHITE LIES . 117
day, if n ot two . Times are sadly changed withu s
,m on s1eur .
’
T O-morrow is her birthday ?’
Yes ! ’
Good-bye , Jacin tha—m y heart is full . Theregood bye , loyal heart ,
’ and he kissed her hastily,
with trembling lips .‘Poor boy —DON
’T LO SE MY DISH-CLOUT,WHAT
EVER YOU DOShe uttered this caution with extreme anxiety
,
and at the to p o f her voice,as he was running Off
in a strange flutter .The next day the notary bustled in with a
cheerful air .‘He had not a moment to stay
,but
just dropped in to say that he thought matterswere going well
,and that he Should be able to
muz zle Bonard .
After this short interview, which was with theyoung ladies only
,fo r the doctor was cut
,away
bustled Perrin .
It was about an hour after this— Josephine wasreading to the baroness, and Laure and She wereworking—when in came Jacin tha, and made acurtsey .
‘The tree is come,my ladies . ’ W hat
tree ?’ inquired the baroness .For Mademoiselle to plant, according to cus
tom . It is her birthday . Dard has brought it ;it is an acacia this time .
’ The faithful creature,
cried the baroness . She has thought of this—andwe forgot it . There, bring me my shawl andhood . I will not be absent from the ceremony .
’
WHITE LIES .
But,dear mamma
,
’ put in Josephine,had not
you . better look at us from the window ; there issuch a cold air out to-day .
’
It is n ot cold enough to chill a mother’s love .
My first-born ! I see her in her cradle n ow.
Sweet little cherub .
’
In a few minutes they were all out in thegarden .
Josephine was to d ecide where she would p lanther tree .
Only remember,Mademoiselle
,
’ said Jacin tha,
‘it will not always be little like it is n ow. Youmust not put it whe re it will be choked up whenit is a big tree .’ ‘Oh n o
,Jacin tha.
’ said Laure,
we will plant it to the best advantage . ’
Then on e advised Josephine to plant it on thesouth terrace ; another preferred the turf ovalbetween the great gate and the north Side o f thechateau . When they had said their say, to theirsurprise Josephine said rather timidly
,I Should
like to plant it in the Pleasance .
’
In the Pleasance ! Why,Josephine ? ’
It will take some time to plant . ’
But it will take no more time to plant it whereit will show than in the Pleasance
,
’ said Laure,
half angrily .
But Laure,the Pleasance is Sheltered from the
wind .
’
Dard snorted .
It is Sheltered to-day because the chateauhappens to be between the wind and it . But the
120 WHITE LIES .
an immense tub ; the tub was rotting at the-Sides .Over the mould was a little moss here and there .
Now,at the beginning o f this business
,the
excitement o f the discussion, and choosing theSpot
,and se ttin g Dard to work, had animated the
baroness as well as her daughter . But n ow,for
some time Dard had all the excitement to him self.They had only to look on and think while hewrought .Oh dear
,
’ cried Laure suddenly,mamma is
crying . Josephine , our mother is cryingAh cried Josephine
,
‘I feared this . I didnot want her to come out . Oh
,my mother !
’
My children,
’ sobbed the baroness,
‘it is verynatural . I cann ot but remember how often wehave planted a tr ee and kept the poor child
’sbirthday—not as now . Those were on earth thenthat have l eft us
,and gone to God . Many friends
stood around us—how warm their hands—howfriendly their voices—how truthful their eyes !Yet they have abandoned uS . Adversity has
shak'
en them o ff as the frost is even now strippin g Off your leaves
,o ld fr iend . These tears are
not for me ! oh,no ! thank s to God and the Virgin ,
I know whither I am going,and whom I shall
meet again,I care not how Soon but it is to think
I must leave m y darlings behin d me without afriend
,my tender lambs in a world o f foxes and
wolves without a fr iend ! ’‘Mother, we have friends ! We have the dear
doctor . ’
W HITE LIES . 121
A . savan t, a creature more a woman than a
woman ; you will 'hav e to take care Of him ,not he
Of you .
’
W e have our own love ; did ever a Sister loveanother as I love Josephine‘No ! ’ said Josephine . ‘Yes ! I love you as
much .
’
‘A S t o that,yes
,you will fall in on e another’s
arm S,
’ said the baroness ah ! I do ill to weepthis day ; my children, suff er me to compose m yself
,
’ and the baroness turned round,and applied
her handkerchief to her eyes . Her daughterswithdrew a step o r two in the opposite direction ;fo r in those days parents, even the most affectionate
,maintained a marked superiority
,and the
above was a hint their mother would be alone amoment .They waited respectfully for her orders to r ejom
her . The order came in a tone that surprised them .
My children,come here—both of you .
’
They foun d the baroness poking among the mosswith the point o f her ebony crutch .
This is a purse,and it is
’
not yours,Laure
,nor
yours,is it ?’
The two girls looked,and sure enough
,there
lay among the green moss in the tub—a green silkpurse . They eyed it like startled deer a moment,and then Laure pounced on it and took it up .
Oh ! how heavy.
’ Jacin tha and Dard camerunning up ; Laure poured the contents into herhand
,ten gold pieces o f twenty francs each new
V OL . I . c
122 WHITE LIES .
shining gold pieces . Jacin tha gave a scream o f
joy,a sort o f victorious war whoop .
Luck is turned,
’ cried She with joyful superstition . Laure stood with the gold pieces glitteringin her pink white palm and her face blushing allover and beaming ; and her eyes glittering withexcitement and pleasure . Their amazement wasgreat . And here is a paper
,
’ cried Josephin eeagerly
,bending over the moss and taking up a
small piece o f paper folded she Opened it rapidly,
and Showed it them all ; it contained these words,in a copperplate hand
F rom a f riend—in p ar t p aym en t of a g reat debt.’
And now all o f a sudden Josephine began toblush ; and gradually not only her face but herneck blushed all over
,and even her white forehead
glowed like a rose .W ho could it be ? ’ echoed on all sides .The baroness solved it for them it is St .
Aubin .
’
Oh ! m amma ! he has not ten gold p IeceS .
’
Who knows ? he has perhaps found somebookseller who has bought his work on insects . ’
No,mamma
,
’ said Laure ; I cannot think thisis our dear doctor’s doing. It is odd
,too
,his
being out o f the way at this hour ; I n ever knewhim anywhere but at his books till two . Hush !hush —here he comes ; let us circumvent him on
the spot—this is fun .
’
Give me the purse,and you Jacin tha and
Dard,recommence your work .
’
24 m E LIES .
friend, here I bring you back a small part o f all Iowe you .
”
‘My friend ! my friend ! I was stupid ; tell usthen who is our secret friend ? may heaven blesshim ! ’
‘Let us reflect,’ said the doctor . Ah ! to be
sure . I would lay my life it is heWho
A very honest man,whom you have treated
harshly,madame ; it is Perrin, the notary .
’
It was the baroness’ s turn to be surprised .
‘I may as well confess to you,madame
,that I
have lately had more than on e interview withPerrin
,and that although he is naturally hurt at
the severity with which you treated him,his regard
for you is undiminished‘I am as grateful as possible,
’ said the baronesswith a fin e and scarcely perceptible sneer . Laure
,
’
said Josephine,
‘it is curious,but Monsieur Perrin
was here f or a minute o r,two to-day ; and really
he did not seem to have anything particular tosay.
‘There ! ’ shouted the doctor there ! he came)
to leave the purse . And in doing so he was onlycarrying out an intention he had already declared .
’
Indeed ! ’ said the baroness .He off ered to advance money in small sums
an
'
off er that o f course was declined. So he wasdriv en to this manoeuvre . There are honest heartsamong the notaries .’
W hile the doctor was enforcing his views on the
WHITE LIES . 125
baroness, Josephine and Laure slipped away roundthe house .Who is itP’ said Laure .
‘It is not the doctor ; and it is not Mon sieurPerrin .
’
Of course not,but who is it P’
Laure, don’t you think it is some on e who has
at all events delicate sentiments ?’
Clearly, and therefore not a notary .
’
Laure , dear. Might it not be some personwho has done us some wrong
,and is perhaps
penitentCertainly . Such a person might make restitu
tion—one o f our tenants,or creditors
, you mean ,but then
,the paper says a friend .
” Stay, it saysa debto r Why a debtor Down with enigmas‘Laure
,dear
,think o f some on e that might
I can’t . I am quite at a loss .’
Since it is not the doctor,nor Monsieur Perrin
,
might it not be—for after all, he would naturallybe ashamed to appear before me .
’
Before’
. youYes
,Laure
,is it quite certain that it might not
Who ? ’ asked Laure nerv ously, catching aglimpse now .
‘He who once pretended to love meCamille DujardinIt was not I who mentioned his name,
’ criedJosephine hastily] Laure turned pale Oh m on
D ieu ! m on D ieu .
’ She loves that man still .
126 WHITE LIES .
No ! n o ! n o
You love him just the same as ever . Oh,it 'is
wonderful —it is terrible—the power this man hasover you— over your judgment as well as yourheart . ’
‘No ! for I believe he has forgotten my veryname ; don
’t you think so ?’
Dear Josephine,can you doubt it ?
’
Forgive me .
’
Com e,you do doubt it . ’
I do .
’
Why ? for what reason ?’
Because the words he said to me aS ‘
wepartedat that gate lie still at my heart : and oh, sister,the voice we love seems the voice o f truth i tself.He said “ I am to join the army o f the Pyrenees, sofatal
‘
to our troops ; but say to me what you neveryet have said
,Camille
,I love you—and I swear I
will come back alive .
” So then I said to him,I
love you,
”-and he never came back .
’
H ow could he come here ? a deserter—a
traitor‘It is not true ! it is n o t in his nature ; in con
stan cy may be . Tell me that he never reallyloved me and I will believe you but not that heis a coward . Let me weep over my past love, notblush for it . ’
Past You love him to-day as you did threeyears ag oNo I tell you I do not . I love no on e . I
never. shall love any on e again .
’
128 WHITE LIES .
partially successful . She could command herfeatures, but n o t her blood : she felt it burn hercheek under the fire o f Laure ’s eye . And in theevening, when Laure suddenly beckoned
'to her,
and said in a significant way,I want to speak to
you Jacin tha,’ the faithful domestic felt like giving
way at the knees and sinking down flat ; so shestood up like Notre Dame outwardly
,and wore an
expression o f satisfaction and agreeable expectationon her impenetrable mug . Laure drove in ane ye . Who put that purse there ?’
Mademoiselle Laure,I don’t know—but I have
my suspicions ; and if mademoiselle will give me afew days
,I think I can find out for sure .
’
H ow many days for I am impatient . ’
Say a fortnight mademoiselle .
’
That is a long time ; well . it is agreed .
’
And so these two parted without a word Openlyuttered on either side about that which was upperm ost in both their minds . Come
,
’ thoughtJacm tha, I am well out o f it : if I can find thatout , she won
’t give it me for listening and it is afair bargain
,especially fo r me
,for I know who
left the purse but I wasn’t going to te ll her thatall in a moment . ’
Now Jacin tha,begging her pardon
,did n o t
know ; but she strongly suspected young Riviereo f being the culprit who had invented this newsort o f burglary —breaking into honest folk’spremises in the dead o f night
,and robbing them o f
their poverty,inste ad o f their wealth , like the
WHITE LIES . 129
good old-fashioned burglars . She waited quietly,expecting every day to S ee her dish-cloth wavingfrom the tree at the back
,and to hear him tell her
o f his own accord how cleverly he had done thetrick .
Day after day passed away,and no dish-cloth .
The fortnight was melting,and Jacin tha’
s patience .
She resolved : and on e morning she out two
bunches of grapes,and pulled some nectarines
,put
them in a basket, covered them with a napkin ,and called on M . Edouard Riviere at his lodging .
She was ushered into that awful presence,and
,so
long as the servant was in hearing,all her talk
was about the fruit She had brought him in returnfor his game ; The servant being gone
,she
dropped the mask. W ell it is all saidshe
,smiling and winking .
What is'all rightThey have g ot the purseHave they ! What purse ? I don
’t knowW hat you allude to .
’
No,of course n o t
,Mr . Innocence : you did n o t
leave a purse full o f gold up at BeaurepaireWell
,I never said I did purses full of gold
are luxuries with which I am little acquainted .
’
Very well,
’ said Jacin tha biting her lip ; thenyou and I are friends n o longer, that is all .
’
O yes we are .
’
No if you can’t trust me, you are n o friend of
min e ; ingrate ! to try and deceiv e m e. I know itwas you .
’
130 WH ITE LIES .
W ell,if you kn ow
,why ask me ?’ retorted
Edouard sharply .
‘Better snap my nose o ff,had
you n o t ?’ said Jacintha reproachfully .
‘Confessit is odd your not showing more curiosity about it .Looks as if you knew all about it
,eh ?’
‘But I am curious,and I wish to Heaven you
would tell me what it is all about,instead o f taking
it into your head that I know already .
’
Well I will . ’
So Jacin tha told him all about the baronessfinding the purse : and on Whom their suspicionshad fallen .
I wish it had been I,
’ said Edouard ; ‘but tellme dear
,has it been o f service
,has it contributed
to their comfort ? that is the principal thing—n o t
who gave it . ’
On this Jacin tha reflected,and fixin g her grey
eye on him she said—‘Unluckily there were justtwo pieces tooWhat a pity .
’
‘No on e of my ladies ever buys a new dresswithout the others having on e too n ow they foundit would take two more gold pieces to give mythr ee ladies a new suit o f mourning each . S o them oney is put by till they can muster the othertwo .
’ ‘What then,
’ cried Edouard,
‘I must n o t
hope to see them out’
ag ain any the more for thismoneyNo you see it was not quite enough .
’
Riviere’s countenance fell .
W ell,
’ said Jacin tha,assuming a candid tone,
132 WHITE LIES .
ence f o r the last seven years, he made a directoff er o f his hand and digestive organs .Now this gave Jacin tha great pleasure . Shecould have kissed the little fellow on the spot .So she said in an o ff -hand way ‘Well Dard, if
I were to take any on e,it should -be you : but I
have pretty well made Up my mind not to marryat all at all events till my mistress can spare me .
Gammon shouted Dard,that is what they all
Well,what everybody says must be true
,
’ saidJacin tha equivocating unworthily . Not unlessthey stick to it
,
’ objected Dard . And that is asong they all drop at the church door
,when they
do get a chance .
’ Well,I am not in such a hurry
as to snap at ’
such a small chance,
’ retorted Jacintha
,with a toss o f her head .
So then the polite swain had to mollify her .‘Well
,Dard
,
’ said she,
o n e good turn deservesanother : if I am to marry you what will you do
’
for meDard gave a glowing description o f what he
would do for her as soon as she was his wife . Shelet him know that was n o t the point What wouldhe do for her first. He would do anythingeverything.
—W e do knowWhen the blood burns how p rodigal the heartLends the tongue VOW S .
—HAML ET .
This brought the contracting parties to an nu
derstandin g .
WHITE LIES . 133
First,under a v ow o f secresy, she told him young
Riviere was in love with Josephine,and she was
his confidante ; then how the youth had afl'
ro n ted
her by attempting to deceive her about the purse ;and
,fin ally
,D ard must watch his movements by
night and day,that between them they might
catch him out .
Dard made a wry face—dolus latet in g eneralibus-[free translation anything means nothing 5]when he vowed to do anything, everything, whatnot
,and such small phrases
,he never intended to
do anything in particular : but he was in for it ;and sentinel and sp y were added to his little oddjobs . Fo r the latter office his apparent stolidi tyqualified him
,and so did his petty but real astute
ness ; moreover, he was daily primed by‘Jacintha
—a good soul,but no Nicodema . Meantime St .
Aubin upheld Perrin as the secret benefactor,and
bade them all observe that since that day the notary had never been to _the chateau .
The donor,whoever he was
,little knew the
‘
p aIn
he was inflicting o n this distressed but proudfamily
,o r the hard battle that ensued between
their necessities and their delicacy ! ! The tengold pieces were a perpetual temptation : a dailyconflict . The words that accompanied the donation offered a bait . Their pride and dignity declin ed it ; but these bright bits o f gold cost themm any a Sharp pang .
Jac1n tha deceived Riviere : a mere portion ofthe two hundred francs would have enabled the
134 WHITE LIES .
poor girls to’
keep up appearances with the outsideworld
,and yet to mourn their father openly . And
it went through and through those tender,simple
hearts,to think that they must be disunited—even
in so small a thing as dress ; that while theirmother remained in her weeds
,they must seem n o
longer to share her woe .
The baroness knew their feeling,and felt its
piety,and yet must not say take five o f these bits
o f gold, and let us all look what we are—one .’
Yet in this,as in everything else
,they came to be
all o f one m ind . They resisted,they struggled,
and with a wrench they conquered day by day.
At last,by general consent
,they locked up the
tempter,and looked at it no more . But the little
bit o f paper met a kinder fate . Laure made a littleframe for it
,and it was kept in a drawer in the
salon and often looked at and blessed . Theirmother had despaired of human friendship
, and
with despondency on her lips she had found thispaper with the sacred word
‘friend ’ written on
it it fell all in a moment on their aching hearts .
They could not tell whence it came—this blessedword .
But who can tell whence comes the dew ?Scien ce is in two minds about that .Then let me g o with the Poets ; who say it comes
from Heaven .
And even so that sweet word Friend droppedlike the dew from Heaven on these afllicted ones .
So they looked the po tent gold away from them
136 WHITE LIES .
young citiz en’s salary,four hundred francs on the
l st o f every month .
That brat to have four hundred francs a monthcried Jacintha . Dard I will give you a goodsupper to -night .Dard believed in her affection for a moment
,for
with on e o f his kidney the proof o f the pudding,&c.
And whilst I am cooking it here is a little jobfor you—to fill up the time .
’
Ugh ! ’
Jacin tha had blacked twenty yards o f string,
an d cut down half a doz en bells that were neverused now .
You Shall put them up again when times mend,
’
said She . All Dard had to do now was to draw awide magic circle '
all around the lemon tree,and
so fix the bells that they should be out o f sight,an d should ring if a foot came against the invisiblestring . This
‘little odd job was from that nightincorporated into Dard
’s daily existence . He hadto set the trap and bells at dusk every evening,and from that moment till bed-time Jacin tha wentabout her work with half her mind Out o f doorshalf in
,and her ear on full cock .
One day St . Aubin met the notary ambling .
H e stopped him,and holding up his finger said
We have found you out .’
The notary turned pale .Oh ! ’ said the doctor, this is pushing sensi
WHITE LIES . 137
The notary stammered .
A good action done slily is none the less a goodaction .
’
This explanation completed the notary’s m ystification .
‘But you are a worthy man ,’ cried St . Aubin
,
warming .
The notary bowed .
They cannot profit by your liberality,but they
feel it deeply.And you will be rewarded in a
better world . It is I who tell you so .
’
The notary muttered indistinctly . He was aman o f moderate desires ; would have been quitecontent if there had been no other world in persp ectiv e . He had studied this
,and made it pay
did not desire a better—sometimes feared a worse .Ah ! ’ said Monsieur St. Aubin , I see how it is
we do not like to hear ourselves praised,do we ?
When shall we see you at the chateau ?’
As soon as I have good news to bring .
’ AndPerrin
,anxious to avoid such a shower o f compli
ments,spurred the dun
,and cantered away .
138 WHITE LIES .
CHAPTER VI .
MADEMOISELLE LAUREWho is
,
that ?’
Me,mademoiselle
And who is me ?’
Jacin tha. Are you sleepy,mademoiselle
Ah,yes
Then don’t —you must,rise directly .
’
Must 1 ? Why ? Ah ! the chateau is on fire ! ’
No n o —gr eat news . I m ay be mistaken,but I don’t think I am—I am sure not
,however. ’
The purse —the purse‘N0 other thing . Listen , mademoiselle . Dard
has watched a certain person this month past,by
my orders . Well,mademoiselle
,last night he g ot
his pay—four hundr ed francs—and what do youthink, he told Dard he must be called an hourbefore daybreak . Something m ust be ufy—something is up‘That thing is me ! ’ cried Laure ‘Behold
,I
am up ! You good girl,when did you know all
thisOnly since last night . ’
Why didn’t you tell me last night,then ? ’
‘I had more sense . You would n ot have slept
140 WHITE LIES .
For me ?’‘Yes ! mademoiselle, for you . Is that wonder
ful ? You look at yourself,in the glass
,and that
will explain all . No,don’t
, o r we shall be toolate . Now
,ladies
,come to your hiding place .’
What ! are we to hideWhy, you don
’t think he will do it,if he sees
you,mademoiselle . Besides
,how are you to catch
him un less I put you in ambush ?’
Oh,you good girl
,
’ cried Laure . Here,then,
is on e that originates ideas—this is fun .
’
I would rather dispense with that part o f heridea
,
’ said Josephin e . ‘What can I say to one Ido not know,
even if I catch him—which I ‘
hop e IShall n otOh, we have not caught him yet,
’ said Jacin thaan d if you do
,it won’t be “ I
,it will be we .
’
You will be as bold as lions when you find yourselves two to on e
,and o n your own ground . One
and one make fifteen ! ’
One and on e make fifteen ? Laure,you are
dressed,demand an explanation—and lend me a
p m .
I mean on e young lady alongside another younglady has the courage o f fif te en separate .
’
Jacin tha now to ok the conduct o f the expedition . She led her young mistresses on tiptoe tothe great oak tree . In with you
,my ladies
,and
as still as m ice .’
They cast a comic look at on e another, andobeyed the general .
WHITE LIES . 141
Now,
’ said Jacin tha,
‘if it is all right,I shan’t
stir—if it is _all wrong, I shall come and tell you .
Mother o f Heaven , there is your blind up—if hesees that, he will know you are up . I
‘flyto draw
it down—adieu,mesdemoiselles .’
She is n o t coming back,Josephine
No,Laure .’
Then my heart beats,that is all . Also
,imagine
us popping out on a stran ger ! ’
Such a phr ase,sister
It popped out,sister ! ’
Before we even think o f anything else,be so
kind as to fasten on e o r two of these hooks properly ; should we really decide to charge the foe,it would be well to have as little disorder in our
own lines as possible,
’
an d Jo sephin e’
s lip made alittle curl that was inestimably beautiful . Laureobeyed . During the process, Josephine deliveredherself
,in a faint sort o f way
,o f what follows .
See nevertheless, how hard it is for our sex to ,
resist energy . Jacin tha is our servant ; but she
has energy and decision ; this young woman, mysupposed inferior
,willed that I should be in an
absurd position ; what is the con sequence ? Aminute ago I was in bed— now I am here—and theintervening events are a blank —(a little yawn) .
Josephine,
’ said Laure gravely,such small
talk is to o fearful in this moment o f horrible agitation . A sudden thought ! H ow come you to beso frightfully calm and composed, you, the greaterpoltroon o f the two by ever so much .
’
142 WHITE LIE S .
By a hair s breadth,for in stance . ’
I see—you have decided not to move fromthis ambush
,come what may . Double coward
and traitress,that is why you are cool . I flutter
because at bottom I am brave,because I mean to
descend like an eagle o n him—and fall dead with
fright at his feet .’
Be tranquil—nobody is coming—be reasonable .What ground have we for supposin g any on e willcome here this morning .
’
Josephine,
’ cried Laure eagerly,that girl
knows more than She has told us ; she is in earnest.Depend upon it
,as she says
,there is something up .
Kiss me,dear
,that will give you courage—oh !
how my heart beats, and remember “on e and on e
make how many ?’
How many figures do on e cypher added toanoth—hush ! hush ! ’ cried Josephine
,in a loud
,
agitated whisper,and held up a quiverin g hand
,
and her bosom began to heave she pointed severaltimes in rapid succession westward through thetree . In a moment Laure had her eye glued to alittle hole in the tree . Josephine had instinctivelydrawn dack from a much larger aperture
,through
which she feared she could be seen .
Yes,’ said Laure
,in a trembling whisper .
A figure stood in the park,looking over the little
gate into the Pleasance .Josephine kept away from the larger aperture
through which she had caught a glimpse o f him .
Laure kept looking through the little hole,and
144 WHITE LIES .
‘they recovered sufficient composure to observethat this shadow
,on e half o f which lay on the
ground,while the head and shoulders went a little
way up the wall o f the tree,represented a man’s
profile,n ot his front face . The figure
,in short
,
was standing between them and the sun,and was
contemplating the chateau,not the tree .
Still,when the shadow took o ff its hat “
to
Josephine,she would have screamed if she had not
bitten her plump hand instead .
It wiped its brow with a handkerchief ; it’
hadwalked fast
,poor thing ! The next moment it
was away. S ic transit g loria m undi.
They looked at on e another and panted . Theydared n o t before . Then Laure , W ith on e hand o n
her heaving bosom,shook her little white fist
viciously at where the figure must be, and perhapsa comical desire of vengeance stimulated hercuriosity. She now glided through the fissure likea cautious panther from
‘
her den ; and noiselessand supple as a serpent began to wind slowlyround the tree . She soon came to a great p r otuberance . Her bright eye peeped round it ; herlithe body worked into the hollow
,and was
invisible to him she was watching . Josephine, ayard behind her
,clung also to the oak, and waited
with glowing eye and cheek for signals .The cautious visitor had surveyed the ground ,
had strolled with mock carelessness round the oakand was n ow safe at his goal . He was seen to puthis hand in his pocket
,to draw something out an d
WHITE LIES . 145
drop it under the lemon tree ; this done, he washeard to vent a little innocent chuckle o f intensesatisfaction
,but o f brief duration ; f or the very
moment she saw the purse leave his hand,Laure
made a rapid signal to Josephine to wheel roundthe other side o f the tree
,and
,starting together
with admirable concert,both the daughters o f
Beaurepaire Swooped on him from Oppositesides .His senses were to o quick
,and too much on the
alert,not to hear the rustle the moment they
started ; but it was too late then . They did not'
walk up to him,o r even run . They came so fast
they must,I think
,have fancied they were runnin g
away instead o f charg ing .
He knew nothing about their past tremors . Allhe saw or heard was—a rustle
,then a flap on
each side,as o f great wings
,and two lovely women
were upon him with angelic swiftness . Ah hecried out
,with a start o f terror
,and glanced from
the first comer,Laure
,to the park . His instinctive
idea was to run that way . But Josephine was on
that side,caught the look
,and put up her hand
,as
much as to say,You can’t pass here . ’
In such situations,the mind works quicker than
lightning . He took o ff his hat, and stammered anexcuse Come to look at the oak .
’ But Laurepounced on a purse
,and held it up to Josephine .
He was caught . His only chance n ow was to
bolt for the great gate and run—but it was notthe notary—it was a poor little fellow who lostVOL . I . H
146 WHITE LIES .
his presence o f mind,or perhaps thought it rude to
run when a lady told him to stand still . All hedid was to crush his face into his two hands
,round
which his cheeks and neck now blushed red asblood . Blush ? the young women could see thecolour rush like a wave to the very ro ots o f hishair and the tips o f his fingers .The moment our heroines
,who
,in that despe
ration which is on e Of the forms o f cowardice,had
hurled themselves o n the foe,saw they had caught
a Chinese and not aTartar,flash—the quick-witted
poltroons exchanged a streak Of purple lightningover the abashed and drooping head
,and were two
lionesses o f valour and dignity in less than half amoment .It was with the quiet composure o f lofty and
powerful natures that Josephine Opened on him .
He gave a little wince when the first rich tonestruck his ear .
Compose yourself,monsieur ; and be so good
as to tell us who you are .
’ Edouard must answer .Now he could not speak through his hands ; andhe could not face a brace o f lionesses ; so he tooka middle course
,removed o n e hand
,and shading
himself from Josephine with the other,he gasped
out I am —m y name is Riviere ; and I—Iladies ! ’‘Don’t be frightened
,
’ said Laure,with an air
o f imperial clemency,we are n ot ‘
v ery angry .
’
Ah ! thank you mademoiselle .
’
resumed Josephine,tell us what interest
48 WHITE LIES .
thoughts,if I have any
,to her . Before I sawher,
I vegetated—now I live . Yet you talk o f twentylouis—well then yes ! I will obey you—I will takethem back . So then you will perhaps be generousin your turn . Since you mortify me in this, youwill grant what you can grant without hu
'
rjtin gyour pride ; you will accept my service, my devotion . You have no brother—I have n o sister .
Let me be your brother—and your servant forever . ’
Monsieur Riviere,
’ said Josephine,with her
delicate curl o f her lip,you off er us too
,
much,and
we have too little to give you in return ; Ours isa falling house
,and
‘NO '! no ! mademoiselle, yOu mistake—you areimposed upon . You fancy you are poor—othersthat do not care for you say so too ! but I
,who
owe you so much , have looked closer into yourin terests—_your estate is grossly mismanaged ; forgive me for saying so . You are rich at this moment if you had but a friend—a man o f business .You are cheated through thick and thin—it isabominable—and no wonder you are women , anddon’t understand business—you are aristocrats andscorn it . ’
He is no fool,
’ said Laure,naively .
An d you banish me who could be o f such serv iceto you and to Madame the Baroness . Yet you say
you forgive my Officiousn ess,but I fear you do n o t .
Ah ! no,this vile money has ruined me with ,
you
WHITE LIES . 149
NO monsieur, n o —you .hav e earned and wellmerited our esteem .
’
But n o t your acquaintance .
’
The ladies both looked down a little ashamed .
See n ow,
’ said the boy bitterly,how reason
able etiquette is . If I had happened to dine atsome house where you dined
,and some person
Whom neither o f us respected had said to you,
Suffer me to present Monsieur Edouard Riviereto y
,ou I should have the honour and blessing o f
your acquaintance—that would have been an introduction—but all this is none—and you willnever
,never speak to me again .
’ He is anythingbut a fool ! ’ said Laure .
A look o f ardent gratitude from Edouard .
He is very young,
’ said Josephine,and thinks
to give society new rules ; society is too strong tobe dictated to by him or you ; let us be serious ;Monsieur Edouard
,ere we part
,and part we must
—for your path lies on e way, ours another—hearme
,who speak in the name o f all this ancient
house . Your name is n ot quite new to me —Ibelieve you are a Republican officer, monsieur ;but you have acted en g en til/zom nie .
MademoiselleMay your career be brilliant Monsieur Riviere
may those'
you have been taught to serve , andwhom you greatly honour by serving
,be more
grateful to you than circumstances permit thisfamily to be ; we , who were beginning to despair o fhuman goodness
,thank you monsieur for showing
1 50 WHITE LIES .’
us the world is stlll embellished with hearts likeyours ! ’ And she suddenly held him out her handlike a pitying goddess, her purple eye dwelling o n
him with,all the heaven o f sentiment in it .
He bowed his head over her hand and kissed itagain and again .
You will make him cry, that will be the nextthing
,
’ said Laure with a little gulp .
‘No ! no ! he is too much o f a man to cry .
And see,
’ said Josephine,in a motherly tone
‘though we return your poor gold, we keep bothpurses ; Laure takes this On e , my mother and Ithis one ; they will be our souven irs o f one whowished to oblige without humiliating us .
’
And I think,as his gold is so fugitive I had
better imprison it in this purse,which I have just
made—there—~ it would be uncourteous to returnhim his money loose you knowAh ! mademoiselle
,what goodness ! Oh ! be
assured it shall be put to no such base use as carrying money .
’
Adieu then Monsieur RiviereThe two sisters were now together
,their arms
round on e another .Mademoiselle Laure
,Mademoiselle Josephine
,
conceive if you can my happiness,and my disap
pointment —adieu —adieu He was gone asslowly and unwillingly as it is possible to go .
‘Inaccessible said he to himself sadly,as he
went slowly home ; quite inaccessible Yet therewas a moment after the first surprise when I
1 52 WHITE LIES .
Oh ! yOu shall have him ,sister
,
’ put in the slyminx warmly
,
‘if you insist on it .’
W hat words are these ? I shall be angry byand-by .
’
Well, I must not annoy you by too great im
p or tun ity,neither . You have only to say you de
cline him .
’
Decline him ? poor boy ! He has never asked
In short,on on e pretence or another
,you de
cline to decline him .
’
H ow dare you,Laure ? Of course I decline him .
’
Thank you,siste r
,
’ cried Laure hastily , andkissed her ; ‘it is the prettiest _present you evergave me—except your love . Ah ! what is that onyour hand ? It is wet— it looks like the dew on alily . It is a tear from his eye—you cruel woman .
’
N0 ! it was when I spoke kindly to him . I r emember n ow
,I did feel something ! Poor child "
Heart o f marble that affects pity—an hourafter . Stay ! since our agreement
,this belongs to
me and she drew out a back comb,and down fell
a mass o f rich brown hair . She swept the dew o ff
the lily with it,and did it up again with a turn o f
the hand . Josephine sighed deeply .
You frighten me. DO not run thus wantonlyto the edge of a precipice . Take warning by me .Oh, why did we come out ? Jacin tha, what haveyou done !
This dear Josephine,with her misgivings !
con fess, you take me for a fool .’
WHITE LIES . 1 53
I take you for a child that will play with fireif not prevented .
’
At ninete en and a half on e is no longer a Child .
Oh ! the blindness o f our elders ! I know you byheart
,Josephine
,but you only know a little bit o f
me . You have only observed the side’
I turn toyou
,whom I love better than I shall love any man .
Keep your pity for Monsieur Riviere if ever hedoes fall into my hands ; not for me . In a wordJosephine
,the hour is come for m aking you a
revelation . I am not a child . I am a woman "
Ah ! all,
the worse .
’
But not the sort o f woman you are—and,Heaven be thanked for both our sakes I am not !
’
Josephine Opened her eyes . She’
never talkedlike this to me before—this is your doing, MonsieurRiviere . Unhappy g irl , what are you then -notlike me
,who love you so !
‘No,my sister
,I have the honour to be your
opposite .
’
My opposite ! ’ said Josephine , ruefully .
I am a devil explained Laure"
in a mysteriouswhisper
,but with perfect gravity and conviction
,
aiming at Josephine with‘her fore finger,to point
the remark . She allowed on e second for this important statement to sink into her sister’s mind
,
then straightway set to and gambolled in a mostelfishway round and round her as Josephine movedstately and thoughtful across the grass to thechate au .
It may well be supposed Whatwas the subject o fH 3
I 54 WHITE LIES .
con versation at breakfast,and indeed all the day .
The young ladies,however drew only the broader
outlines of their _story ; with a natural reserve theygave no hint that they thought Monsieur Rivierewas in love with on e o f them .
The baroness on her part was not disposed toput love ideas into her daughters’ heads ; shetherefore
,though too shrewd not to suspect Dan
Cupid’s hand in this,reserved her suspicions
,and
spoke o f Riviere’s act as anyone might,lOokin g
only at its delicate,generous
,and disinterested side .
Male sagacity, in the person o f St . Aubin ,prided
itself on its superior shrewdness , h eld the samelanguage as the others
,but smiled secretly all the
time at female credulity .
Scarce three days had elapsed,three weary days
to a friend of our s,when JacIn tha, looking through
the kitchen window,saw the signal of distress
flying from a tree in the park . She slipped out,
and there was Edouard Riviere . Her tong ue wentoff with a clash at the moment o f contact with him,
like a cymbal . First, she exulted over him‘How had it answered trying to draw the woolover JacIn tha S eye , eh ?
’ then she related her ownsagacity
,telling him
,as such characters are apt to,
half the story . She suppressed Dard’
s share , forShe m ight want a similar service from Dard again—who knows ? But she let him kn ow it was shewho had Set the ladies in ambush at that time inthe morning.
At this young Riviere raised his hands , and eyed
156 WHITE LIES .
Malediction on the coffee ! how can you havethe heart to think o f coflee n ow
,dear Jacin tha ?
Do,pray
,explain .
’
What is the use , if you will go and dream thata lady is a man ?’
N0,no ! I won
’
t fan cy any thing ; tell me aboutwomen
,then
,if you think y ou can understand
them .
’
‘I will then . Above all mortal things theydespise faint-hearted men . They are o n the lookout for something stronger than a woman . Awoman hates to have to make the advances . Shelikes to be always retreating, yet never be o ff .
She is n ot content to take what she wants; andthank God for it, and that is a man . She mustplay with it like a cat with a mouse . She mustmake difficulties . The man he is to trample on
them . She made them to no other end . If he issuch a fool as to let them trample on him
,Heaven
have mercy on him,fo r she won’t ! Her two
delights are, saying“ no” half a dozen times
,and
saying yes at last . If you take her at her wordat the first n o
,
” you cause her_six b itter dis
appointments ; for then she can’t get to say the
other and , worst o f all, she can’t get to say
the yes” that was in her heart all along . Now,
my young mistress is half angel and half woman,
so if you give her up because she bids you, shewill only despise you ; but if it was my other younglady o r me, we should hate you as well .
’
Hate me ? for selfdenial and obedience
WHITE LIES . 1 57
No ! Hate you for being a fool ! Hate youwith a bitterness—there
,hate you.
’
What horrible injusticeJustice ! who looks to us for justice ? We are
good creatures, but we don’t trouble our heads with
justice it Is a word you shall never hear a womanuse
,unless she happens to be doing some monstrous
injustice at that very moment ; that is our ruleabout justice—so
,there .
’
Jacin tha,your views o f your sex are hard, and
cynical . Women are nobler and better thanmen ! ’
Ay ! ay you see them a mile o ff . I see themtoo near they can’t pass for rainbows here .
’
Pass fo r rainbows—he ! he ! Speak fo r yourself
,Jacin tha, and for coquettes, and for vulgar
women ; but do not blaspheme those angelic natures with which I was for on e short moment incontact. ’
Ah bah ! we are all tarred with the same stick,
angels and all—the angels that wear stays . ’
I cannot think so . Besides you were n o t there
you did not hear how kindly yet how firmly she
thanked, yet bade me adieu .
’
I te ll you, a word in a man’s mouth is a thing
,
but in a woman’s it is only a word .
’ At this point,
without any previous warnin g,she went into a
p assion like gunpowder kindled . Take your ownway ! ’ she cried ; this boy knows more than Ido . S O be it—let us speak n o more o f it.Cruel Jacin tha, to quarrel with me, who have
158 WHITE LIES .
n o other friend . There—I am your pupil ; for,after all, your sagacity is gr eat. Advise me like asister—I listen .
’
N0 ; good advice Is never welcome .
’
It is so seldom given kindly .
’
Oh ! as to that, I could n ot speak unkindly toyou
,my little cabbage but I shall make you
unhappy,and then I shall be unhappy ; for you
see,with all our f aults
,we have not bad hearts
,we
women .
’
Speak, Jacin tha.
‘I am going to ; and when I have spoken, Ishall never see your pretty face again so near tomine—so you see I am disinterested ; and -Oh !
how I hate telling the truth cried she with piousfervour ‘it always makes everybody miserable . ’
Jacin tha, remember what you said in its favourthe first time we met . ’
I ‘don’t remember for my part, and whatsignifies what I said ? W ords—air ! Well mypoor child
,I will advise you like a mother—give
her up .
’
Give her up ?’
‘Think n o more o f her : for there is a thing inyour way that is as hard to get over as all hernonsensical words are easy .
’
Oh ! what is it ? You make me tremble .’
It is a man .
’
Ah "
There is another man in the way .
’
Who P—that vile old docto r ?’
160 WHITE LIES .
But if‘
She loves him ?’
A passing fancy,and the object o f it unworthy
it is my duty to cure her o f a misplaced attachmentthat can never make her happy
,sweet angel ! she
will live to thank me —to bless me - I say whoseSide are you on—his o r mine ?’Wretch
,do you ask me ?
’
DO they walk in the park ?’
Half an hour every day.
’
What time ?’
Uncertain .
’
And I can’t see into the park for that greatinfernal elm tree at the corner : it just blocks upmy window—if I cut it down some night will youtellNo t I . Would you really
'
have the foreheadto cut down on e o f the Beaurepaire elms — holysaints ! ’
Look fo r it to -morrow,
’ said he grim ly,and
look low enough o r you won’t see it . I’ll cuton e o f your elms down with as little remorse as Iwould half a dozen rivals . ’
He is m ad—after all I want firewood,and
above all I want brushwood for my oven for youare to understand my friend there is some mealcome in from the tenants
,and so
That’
s right ! think kitchen ! talk kitchen !pray does your soul live in a kitchen as well asyour body ?’
‘Monsieur ! ’
Forgive me, my blood is on fire—I take your
WHITE LIES . 161
advice : you shall never have to spur me again .
It is clear you know the sex best : she shall makeas many difficulties as she pleases . She shallsay n o twelve times instead o f six, if it amusesher : I will court her, I will besiege her, I
’ll fightfor her against all the soldiers on earth, and allthe fiends in you know where .
’
W hirr—he wasaway .
Jacin tha gaz ed after her pupil and firework withardent admiration so long as his graceful activefigure was in sight .Then she fell into a reverie—an unusual mood
with this active personage .
It is n o t customary,in polite fiction
,to go into
the reflecting part o f a servant-maid let us therefore make a point o f doing it
,for to be vulgar in
the eyes of snobs and sn obbesses is n o mean distinction .
‘Look there now — they say you should gaveand take . Well , I gave a lesson and now I havetaken on e . From fourteen to fourscore a man is aman
,and a woman is a
~wom an . Write that inyour mass books
,for it is as true as gospel . School
is never over while we are in the world . Ithought I knew something to o : but I was allbehind . Now to me a woman is the Shallowestthing the Lord ever made . I can plumb it withmy forefinger . But to a man they are as deep asthe ocean . And
,n o doubt
,men can read o n e
another“
: but they beat me . She put up a strawbetween him and her
,and he fell back as if it was
162 WHITE LIES .
spear,that was as
as thick as ? I showed him an ir on door betweenthem ,
an d he flies at it as if it was a sheet of brownpaper, MOTHER OF HEAV EN ! MY POT ! MY POT "
She fled wildly .
164 WHITE LIES .
-Ah well,
’ said Jacin tha,in a comfortable tone
,
‘now you are down, we must do the best we canwith you . I wanted some firewood—and I wantedsome small wood terribly.
’
The baroness Shrugged her shoulders at thiskitchen philosophy
,and moved away with Jose
phine . The doctor detained Laure . Now it isn o use telling your mother, to ann oy her, but thistree has been cut down .
’
Impossible‘Fact. Come and look at the stub . I have
stood and seen thousands o f trees felled—it is aninteresting Operation ; comes next to taking off ahem ! See how clean three fourths o f the woodhave come away . They have had the cunning toout three feet above the ground too ; but this isnot Nature’s work—it is man’s . Laure it wantedbut this you have an enemy—a secret enemy .
’
Ah ! ’ cried Laure, with flashing eyes,and
making her hand into an angular snowball ; oh !that I had him here ! I ’d—ah ! ah This doughtythreat ended in two screams
,for a young gentle
man sprang from the road over the hedge,and
alighted close to them . He took o ff his hat, andblushing like '
a rose,poured out a flood o f excuses .
Mademoiselle—_monsieur,I saw that a large tree
had fallen,and my curiosity —forgive my indiscre
tion —and he aff ected a retreat, but cast a lingering look at the fallen tree .
Remain,monsieur
,
’ said St . Aubin , politely ;and as your eyes are younger than mine I will
WHITE LIES . 165
ev en ask you to examine the stump and also thetree
,and tell me whether my suspicions are correct .
Has this tree fallen by accident,or by the hand o f
manRiviere darted on the stump with the fire o f
curiosity in his face,and examined it keenly . His
deportment was n ot bad comedy . This tree hasbeen cut down . See
,m ademoiselle,
’ cried theyoung rogue
,determined to bring her into con
versation,
Observe this out here in the wood ;look
,here are the marks of the teeth o f a saw.
’
This brought Laure close to him , and he gave aprolix explanation to keep her there
,and asked
her whether she saw this, and whether she sawthat ; so then she was obliged to speak to him .
He proved to their entire satisfaction that somebody had cut down the elm . The rogue ! ’ criedSt . Aubin The wretch cried Laure .Riviere looked down
,and resumed his inspection
Oh that I had him ! ’ said Laure , still at feverheat .I wish you had, mademoiselle,
’ said Edouard,
with a droll look . Then with an air o f imposinggravity
,Monsieur
,I have the honour to serve the
government in this district, as you may perhaps beaware .
’
St . Aubin looked at Laure for explanation .
She would n ot g ive any, because, by rev ealingthe young man’s name She would have enabledSt . Aubin to put the purse and this jump over the
166 WHITE L IES .
hedge together . She coloured at the bare thought,
but said nothing . Riviere went on . If youreally suspect this has been done out o f malice
,I
will set an inquiry on foot.’
‘You are very good, monsieur . It certainly isa mysterious afl
'
air .
’
Give yourself no further anxiety about it,s1r .
I take it into my hands—in doing so,I merely
discharge my duty ; need I add, mademoiselle , thatduty is for once a pleasure ? If any o f the neighbour s is the culprit, it will transpire ; if n o t
,still
the present government is,I assure you
,sir
,a
Briareus,and on e o f its hands will fall sooner o r
later on him who has dared to annoy you,made
m oiselle .
’
As a comment on these words o f weight, he drewout his pocket-book with such an air : made am iriute or two
,and returned it to his pocket .
‘Monsieur,mademoiselle
,receive once more my
excuses for my indiscreet curiosity,which I shall
never cease to regret,unless it should lead to the
discovery o f what you have at heart .’ And hebowed himself away.
A charming youn g man,my dear . ’
‘W hat'that little buck —do you see charms in
him —whereBuck ? a young Apollo
,beaming with goodness
as well as intelligence .
’
‘Oh ! oh ! Oh ! doctor . ’
I have not seen such a face for ever so long,’
cried the doctor,getting angry .
168 WHITE LIES .
and n o t the Bourbons ; and is therefore a monsterugly and even old. Let us speak o f more important matters .’
‘If you please ,’ said Laure
,drily . And they
did .
And the eff ect o f the rise in themes was thatLaure became distracted
,and listened badly ; and
every n ow and then she slipped back to the abandon ed subject, and made a number o f half concessions, on e at a time , in favour o f the young Republican’s looks
,m an n er s
,
‘
an dconduct—all to pleasethe doctor . S o that at last she and St. Aubinwere not so very far apart in their estimate o f theyouth . Arrived at the park gate leading into thePleasance
,she turned suddenly round
,beamed and
blushed all over with pleasure,and put her arms
round the puzzled doctor’s neck and kissed him ;
then scudded o ff like a rabbit after her sister whowas on the south terrace . Dard
,I’ve a little job
for you ,’ said Jacin tha, cheerily .
Ugh ! oh ! have you ?’
You must put up the grindstone . Stop don ’tgo o f f—that is not all . Put a handle In It
,and
then sharpen the great axe—the hatchet is not abit of use .’
Any more ?’
Yes ; to-morrow you must go into the parkth your wheelbarrow,
and cut me billet wood forup stairs and small wood for my oven .
’ The muchenduring man set about this new job .
The demoiselles De Beaurepaire coming out
WHITE LIES . 169
into the park for their afternoon walk, saw afigure hacking away at the fallen tree . Theywen t towards it near enough to recognise Dard :then they turned and took their usual walk .
They made sure Jacin tha had ordered,him to
do it .They had n ot been in the park a minute beforea telescope was levelled from a window at them
,
and the next moment M . Edouard was running upthe road to Beaurepaire .Now as he came near the fallen tree he heard
loud cries for help,followed by groans o f pain .
He bounded over the hedge,and there was Dard
hanging over his axe faint and moaning. Whatis the matter —what is the matter ?’ cried Edouardrunning to him .
Oh oh — cut my foot .’
Edouard looked,and turned Sick
,fo r there was
a gash right through Dard’s shoe, and the bloodwelling up through it. But, recovering himself byan effort of the will
,he cried out Courage , my
lad ! don’t give in—thank Heaven there’s noartery there . Oh
,dear
,it is a terrible cut ! Let
us get you home , that is the first thing ! Can youwalk ?’
‘Lord bless you, no ! nor stand either withouthelp .
’
Edouard flew to the wheelbarrow, and reversingi spun a lot of billet out . Ye must n o t do that,
’
said Dard,with all
,the energy he was capable of
in his present condition why that is Jacintha’
sVOL . I . I
170 WHITE LIES .
wood .
’ To the devil with Jacin tha and her woodtoo cried Edouard
,a m an is worth more than a
faggot . Com e Dard, I. shall . wheel you home : itis only just across the park .
’
With some difficulty he lifted him into thebarrow .
How lucky,
’
he cr ied,I have got my shooting
jacket on,so here’s my brandy flask : take a suck
at it o ld_fellow— and courage ! ’ Dard stretched
out his hand with sudden animation fo r the flask,
and it was soon glued to his lips .Now the. ladies
,as they walked
,saw a , man“
wheeling,
a barrow across the park,and took n o
particular notice but,as Riv ier e was making f o r
the same point,presently the barrow came near
enough for them to see a man’s head and arms init . Laure was the first to notice this . ‘Look !look ! if he . is n o t wheeling Dard in the barrow
9
n ow.
Who ?’
Do you ask who ? Who provides all our
amusement ?’
Laure,I do not like this . I am afraid
'
ther e issomethin g wr on g . Consider
,Monsieur. Riviere .
would not Wheel Dard all across the park for.amusement .’
Oh ! let us run and see .’
Now Riviere did not intend them to see ; hehad calculated on getting to the corner a cons iderable time before the promenaders . But theyhastened their speed
,and defeated his intentions
172 WH ITE L IES .
Have you a horse then‘No ; but I am as good a . run n er as any formiles round . I
’ll run it out in half an hour or dieat it
,and I’ll send the surgeon up full gaHOp .
’
‘Heaven bless you mon sieur, you have a goodheart
,
’ cried Josephine .Oh
,yes ! Heaven b less him .
’
He was already gone : but these sweet wordsrang in his ears and ran warm round and roundhis heart
,as he straightened his arms and his back
to the work . When they had gone about ahundred yards a single snivel went o ff in thewheelbarrow. Five minutes after
,Dard was at
home in charge o f his gran dm other,his shoe o f f
,
his foot in a wet linen cloth ; and the statesman,his coat tied round the n eck
,squared his Shoulders
and ran the two short leagues out . He ran themin thirty-fiv e minutes
,found the surgeon at home
,
to ld the case,pooh poohed that worthy’s promise
to go to the patient presently,darted in to his
stable,saddled the horse
,brought him round , saw
the surgeon into the Saddle,started him
,dined at
the restaurateur’s,strolled back
,and was in time
to g et a good look at the Chateau of Beaurepairebefore the sun set on it .
Q
Jacin tha came into Dard’s cottage that evenin g .
So you have been and done it my man,
’ criedShe cheerfully’ and rather roughly ; then sat downand rocked herself
,w ith her apron over her head .
She explained this anomalous proceedin g to his
ran dm other privately . I thought I would keep
WHITE LIES . 173
his heart up any way ; but you see I was notfit . ’
Calmer, she comforted Dard, and ended by crossquestion ing him . The young ladies had told herwhat they had seen
,and though Dard was to o
wrapped up in himself to dwell with any gustoupon Edouard’s zeal and humanity
,still
,as far as
facts wen t,he confirm ed the ladies’ comments .
Jacin tha’
s heart yearned towards the youn gman .
"
She was in the town next day making apurchase o r two
,So she called on him I thought
I .would just step in to put a question to you .
W ould you like to get a word with her aloneOh
,Jacin tha
Hush ! don’t shout like that ; why you may besure She is alone sometimes
,though not very often .
They love one another so,those two .
’
Jacin tha then developed her plan . As the dishcloth was his signal
,SO she must have a signal to
Show when she wanted to speak to him , and thatsignal Should be a Sheet
,which she would hang
Over the battlement of Beaurepaire Chateau .
‘So when you see a white sheet, you come tome—the quicker the better . It is the least I cando now. You know what I mean . I won’t speakabout it . Words in a woman’s mouth —I told youwhat they are .
'
No,I won’t end in steam, like
boiling wate r does . I won’t say, I’
ll show youW hat you have done my angel .
’ Her eyes told himall the same .Where is my dish-clout You never left it out
174 WHITE LIES .
.there on the tree, did you ?’ and she looked
solemn .
Jacin tha ! on my knees I demand pardon fo rmy fatal heedlessness .
’ Jacin tha put her handunder her apron and pulled out the cloth There
,
’
said she,and threw it
‘
him . Now suppose you hadwanted to speak to nae—ah well
,we can’t have
all ; you have a good heart, but no head .
’
Dard’s grandmother had a little house
,a little
land,a little
,money
,and a little cow . She could
just keep Dard and herself,and her resources
enabled Dard to do -So many little odd jobs for love,
yet keep his favourite organ tolerably filled .
GO to bed m y little son,since you are hashed,
’
said Dard’s -grandm other . Bed be hanged
,
’ criedhe .
‘What good is bed ? That’s another sillyold custom wants doing away with . It weakens
you- it turns you into train oil- it is the doctor’s
friend,and the patient’s enemy . Many a on e shuts
up through taking to bed, that could have g otthr ough his trouble if he had kept his feet like am an . If I was dying
'
I would not g o to bed till Iwent to the bed with a lSp ade in it . No ! sit uplike Julius Cmsar , and die as you lived
,in your
clothes : don’t strip yourself : let the Old wom enstrip you—that is their delight laying out a chapthat is the time they brighten up
,the old sorceresses .’
He concluded this amiable rhapsody,the latter part
o f which was levelled at a lugubrious weakness o f
his grandmother’s for the superfluous embellish
176 WHITE LIES . ‘
De Beaurepaire wore a tender look o f interest andpity when they caught sight o f Dard
,and on the
o ld woman curtseying to them they curtseyed toher and Dard . But when Dard put his arms on
the chair to rise and salute them,Laure put up her
fin ger and peremptorily forbade him . The nextmoment they were close to him
,one a little to his
right,the other to his left, and two pair of sapphire
eyes with the mild lustre o f sympathy playing'
down incessantly upon him . How was he ? Howhad he slept ? Was he in pain Was he in muchpain ? tell the truth n ow. Was there anything toeat or drink he
"
could fancy ? Jacintha shouldmake It and bring it
,if it was within their
means .A prince could n ot have had more solicitous
attendants ; nor a fairy king lovelier and lessearthly ones .He looked in heavy amazement from o n e to thether . Laure laughed at him
,then Jo sephine
smiled . Laure bent,and was by some suppl e
process on o n e knee,taking the measure o f the .
wounded foot . When she first approached it hewinced : but thenext momen t he smiled . He hadnever been touched like this—it was contact and n ocontact—she treated his foot as the zephyr theviolets—she handled it as if it had been somesacred thing . By the help o f his eye he couldust know she was to uching him .
Th ere monsieur, you ar e measured for a list
sho e?
WHITE LIES . 177
And I will make it for you Dard,
’ saidJosephine .Don’t you believe her Dard I shall make I t
she is indolent . ’ We will both make it then,
’
said Josephine .
Dard grinned an uncertain grin .
At the door they turned and sent back each asmile brimful o f comfort, promise , and kindness , tostay with him till next visit . Dard scratched hishead . Dard pondered half an hour in silencethus
,o r thereabouts .
The old woman had been to milk the cow. Shenow came into the kitchen .
Dard sang out lustily to her Granny I’mbetter . Keep your heart up old lady : we shan
’
tdie this bout . I am good for a few more little Oddjobs
,
’ said he,with a sudden tincture o f bitter
ness .Presently in came Jacin tha with a basket
crying,I have not a minute to stay now Dard
,
my young ladies have sent you two bottles o f oldBurgundy—you won’t like that— and here is aloaf I have just made . And now I must g o andshe stayed three quarters o f an hour with him
,and
cheered him mightily . At dusk Riviere rode by—fastened his horse up and came bustling in .
How do we get o n dame ?’
‘Pretty well monsieur . He was very dull atfirst
,but now he is brightened up a bit poor thin g .
All the great folks come here to see him— theDemoiselles de Beaurepaire and all .’
178 WHITE LI ES .
Ah ! that is like them .
’
Oh ! as to that,my little son is respected far
and wide ,’ said the old lady inflating herself ; and ,
as gratitude cannot live an instant with conceit,She went on to say
,
‘and after all it is the leastthey can do , for _he has been a good friend to them,
and never seen the colour o f their money.
’
Alsobehold him hashed in their service—a woundedfoot - that is all ever he took out o f Beaurepaire .
’
‘Hold your tongue,
’ cried Dard brutally ; ‘if Idon’t
“
complain,what right have you ?’ He added
doggedly,but rather gently
,The axe was in my
hand , not in theirs—let us be just before allthings .’
The statesman sat at breakfast, eating roastedkidneys with a little m elted butter and parsleyunder them,
and drinking a tumbler o f old Medocslightly diluted—a m odest rep ast
“ becoming hisag e , and the state o f his affections . On hiswriting table lay waiting for him a battle array o f
stubborn figures . He looked at them over histumbler
,Ah said he
,to-day I must be all the
state’s . Even you must not keep me from thosedry calculations oh ! well-beloved chateau o f
Beau-re-pai ah ! my telescope—it is —it
[E xit statesm an .
The white flag was waving from the battlements .When he got half way to Beaurepaire
,he found
to his horror he had forg otten that wretched cloth .
180 WHITE LIES .
awaits you atDard’s house .’ She sent you fo r meinquired Laure arching her brows .Not positively
,Mademoiselle Laure .
’
How pat he has our names tooBut I could see I should please her by coming
for you there is,I believe
,a bull o r so about . ’
A bull or two don’t talk in that reckless waymonsieur . She has done well to send you ; let usmake haste .
’
But I am a little out o f breath .
’
Oh,never mind that ! I abhor bulls .’
‘But,mademoiselle
,we are not come to them
yet,and the faster we g o now the sooner we
shall .’
Yes ; but I always like to get a disagreeablething over as soon , as possible ,
’ said Laure slily.
Ah,
’ replied Edouard mournfully,in that
case let us make haste .
’
A fter a little spurt mademoiselle relaxed thepace o f her own accord
,and even went slower
than ‘before . There was an awkward silence .
Edouard eyed the park boundary,an d' thought
Now what I have to say I must say before we getto you and being thus impressed with thenecessity of immediate action
,he turned to lead .
Laure eyed him,and the ground
,alternately
,
from under her long lashes .At last he began to colour and flutter. She saw
something was coming,and all the woman donned
defensive armour .Mademoiselle .
’
WHITE LIES . 181
Monsieur . ’
Is it quite decided that your family refuse myacquaintance
,my services
,which I still— forgive
me—press on you ? Ah Mademoiselle Laure,am
I never to have the happiness o f —O f— evenspeaking to youIt appears so
,
’ said Laure drily .
Have you then decided against me too ? Thathappy day it was only mademoiselle who crushedmy hopes .I asked Laure what have I to do with itCan you ask ? Do you not see that it is not
Mademoiselle Josephine,but you I—What am I
saying but, you understand toowell .
’
No,monsieur
,
’ said Laure with a puzzled air,
‘I do n o t understand . Not on e word o f all youare saying do I comprehend . I am sure it isJosephine and not me for I am only a child .
’
You a child—an angel like you ?’
Ask any of them,they will tell you I am a
child ; and it is to that I owe this con versation, n odoubt ; if you did not look on me as a child
,you
would not dare take this liberty with me,
’ said the
young cat, scratching without a moment’s notice .
Mademoiselle,do not be angry . I was wrong.
Oh never mind . Children are little creatureswithout reserve
,and treated accordingly
,and to
notice them is to honour them .
’
Adieu then,mademoiselle . Try to believe n o
on e respects you more than I do .
’
Yes,let us part
,for there is Dard’s house
82 WHITE LIES .
and I begin to suspect that Josephine never -Sentyou .
’
I confess it . ’
There,he confesses it . I thought so all along !
W hat a dupe I have been ! ‘I will off end nomore
,
’ said Riviere humbly.
We shall see .
’
‘Adieu,mademoiselle . God bless you ! May
you find friends as sincere as I am,and more to
'
your taste‘Heaven hear your praye rs ! ’ replied the ma
licious thing,casting up her eyes with a mock
trag ic air.Edouard sighed ; a chill - conviction that she was
both heartless and empty fell on him . He turn edaway without another word. She called to himwith a Sudden airy cheerfulness that made himstart . Stay
,monsieur
,I forgot— I have something
to tell you .
’
He returned,all curiosity .
And a favour to ask you .
’
I am so glad .
’
You have made a conquest .’
I have a difl‘iculty in believing you,m adem oi
selle .
’
Oh it is n ot a lady,
’ said little Malice .Ah ! then it is possible
,
’ was the bitter reply.
Something better—less terrestrial,you kn ow
-it is a savan t. You jumped,you
'
spoke,you
conquered Doctor St . Aubin , that day . What doyou think he says ?’
184 WHITE LIES .
ance for you— and for him,
’ added she with all thegrace o f the De Beaurep air es .
‘What say you,
monsieurRiviere was mortified to the heart’s core . She
refuses to know me herself,
’ thought he,but she
will use my love to make me amuse that o ld man .
’
His heart swelled against her injustice and ingratitude
,and his crushed vanity turned to strychnine .
Mademoiselle,
’ said he,bitterly and dogg edly, but
sadly,
‘were I so happy as to have your esteem,
my heart would overflow,not only on the doctor
,
but on every honest person around . But if I mustnot have the acquaintance I value more than life
,
suffer me to be alone in the world,and never to
say a word either to Doctor St. Aubin , or to anyhuman creature if I can help it The imperiousyoung beauty drew herself up .
So be it,monsieur ; you teach me how a child
should be answered that forgets herself,an d asks
—D ieu ! —asks a favour o f a stran ger— a perfectstranger
,
’ added she with a world o f small illnature .
Could on e o f the dog days change to mid-winterin a second
,it would hardly seem so cold and cross
as Laure de Beaurepaire turned from the smilingsaucy fairy o f the moment before . Edouard felt aportcullis of ice come down between her and him .
She curtseyed and glided away . He bowed andstood frozen to the spot .He felt so lonely and so bitter
,he must go to
Jacin tha for something to lean on and scold .
WHITE LIES . 18 5
He put his handkerchief up in the tree , and outcame Jacin tha, curious . You left the dish-clout athome
,I bet—what a head —well
,well
,tell us
A fine blunder'
you made,Jacin tha. It was
Mademoiselle Josephine at Dard’s .’
DO you call that a blunder—ingrateYes Why
,it is not Josephine I love .’
Yes,it is
,
’ replied Jacin tha.
NO noChange ‘
o f wind then,since yesterday ! ’
No no How can you be_so stupid—fancy
not seeing it is Mademoiselle Laure . ’
Laure ! that‘child ?’
She is not a child ; she is quite the reverse .
Don’t call her a child—she objects to it —it putsher in a passion .
’
You have deceived me,
’ said Jacin tha severelyNeverYou have . You never breathed Laure’s name
to me .
’
N0 more I did Jo sephin e’
s .
’
What has that to do with it ? You pretendedto be in love with my young lady .
’
No ! with on e o f them,I said .
’
Well ! and how was I to guess by that it wasLaureAnd how were you to guess it was JosephineThere was no guessing in the case ; if it was
not Josephine,anybody with sense would have told
a body it was Laure ; but you are mad . Besides,who would look at Laure when Josephine was by
186 WHITE LIES .
Mademoiselle Laure is very well ; she has a prettylittle face enough , but she is n o t a patch uponmademoiselle .
’
Why, .Jacin tha, you -are blin d . But this is,
the
way ; you women are no judges o f female beauty .
They are‘
both love ly,but Laure is the brightest
,
the gayest—oh,her sm ile It
'
seem s brighter thanever now ; for I have seen her frown, Jacintha ;think of that and pity me . I have seen herfrown .
’
And if you look this way, you may see mefrown .
’
Why, what is the matter with y ou ?’
The m atter'
*is,that I wash my hands of the
whole affair . It is infamous."
Jacin tha" then let him know,in her own lan
g uage,that such frightful irr egularities as this
could not pass in an ancient family,where pre’ce
dent and decorum reigned,and had .for centuries .
The elder daughter must be got o ff our "handsfirst ; then let the younger take her turn .
’
T o gildthe p ill o f decorum
,she returned to her original
argument . Be more reasonable,my son
,above
all,less blind . She is nice, she is frisky ; but she
is not like JoSep hin e , the belle o f belles .’
Edouard,in reply
,anxious to conciliate his only
friend,aff ected to concede the palm o f beauty to
the elder sister,but suggested that Laure was
quite beautiful enough for ordinary purposes,such as to be fallen in love with ,—nearer his ownage
,too
, ,
than Josephine . He was proceeding
188 WHITE LIES .
coming on pretty well f o r a novice . There iso n e that has a head . You thanked and blessedher
, &c.
’
No,indeed
,I did not . I declined— oh ! very
respectfully .
’ Very respectfully ! ’ repeated Jacin tha
,with disdain .
" You really are not safe to
g o alone . Nevertheless, I can’t be always at his
elbow. Do you know what you have doneNo .
’
You have made her hate you,that is all .’
Riviere defended himself. It was so unjust torefuse me her acquain tain ce , and then ask me toamuse that ancient personage . ’
Jacintha looked him in the face,sneering like
a fiend .
Listen to a parable,Monsieur the Blind
,
’ saidshe Once there was a little boy madly in lovewith raspberry jam .
’
A thing I hate .
’
It is false,monsieur ; on e does n ot hate rasp
berry jam . He came to the store closet,where he
knew there were a Score jars o f it,and— oh !
misery— the door was locked . He kicked thedoor
,and wept bitterly . His mamma came and
said, “Here is the key,and gave him the key .
And what did he do ? Why, he fell to cryingand roaring
,and kicking the door . I don’t wa
wa-wa-wa-n t the key-ey-ey . I wa-a-ant the jamOh ! oh ! Oh ! oh and JacIn tha mimicked to thelife the mingled grief and ire o f infancy debarredits jam . Edouard wore a puzzled air
,but it was
WHITE LIES . 189
only for a moment ; the next be bid his face inhis hands
,and cried
,Fool ! fool ! fool ! ’
‘I shall not contradict you,
’ said his Mentor,
with aff ected politeness .“She was my best friend .
’
Who doubts it ?’
Once acquainted with the doctor,I could visit
at Beaurepaire .’
ParbleuShe had thought o f a way to reconcile my
wishes with this terrible etiquette that reigns here . ’
She thinks to more purpose than you do—thatis clear. ’
Nothing is left now but to ask her pardonand to consent—I am o ff .
’
N0,you are not
,
’ and Jacin tha laid a grasp o f
iron on him . Will you be quiet —is n ot on e
blunder a day enough ? I f you go near her now,she will affront you
,and order the doctor n o t to
speak to you .
’
Oh,Jacin tha ! your sex then are fiends o f
maliceWhile it lasts . Luckily with us nothing does
last very long . Take your orders fromYes
,general
,
’ said the young m an,touching
his hat .Don’t go n ear her till you have made the
doctor’s acquaintance ; that is easily done . Hewalks two hours on the east road every day, withhis feet in the puddles and h is head in theclouds . ’
WHITE LIES .
But how am I to get him out o f the clouds ?’
W ith the first black beetle you meet.’
A black beetleAy ! catch her when you
'
can . Have her readyfo r use in your handkerchief : pull a long face :and says you Excuse me monsieur
,I have the
misfortune n o t to know the Greek name o f thismerchandize here . Say that
,and behold him
launched . He will christen the beast in Hebrewand Latin as well as Greek
,an d te ll you her
history down‘ from the flood. : next hewill beg hero f you, - and out will come a cork. and a pin
,and
behold the creatur e impaled . Thus it is that m an
lo ves beetles . He has a thousand pinned down ’ athome—beetles
,butterflies and so forth . When I?
g o near the lot‘with my“ duster. he trembles like an
aspen. I pretend to be going to clean them,but
it is to see the face . he makes,for even a domestic
requires to laugh z: but I never do clean them,for
after all he is more stupid than wicked, poor manI: have n ot therefore the sad courage to annihilatehim .
’
Let us return to our beetle—what will histirades about the antiquity of the beetle advancemeWretch ! on e begins about a beetle , but on e
ends Heaven knows where . ’ She turned suddenlygrave : “All this does n o t prevent my pot frombeing on the fire and her heart o f hearts being n ow'
in the kitchen,Riviere saw it was useless to detain
her body,so thanking her warmly made at~ on ce
192 WHITE LIES .
The doctor pitied him . A young man o f y ourattainments and tastes to be debarred from theeverlasting secrets o f Nature
,by the fleeting poli
tics of the day, in which it is so seldom that anygreat principle is evolved .
’
Riviere shr ugged his shoulders . Somebodymust do the dirty work,
’ said he,chuckling in
wardly.
The chrysalis went to Beaurepaire in the pocketo f a grateful man . Oh wise Jacin tha said thelover
,I thought youWerehumbugging me , but his
heart is in these things . We are a league neareron e another than yesterday .
’
The doctor related his conversation with youngRiviere
,on whoni he pronounced high encomiums
,
levelling them at Laure the detractor from hismerit
,as if he was planting so many death blows .
Her saucy eyes sparkled with fun you might havelighted a candle at o n e and exploded a mine at theother ; but n o t a syllable did she utter .
The white flag waved from the battlements o fBeaurepaire .
SO (there’s a sentence for you— there’s a ring
there’s earthly thunder ! ) the statesman droppedhis statistics
,and took up his
,hat and fled. Only
to tell you you are in high favour,and I think you
might risk a call,
’ said Jacin tha.
What,on the baroness
Why not ? We shall be obliged to let her havea finger in the pie , soon o r late .’
, WHITE LIES . 1 93
But I called o n her, and was repulsed withscorn .
’
Ha ! ha ! I remember you came to off er usyour highness’s p atronage ! Well now I will tellyou a better g ame . to play at Beaurepaire thanthat . Think o f some favour to ask us come withyour hat o ff . We like to grant favours : we areused to that . We don’t kn ow how to receivethem .
’
But what favour can I ask ?’
Oh ! anything ; so that you can make it sounda favour ?’
I have it : I will ask leav e'
to shoot over Beaurepaire . ’
‘Good : and that will be an excuse for givingme some more birds
,
’ said she,who had always an
eye to the pot . Come—forward .
’
What now ? this very moment—I was not p repared fo r this
”
. My heart beats at the idea .
’
Fiddle-de-dee ! The baroness and the doctor areon the south terrace . But I am n o t to kn ow
.
that .
I shall Show you up to the baroness, and she won’t
be there—Jyou understand . Run to the front door ;I’ll step round and let you in .
’
Madam the Baroness, here is a—young monsieur with a request —come in monsieur . Butmademoiselle where is Madam the Baroness ?’
My m other is on the terrace Jacin tha,’ said
Josephine .‘_I will seek her—be seated monsieur .
’
Edouard beg an to stammer apologies .VOL . I . K
l94 WHITE LIES .
Such a trifle to trouble the baroness with—andyou mesdemoiselles You do not trouble us m on
said Laure , you see,we g o on working as
if nothing had happened .
’
That is flattering,Mademoiselle Laure .
’
But we flutter murmured Josephine , too lowfor Riviere to hear— then the kindly beauty ‘softened down her sister’s piquancy . Monsieur
,I
think I can answer for our mother that she willnot refuse on e whom we must always look on as
our friend .
’ But n ot your v uain tan ce,
’ saidEdouard
,tenderly
,though reproachfully .
Monsieur then cannot f orgive us a sing le“
r e
pulse .’
Here was an unexpected turn . Jo se‘phin e’
s softeyes and deprecato ry voice seemed to imp ly thatshe might be won “to retract that for which she
W ent so near apologising .
Jacin tha is right,’ thought he
,she Is the belle
o f belles .’
Ah m ademoiselle,
’ said hewarm ly,“how
‘
good
you are to speak so to me ! ’ The door”
Opened,a nd
the baroness came in alone .Edouard rose and bowed . The b aroness curt
seyed,gravely
~wav ed him to a seat,and sat down
herself. They tell me,monsieur
,I have it in my
power to be o f some slight service to you—all‘the
better. ’
Yes madam but it is a trifle,and I am in ‘con
stern ation to think I should have deranged you .
’
Nowise,monsieur ; I was about to come in
196 'WHITE‘LIES .
a nervous desire to laugh With her ;'
so he"
turnedaway hastily .
Monsieur,
’ said the baroness languidly,may 1
,
without indiscretion,ask—does it aff ord you much
pleasure to kill these birds ?Not
‘too -much madam
,to tell the truth—shut
pursuit o f anything is very inviting to our nature .’
Ah !’ said Laure drily —Off her guard .
‘Did you speak,my daughter said the
baroness, coldly.
No mother,
’ said L aure,a little frightened ;
with all her sauce‘
she dare n o more put in herword , uninvited , between her mother and astranger, than she dare jump out o f the window.
Besides,
’ continued E douard,when a m an is
very hard Worked,these relaxations
Ah ! monsieur is hard worked said _ the
baroness ; her eye dwelling with a delicate ironyon his rosy face .He did n o t perceive it : it
‘
was to o subtle ; Heanswered with a shade o f pomp Like all whoserve the State .
’
Ah ! monsieur—serves the State .’ Sheseemed
"
to congeal word by word. The youngladies exchanged looks o f dismay .
I - Serve France,
’ said Riviere,gen tly ; and
somethin g in his manner and in his youth half disarmed the old lady ; but n o t quite—ishe said as sherose to conclude the interview W ell monsieur
(you will forgive me if I cannot prev ail on myselfto call you —this with ironical courtesy—a
WHITE LIES . 197.
‘Call me what you please, madam,except your
enemy .
’
And he said this with so much feeling,and this
submission b f the conquering to the conqueredparty was so graceful
,that the Water came into
Jo sep hine’
s eyes, and Laure’s bosom rose and fell
,
and her needle went slower and slower .Citiz ens have done me to o much ill
,
’ explainedthe baroness
,with a sombre look . Mamma
,
’ saidJosephine
,imploringly .
They could not have: known you madam as I,even in this short interview—forgive my presumption—seem to do
,
’ and he looked beseechinglyat her .At least
,
’ cried the old lady,kindly and almost
gaily,
‘it is a good beginn ing I think .
’ Shecurtseyed
,and that meant g o .
’ He bowed to herand the young ladies
,and retired demurely : o n e
twinkle of triumph shot out o f his eye towardsLaure .The baroness turned to her daughters .Have you any idea who is this little Republican
who has invented the idea o f asking permission toshoot the partridges o f another
,and who
,be it
said in passing,has the face o f an angel ?’
They looked at o n e another . Laure spoke‘Yes mamma
,we have an idea—well he is
,you
know—the purse .’ The baroness flushed .
And why did you not tell me childrenO ! Mamma ! it would have been so awkward
for you we thought .’
198 WHITE LIES .
You are very considerateAnd we must have whispered it
,and that is so
ill bred .
’
More so than to giggle when I receive avisitor ?’ asked the baroness keenly .
No mamma,
’ said Laure humbly,and the next
moment she coloured all o f a sudden,and the next
moment after she looked at her mother,and her
eyes began to fill .‘Let us compound madem oiselle
,
’ said the
baroness . Instead o f crying because your old
mother speaks more sharply than she means,which
would be absurd at your age, you shall tell mewhy you laughed .
’
A’
greed mamma,
’ cried Mademoiselle April,
vulgarly called Laure ; ‘then because—e he hehe has been shooting over your ground for twomonths past without leave .
’
Oh impossible .
’
I have heard the guns,and seen him and Dard
doing it . And n ow he has come to ask for leavewith the face o f an angel
,as you remarked—he !
he -and Oh ! mamma you complimented himhe —and he absorbed the praise with such aningenuous gravity—ha ! ha ! ha ! A fter all it isbut reversing the period at which such applicationsare made by ordinary sportsmen—after instead o f
before . What does that matter —time flies soha ! ha ! ha ! ha ! ha ! ’‘Humph said the baroness
,and seem ed very
thoughtful,and mighty little amused .
200 W HITE“
L IES .
her delicate cheek, at her friend’s
“
cool‘
way’
o f
disp osing o f a question that so embarrassed her .TRUST TO NATURE ,
’ contin ued the doctorbenign antly .
TRUST T o NATURE screamed the -o ld
aristocrat with horror and dismay In her face isthe man madP’
No’
madam ; nor is Nature trust to her . _Shewill bring the young lady and the young citiz entog ether quite quickly enough without our
in flam in g them by opposition .
’
You make me regret sir,that I disturbed your
graver studies for a matte r so little serious as this,’
was the bitter answer veiled in tones o f perfectpoliteness .My f riend , if you wished for the sort o f advice
that political prejudice o r other blinding influencegives
,I was indeed the wrong person to send for . ’
But,
’ continued the lady haughtily, not deigningto notice his last sentence
, y‘
ou will make myapologies to the spiders
,to whom and their works
you are,I conclude
,about to return . The doctor
rose at this piece o f polite insolence .Since you permit me
,madam . I shall find
Natur e in spiders and admire her : but n o t morethan I do in the young lady an d the young citiz enwho are now submittin g to her sweetest law.
’
Enough monsieur—enoughAs I myself in former times
,when youth—3
As that must be very long ag o , and as“
amongthe results marriage has n o t been on e
,perhaps it
W HI TE LIES . 201
would be “
as Well to spare me the recital,’ said the
baroness, too spiteful to let slip this chance o f aslap fair o r unfair .True madam . W ell then
, let us take an un
impeachable example—as yourself—who have beenmarried—in your younger days—n ot deeming thebirds In spring unworthy imitation—deignedMonsieur
,our conference is ended .
’
The doctor went o ff with a malicious grin ; muchhe cared for his Old friend’s grand airs and bitingt ongue . The only creature he stood in awe ofwasJacin tha
,and her weapon
,the duster.
What is the hardest substance on earth ?’
Adamant,stupid .
’
No .
’
Well then ste el ?’
NO .
’
Platinum ?’
N0 . DO you give it up —do you —do you ?do you
—ice .’
IceMoral ice
,n o t physical—n o t solidified water, but
solidified etiquette—congealed essence o f grandmamma —custom
,ceremony
,propriety, when down
at 32 Fahrenheit .How many have jumped as high as they could
a n d com e down as hard as they could on purposeto break this ice—and been broken ? You can try
.it mesdames,but not by my advice .
By a just balance o f qualities,human ice , once
K 3
202 WHITE LIES .
broken,is the hardest thing in the world to
mend .
‘Nature glides in,and keeps thawed men and
wom en from freezing again,froz en from petrify
ing,
’ When the ladies o f Beaur ep aIre darted fromtheir family oak
,and caught Riviere in his felo
n ious act,they broke the ice .
Jo sep hin e’
s attempt to repair it on the spot waslaudable but useless . It was not in nature thatthis young man an d these two young women couldever be again the straiIg ers they were before .
Whenever they met in the park he had always aword ready
,and they answered . It was but a
Sly word or two : but these words were like littlesticks judiciously inserted as a fire burns up .
Factotum Dard co -Operated .
So powerful was Factotum’ s destiny that evenwhen he was laid up '
in his arm-chair another littleOdd job fell upon him ; he became a g o-between ,
though unable tO‘Stir .
Lovers met—to nurse .him .
First would come the two ladies,or sometimes
on ly Laure,an d curious enough in less than ten
minutes Edouard was sure to arrive,very ho t ; it
happened r so -how,I have n o idea ; indeed it
would be idle to attempt to account for all thestrang e coincidences that occur . Let me rathermention here
,apolog ising for its complete ir rele
vance , that the young man had been puzzled whatto do with the twenty pieces o f gold . They ar e
sacred,
’ said he .
204 MaIT E‘
L rns’
.
enoug h to ,
T count my little’
o
’
dd Jobs; much less awoman
,
’ added he,getting . confused between the
jobs and the fingers .Well then
, you see you agree with us . . You
have every claim on our gratitude .’
Oh then,it is the jobs I did up at Beaurepaire
that gain me these visits ?’
Yes! but above all the good heart thatprompted them .
’
Dard was silent a moment then’ suddenly burstin g out in an o ff-hand reckless jaunty tone Oh Ias to that
,
’ said he,I am n ot on e o f your fellows
that are afraid o f work . A few little jobs more o rless make no diff erence to me . T oo much of on ething is good for nothin g ,
”as the saying goesand changes are lightsome .” His next observation betrayed m ore candour than tact . It was toplease Jacin tha I did them
,not out o f regard for
you though .
’
What have we to'
do with that ?’ said Lauresharply—J we benefited by them and now you
shall benefit by them . Dard ! if we were but alittle richer we would make you so comfortable .’
I wish you were the richest citizens in Fran ce,
’
said he bluntly.
Edouard walked to the gate o f the Pleasancew ith the ladies
,and talked nineteen to the doz en
,
to leave no room for them to say Adieu,and so get
rid o f him . They did n ot hate him for not givingthem that chance . He gave the ice n o time tofreez e again .
.WHITE LIES . 205
And all this time he.was making friends with
Doctor St. Aubin and as things will turn in thisworld
,or rather twist
,the _way least expected, he
g ot to like the doctor and greatly to admire him .
He was a mine o f' knowledge
,and his tastes were
almost as wide as his information . He relishedNature more perhaps than anything else : but hewas equally ready with poetry
,with history
,and
,
what charmed young Edouard , with politics o f thehighest order .He made the youn g man see how great and
rare a thing is a statesman,how common and small
a thing is a place -man . He poured examplesdrawn from m any nations and many epochs
,and
sounded trumpet notes o f great state policy,and
.the patriotism it is founded on ; and Riviere n o
sooner felt they were friends than his consciencesmote him
,and he said to himself
,I will tell
’
himall : he is a good man—a wise man—ajust man .
I’
m n o t ashamed o f my love . I will entreat him tobe o n my side .
’
My friend,I have a confession to make . ’
The doctor twinkled .
Perhaps it will n o t take you altogether by sur
prise . ’
We shall see .
’
Then Edouard told his story as people tell theirown stories . H ow he had come to this district astaunch Republican . How he had seen two youngladies walking so calm
,gentle
,and sad
,always in
black . How their beauty and grace had made
206 WHITE LIES .
them interesting, but their misfortunes had madethem sacred . How after many meetings a n ew
feature had arisen in their intercourse Madem oi
selle Laure had smiled on him,as earth
,he thought .
had never smiled before . (The doctor grinnedhere
,as many an old fellow has grinned on like
occasion,mindful of the days when he was a young
fool and did n ot know it—and n owhe is an old on e,
and doesn ’t know it .) This had gone through hisheart . Then suppressing Jacintha
,he told his friend
he had learned from a sure source the family was inbitter poverty. The doctor sighed . The ardentdesire to save them
,coupled with the difficulty, and
their inaccessibility, had almost driven him madI lost all my colour
,
’ said he half angrily .
Then he told the story o f the purse,and how
after ’ all,that attempt to save them had failed ;
and n ow monsieur,
’ he said,my heart often
aches,and I burn and freeze by turns . I watch
hours and hours for the chance o f a word o r alook . If I fail , I am miserable all that day ; if Isucceed
,I am ‘
the happiest man in France for halfan hour . Then I go back -to my little room . Itlooks like a prison after that . The sun seems tohave left the earth
,and taken hope with him . Oh
my friend,much as I love her
,there are moments
I wish I had never seen her . She I love will bemy ruin . But I shall love her all the same ; it isnot her fault . I am in a fever night and day .
My duties,once so pleasant
,are tasteless n ow.
Monsieur,pity me and advise me
208 WHITE L IES .
come . I’
am glad it is come so soon : awant’
o f
candour is unm anly,and a great fault in youth
you shall now learn how wise it is to be candid ,
Now tell me Edouard—JAh thank you, mon sieurYour parents
’
!—would they consent to a matchbetween you and a young lady o f rank but no
Monsieur,I am not so fortunate as to have
any p aren ts—unless you iwill let me look on you
as on e .
’
This,dear child —I consent—m y snuff box
good ! left it at home .
’
I have an uncle ; but you know on e -is n o t
bound to obey an uncle,
“ except perhaps
_
‘When his wishes are the echo o f our own
then we are .
’
Besides,my uncle loves me—at least I think
Oh ! impossible . You must be mistaken . Well“
,
my young lover,I am satisfied . All the battle
then,will be at Beaurepaire . Have you courageI am full o f it ; only sometimes it is the courage
o f hope,sometimes o f despair . ’
Call on me to-morrow with the courage o f
hOp e .
’
What,at the chateau ! ’ cried the youn g man
,
all in a flutter .Ay, at the impregnable castle itself, where,
preposterous as it may appear,the right o f r eceiv
ing my visitors is conceded me . W ere it n ot—Ishould take it . ’
WHITE"
H ES . 209
‘It does me good to hear am an talk so boldlyabout the chateau .
I shall present you to my friendéthe baroness .Shewill receive yo u as a glacier the Polar Star .
’
I feel ‘ she will . I shiver in advance .
’
And,deaf to me
, your’
adv ocate,in other words
to reason and good sense personified,ahem ! she
will yield to you : my vanity will be shocked, andbehold us enemies for lifeRiviere shook his head desp
’
ondingly—J Deaf toyou
, yield to me—how can this be .
Because she IS a female o f our species—a thingto be persuaded
,n o t con v m ced ; trust to me—have
faith In nature—and come at twelve o ’c .lock
St.Aubin, on reaching the chateau, found the‘
dun pony standing at the door. He hurried intothe dining room
,and there was the notary and
the young ladies, all apparently in good spirits .The notary had succeeded . He showed the doctor,as he had already showed the ladies
,a penal
contract by which Bonard bound himself not tosell the estate
,o r assign the loan to any on e . The
doctor was enchanted,Shook the
i
n o tary again andagain by the hand
,and took him up stairs to the
baroness .There is n o further necessity fo r concealment,
’
said he,
"and it would be most unjust n o t to give
her an Opportunity o f thanking you .
’ The baronesslooked rather cold and formal at sight o f thenotary
,but her manner soon changed. Although
10 WHITE LIES .
the doctor underrated the danger the chate au hadjust escaped, yet at the bare mention she turned aspale as death ; bo th her daughters and the doctorobserved this . Strange
,I had a p resentiment .
’
“’hen she found the danger was past, a deepsigh showed how the mere relation had takenaway her breath.
Heaven reward you, m o nsieur,
’
said she thelast time you were here
,-you gave me advice which
off ended m e,probably because it was wise advice .
Accept my excuses .’
They are unnecessary,madam . I could n ot
but respect your prejudices,though I suff ered by
them .
’
In future,monsieur
,count o n more candour
,
and perhaps more humility; that is Should myimpetuosity not deter you from ever wasting goodadvice on me, again.
’
On the contrary,madam
,if you could give me
an hour to—morrow,I should be glad to show you a
means by which the estate and chateau can beplaced above all risk
,n o t only from a single
creditor , but from the whole body, were they toact hostilely and in concert .’
I shall be at your disposal . ’
At this interview I request that the heiress o fBeaurepaire may be also present . ’
What necessity for that ?’ inquired the baroness
Oh ! ’ said the doctor,I understand ; the next
heir’s formal consent is required to arrangements
21 21 WHITE LIES .
" are‘you d eeply interested In marry ing Citiz en :
Riviere—with a face like a girlNo mammaWe must not ask Laure
,I think—she is rather
to o youn g fo r such topics .’
Not a bit’
too young,mamma, if you please ;
but I lack the inclination .
’
In short,somehow o r another
,you can both’
dispense with the doctor’s frien d fo r . a husband .
Let him go then . Now,if the doctor had proposed
himself,we should all three be'
p ullin g caps for hi’
m .
’
Ai
little peal o f laughte r,like as o f silver bells,
ran g out at the doctor’s expense . He never moveda muscle . Permit me to recall to you the g en eralsubstance
’
o f the reasons I have urged for admitting the vis its o f my friend Monsieur EdouardRiviere at this house . ’
‘A sort o f p r e’
cis o r recapitulation,’ remarked
the baroness drily .
Exactly .
’
Such as precedes the . final dism issal o f an ex
Or makes the intelligent hearer at last comprehend and retain it . First and above all
,this
young man is good and virtuous ; then he . loveswith delicacy—with rare delicacy ; am I right,mesdemoiselles ? Well—I await your answerCowards ! —and with ardour . He burns to do
good to you all . Now,let us soberly inquire
,is
the family in a position to scorn such a godsend ?Some fine day
,when the chateau is sold over our
WHITE LIES . 2 13
heads,shall we n o t feel too late that imprudence
is guilt in'
tho se Who have the charge of belovedon es as well as o f themselves. Look facts in theface
,madam comprehend to-day what all the
rest o f France has long comprehended, that theBourbons are snuffed out . They were little men
,
whom accident placed high, and accident could laylow. This Bonaparte
’s finger is thicker than theirloins . Well, if you can
‘
r eally doubt this, lean on
your rotten reeds ; but n o t with all your Weight ;marry on e daughter to a Royalist, but on e into therising dynasty ; then we shall be safe , come whatmay
,and this ancien t but tottering house will n ot
fall in our day, o r by any fault o f ours .’
This “may be prudence,
’ said the baroness . Ithink it is ; but it is prudence so hard
,worldly
,
-and cynical,that
,had I known it was coming, I
think I should have sent that child out o f theroom .
’ Laure cast a lo ok'
o f defiance at'
Josephin e
for'
n o t being called a child, and she was .St. Aubin winced, but kept his temper.Show me then,
’ said he, that you can rise tothings less cynical and worldly than prudence .Lo ok at the young man
’s virtue—his character .
’
W hat do we know o f his character ?’
Are we blind then,_o r can we se e virtue only
when it comes to us on‘
p ap er ? IS there nothingin our own Souls that recognises great virtues at
sight,and cries
,H ail ! brother ?”
Yes ! yes ! there is ! ’ cried Laure,her eyes
214 WHITE LIES .
‘Be s ilent,my child .
’
Needs there a long string o f scribblers to tellus what actions are good and beautiful
,and beyond
the little vulgar and the great v ulgar to do o r ad
mire ? What do you know o f his character ?You know that in a world which vaunts much anddoes nothing but egoism,
sometimes bare egoism ,
sometimes gilt egoism,but always egoism
,this
poor boy has loved you all as angels love and as
mortals don’t , and like angels :has done you goodunseen . You know nothin g ? You know he isnot rich
,yet consecrated half his income to you,
without hop e even o f“thanks . IS it his fault he
was found out ? No m y youn g ladies there weretoo cunning fo r him
,or you would nev er have
known your angel friend . Read n ow those great-Messieurs Corneille and Racine fo r a love so in
nocent,
-so delicate, so like a woman’s,so like an
angel’s .’
Search the ir immortal pages for it—andfind it not . Are you deaf to sentiment, blin d tobeauty o f person and the soul Then be shrewd
,
be prudent,and be friends with the rising young
citizen . I have measured him—he is no dwarf.He was first ‘
at the E cole Politechn igue—he won’t
be last in F rance . Are you too noble“
_to be prudent ? then ‘be no’b’le enough to hold out the handto the noble and good and ‘beaut iful fo r their own
sakes, unless, afte r twenty years’ friendship
,I am
anything to you ; 1in that case , o’
h ! welcome themfor mine .
’
The baroness hung her head, but made n o answer .
216 WHITE LIES .
I hav e had a tough battle .’
But you have won ? your reasons have p reNailed‘My reasons —straws One o f them calls them
so openly,I forget which . No my reasons fell to
the earth unheeded didn’t I tell you they would ?’
Oh ! Heaven !’
But,luckily, in reasoning I shouted . Then
that angel Josephine said Oh ! -mother, we cann o t refuse 'the doctor ; he has shouted—+he whonever shouts .” New definition o f reason—an affairo f the lungs . Now go and show them your prettyface . ’
Yes ! my friend, what shall I say ? what shall
What matters it what you say ? Wisdom won’t
help you, f o lly won’
t hurt you ; still , by'
way o f
being extremely cautious, I wouldn’t utter too much
g ood sense . Turn two beseeching eyes up on her ;add the language o f your face to the logic o f mylungs
,and win—Oom e .
’
Madam,this is Monsieur Edouard Riviere
,my
friend .
’
A stately reverence from the baroness .May my esteem and his own merit procure him
at your hands favourable treatmen t,and should
you find him t imid and flurried,and little able to
address you fluently, allow,I pray you, fer his
youth, for the modesty that accompanies merit, and
WHITE LIES . 217
for the agitation o f his heart at such a moment . Ileave you .
’ Edouard,trembling and confused
,
stamm ered,scarcely above a whisper . Madam
,I
feel I shall need all my friend’s excuses,
’ and herehis whisper died out altogether
,and his tongue
seemed to glue i tself to something,and lose the
power o f m otion .
Calm yourself monsieur I listen to you .
’
Madam,I do not deserve her —but I love her .
My position is n o t what she merits —but I loveher . ’
H ow can that be monsieur —you do not know
Ah yes madam —I know her there are soulsthat speak through the countenance I have livedon hers too long not to know her . Say rather youdo not know me—you may well hesitate to allowon e unknown to come near so great a treasure .
There I am sure is the true obstacle . Well madamas my merits are small let my request be moderategive me a trial . Let me visit you—I am not oldenough
. to be a hypocrite : if I am undeserving,such an eye as yours will soon detect me you willdismiss me
,and I shall go at a word, for I am
’
proud too,though I have so little to be proud o f . ’
‘You do not appear to see,monsieur
,that this
experiment will compromise my daughter . ’‘Not at all m adam ; I promise it shall not ; I
swear I will not presume on any opportunity yourgoodness shall give me. Consider madam
,it is
only here that I can make you acquainted with myVOL . I . L
2 18 WHITE LIES .
character you never leave the‘chateau madamlet me come to the chateau n ow and then
, oh,pray
let me come Madam the Baroness and he turnedhis beseeching eyes on her .Was ever anything so unreasonable ?’
Ah ! madam the mor e I shall bless you if youwill be so generous as not to refuse me .
’
But if it is my duty to refuse you .
’
Then I shall die madam,that is all .’
ChildishnessAnd you will be sorry .
’
You think soO yes ! for madam has a good heart—only she
cannot see,and will not believe h—h-how I l-love .
’
Child ! now if you cry I will send you away atf
once . One would say I am very cruel,but I
am not—I am only in my senses,and this child is
n ot . In the first place these things are not donein this way . The approaches are made, not by theyoung madman himself
,but by his parents : these
open the treaty with the parent or parents"
of thelady .
’
But madam,I am not so fortunate as to have a'
parent .What ! no father ?’
No madam . I cannot even remember myfather . ’
No motherMadam she died five years ago . Madem m selle
Josephine can tell you what I lost that day . Ifshe was alive she would be about your age . Ah
220 WHITE LIES .
her,and caught Josephine behind him
,but at some
distance,looking at her mother with an imploring
face,a face to melt a tigress
,and both her white
hands clasped together in mute supplication andher cheekswet .When she saw herself detected, she attempted
n o further secrecy,but came forward her hands
still clasped .
No n o—mother Then she turned to Edouard .
‘Do you not see she is going to’
refuse you byletter
,because she has not the courage to look in
your sweet face and strike you .
’ ‘Ah,traitress !
—traitress shrieked the baroness .Edouard sighed .
Josephine stood supplicating .
A new light_strikes me,
’ cried the old lady‘what a horror ! Why Josep hin e—m y
’
daughter—is it possible you are interested- to such adegree—in thisJosephine lowered her lovely head.
‘Yes mother
,
’ said she,just above a whisper .
The baroness groaned .
Edouard,~ to comfort her, began . But madam
,
it is notAh ! hold your tongue,
’ cried Josephine hastily.
The mystified on e held his tongue .
She is right monsieur,
’ said the baroness, drily‘leave her alone
,she will have more influence
with me than you . In a word monsieur, I amabout to consult my daughter in this wise andwell ordered affair. Be pleased to excuse us
WHITE LIES . 221
a few minutes . ’ Certainly madam .
’ He tookhis hat .I will send for you. Meantime g o and play
with that other child on the terrace,
’ said she spite
fully—for all her short-lived feeling in his favourwas gone nowMonsieur Edouard bowed respectfully
,and sub
m it ted demurely to his penance .
All is ended,
’ said the baroness ; the sentiments that have corrupted the nation
,have ended
by penetrating into my family—m y eldest daughterflin g s herself at a man
’s head—again it is not aman, but a boy—with the face o f an angel . ’
Josephine glided to her mother’s side
,and sank
on her knees .Have some little confidence in your Josephine !
Am I so very foolish ? Am I so very wicked ?’
And she laid her cheek against her mother’s .The old lady kissed her .
Thou shalt have him—thou shalt have him mywell beloved have no fear thy mother loves theetoo well to vex thee .
’ But at this the old lady beganto sob and to cry They are taking away mychildren they are taking away my children ! ’
And to the doctor who came in full o f curiosityshe cried out Ah ! you have come ! enjoy thenyour triumph
,for you have won All the better,
’
cried the doctor gaily .
Nevertheless it was a Sorry triumph to come to apoor oldwoman from whom theyhad taken all excepther daughters
,and to rob her o f them too—ah
222 -WHITE LIES .
The doctor hung his head then he steppedquickly up to her with great concern
,and took
her hand .
My dear dear friend,
’ he cried,
‘the laws o f
Nature are inevitable Sooner o r later theyoung birds must leave the parent’snest . ’
Nature is very cruel—oh ! ohShe seems so
,because she is unchangeable .
There is another law to which you and I mustboth yield ere long .
’
Yes my friend .
’
Shall we go,and leave these tender ones to
choose mates and protectors for themselves,out o f
a world o f wolves in sheep’s clothing ? Shall werefuse them while we live the light o f our age andwisdom in this the act that is to colour their wholelivesYou have always reason on your side . W ell !
send f or the young man . He is good he willforgive me if in spite o f myself I should be sometimes rude to him he will understand that to mydaughter he is a lover
,but to me a burglar—a
highway robber—poor child ! He is very handsome all the same . Next
,he has n o mother—if I
was not so wicked I should try and supply her place-you see I am reasonable . Tell me n ow how longit will be before you come to me for L aure Oh !do n ot be afraid I will let her go to o . I will notgive all this trouble a second time—the firststruggle it is that tears us . Yet I knew it mustcome some day. But I did n ot expect it so soon .
YVH I T E LIES .
‘Now God forbid ! ’ cr Ied the baroness liftingher eyes and her quivering hands to heaven .
Now the notary held the Republican creed inall its branches . Providence
,madam
,does n o t
interfere—in matters o f business,
’ said he .
‘N0thing but money can save the estate . Let us thenlook at things solid . Has any means occurred to
you o f raising m on ey'
to‘pay o ff these in cum
bran ces‘No . What means can there be ? The estateis mortgaged to its full value so they all say .
’
And they say true put in the notary quickly .
There is n o hope .’
Do n ot distress yourself madam I am here !Ah
,my good friend
,may Heaven reward you.
’
‘Madam,up to the present time I have n o
complaint to make o f this same Heaven . By theby, permit me to show you that I am on therise here
,mademoiselle
,is a g im -crack they have
given me and he unbuttoned his overcoat,and
showed them a piece o f tricoloured riband and aclasp .
‘As for me,I look to the solid
,I care
little for these things,
’ said he swelling,
‘butthe world is daz zled by them . However I canshow you something better . ’ He took out a lette r.This is from the Minister o f the Interior to aclient o f m ine a promise I shall be the nextprefect, and the present prefect—I am happy tosay—is on his death-bed . Thus madam yourhumble servant in a few short months will benotary no longer
,but prefect ; I shall then sell
WHITE LIES . 225
my office o f notary—it is worth '
on e hundredthousand francs—and I flatter myself when I ama prefect you will n o t blush to own me .
’
Then as n ow monsieur,
’ said the baronesspolitely, we shall recognise your merit . ButI understand madam : like me you look to
what is solid . Thus then it is I have money.
’
Ah ! all the better for you .
"
‘I have a good deal of money . But it is dis
p ersed in a great many . small but profitable investments . T o call it in suddenly would entail somelossf
I do n ot doubt it . ’‘Never m ind madam
,if you and my young
lady there have ever so little o f that friendlyfeeling towards me
,o f which I have so much
towards you,all my investments Shall be called
in . Six months will do it ; two thirds o f yourcreditors shall be paid o ff at once . A singleparty on whom I can depend
,one o f my clients
who dares not quarrel with me,will advance the
remaining third ; and so the estate will be safe .
In another Six months even that diminished debtshall be liquidated , and Beaurepaire chateau, park,e state
,an d grounds
,down to the o ld oak tree
,
shall be as free as air and n o power shall alienatethem from you mademoiselle, an d from the heirso f your body .
’ The baroness clasp ed‘her hands
in’
ecstacy.
But what are we to do for this mons ieurinquired Josephine calmly,
‘for it seems to m e
L 3
226 WHITE LIES .
that it can only be eff ected by great sacrifice on
your part . ’
I thank. you mademoiselle for'
your penetrationin seein g that I must make sacrifices . I wouldnever have told . you, but you have seen.
it—and Ido n ot regret that you have seen it . Madamm ademoiselle—those sacrifices appear little to m e
-will seem n othing—will n ever be mention ed,or even alluded to after this day, if you,
on yourpart
,will lay me under a far heavier obligation
if in short —here the contemner o f things un substan tial reopened his coat, and brought his ribandto light again if you, madam,
WILL ACCEPT MEFOR YOUR S ON-IN-L AW—IF YOU
,MADEMOISEL LE
W ILL TAKE ME FOR YOUR HUSBAND
The baroness and her daughter looked at on eanother in silence .
Is it a jest ?’ inquired the form er o f the latter.Can you think so , mother ? Answer Monsieur
Perrin . He has just done us a kind Office,mother . ’
I shall remember it . Monsieur,permit me to
regret that having lately won our gratitude andesteem
, you have taken this way o f modifyingthose feelings . But after all
,
’ She added with
g entle courtesy, we may W ell put your gooddeeds against this—this error In judgment . Thebalance is in your favour still
,provided you
n ever return to this topic . Come,is it agreed ? ’
The baroness’s manner was full o f tact,and the
latter sentences were said with an open kindliness
228 WHITE LIES .
T o the devil with phrases . You turn me out !
A man my little ladies whom none ever yet insulted without r ep en tm g it , and repenting in v aIn .
You are under Obligations to me , and you think toturn me out ! You are at my mercy, and youthink I will let you turn me to your door ! Sayagain to me
,either with o r Without phrases
,
S or tez and by all the devils in less than amonth I will stand here
,here
,here
,and say to you
S or tez
Ah —m on Dieu m on D ieu
I will say Beaurepaire ismine Begone from it ! ’
When he uttered these terrible words,each o f
which was a blow with a bludgeon to the bar oness,
the old lady,whose courage was n o t equal to her
spirit,shrank over the side o f her arm chair and
cried piteously He threatens me ! he threatensme ! I am frightened ! ’ and put up her tremblinghands
,so suggestive was the notary’s eloquence o f
physical violence . Then his brutality received anunexpected check . Imagine that a sparrow hawkhad seized a trembling pigeon , and that a royalfalcon swooped
,and with on e lightning-like stroke’
o f body and wing,buff eted him away
,and there he
was on his back,gaping and glaring and grasping
at nothing with his claws . So swift and irresistible,
but far more terrible and majestic,Josephine de
Beaurepaire came from her chair with on e gestureo f her body between her mother and the notary,who was advancing on her with arms folded in abrutal menacing way—no t the Josephine we have
WHITE LIES . 229
seen her , the calm languid beauty, but the Dem oiselle de Beaurepaire—her great heart on fire
her blo od up—not her own only,but all the blood
o f all the De Beaurep air es—pale as ashes withg reat wrath , her purple eyes flaring
,and her
whole p anther-like body ready either to spring orstrike . Slave you dare to insult her, and beforeme ! Ar r z
’
ére,m ise
'rable ! o r I so il my hand with
your face And her hand was up with the word,
up , up , higher it seemed than ever a hand waslifted before . And if he had hesitated o n e moment
,I believe it would have come down : and if
it had he would have gone to her feet before itn ot under its weight—the lightning is n o t heavy
-but under the soul that would have struck withit : but there was no need : the towering threatand the flaming eye and the swift rush buff eted thecaitiff away : he recoiled three steps and nearly felldown . She followed him as he went
,strong in
that moment as Hercules, beautiful and terrible asMichae l driving Satan . He dared n o t
,o r rather
he could not stand before her : he writhed andcowered and recoiled all down the room,
while shemarched upon him . Then the driven serpenthissed as it wriggled away .
‘For all this she to o shall be turned out ofBeaurepaire
,not like me
,but for ever . I swear it
,
p arole de Perrin .
’
She shall never be turned out . I swear it,foi
de De Beaurepaire . ’
You too daughter o f Sa
230 WHITE LIES .
Taxis toi,ci sor s c
‘z l
’
z'
nstan t m é’
m e—LAOHEThe old lady moaning and trembling and all but
faintin g in her chair : the young noble,like a
destroying angel,hand in air
,an d great eye scorch
ing and withering ; and the caitiff wriggling out
at the door,wincing with body and head
,his knees
knocking,his heart panting yet raging
,his teeth
gnashing,his cheek livid
,his eye g leaming with
that hell,a buff eted coward’s hate .
232 WH ITE LIES .
without telling me what you have been saying tomy mother about me behind my back .
’
I never mentioned you mademoiselleOh —Oh
,all the bette r
Then this child told that child all he had said tothe baroness
,and her replies ; and this child
blushed in telling it and looked timidly everyn ow and then to see how that capricious child
took it : and that capricious child wore a loftycontemplative air
,as much as to say, I am listen
ing out o f p oliteiIess to a dry abstract o f certainmatters purely sp eculative wherein I have nopersonal in ter fest Certain blushes that came andwent gave the requisite incongruity to the p erfo rm an ce
,and might have made an aged bystander
laugh . When he came to tell Josephine’s inter
ference,and how her mother thought it was she he
loved ; and how Josephine , to his great surprise,had favoured the delusion ; and how,
on this,the
tide had turned directly in his favour,our young
actress being o f an impetuous nature and o ff herguard a moment, burst out,
‘Ah,I recognise you
there my good Josephine ! ’ but She had no soonersaid this than she lowered her eyes and her cheekburned . Riviere was mystified .
But mademoiselle,
’ said he,
‘do pray exp laIn to
me—can I be mistaken after all—is sheIs she what ?’
I mean does SheDoes she what ?
’
You know what I mean .
’
WHITE LIES . 233
‘No I :do n ot : how should I ? The vanity o f
these children ! Now if she did would she haveconfessed before you that she did ?
’
Well I am astonished at you MademoiselleLaure ; Jacin tha then is right ; *
ou acknowledgethat everything your sex says is a falsehood—a oh
fie
N0 ! not every thing,
’ replied Laure withnamete
'unparalleled , only certain thin gs ! don
’ttease me
,
’ cried she with sudden small violence ;o f this be sure , that Josephine was a good friendto you ,
n ot because she loves children, but becauseshe is n ot On e o f us at all
,but an angel and loves
every body—even monsieur . ’Now hear what I think
,
’ said Edouard gravely.
The baroness fancies you a child—you areWomanenough to puzzle me
,m adem m selle .
’
That may easily be . ’
And Mademoiselle Josephine thought I shouldn o t be allowed to come into the house at all, if, atthat critical moment
,another prejudice came in
the way .
’
What prejudice ? ’
That you are to young to love .
’
That is no prejudice—it is a fact . I am ,
monsieur— I am m uch too young .
’
NO ! I Was confused . I mean to o‘young to belov edf‘Oh ! I am n o t too young for that—n ot a bit
too young .
’
And so the angel Josephine temporized , out o f
234 WHITE LIES .
pity to me that is my solution,and—ah ! Heaven
bless her‘Forgive me if I say your solution is a very
absurd on e .
’
It is the true on e .
’
Are you surePositive .
’
Then it is no use my contradicting you.
’
Not the least . ’
Then I shall not contradict you .
’
Ah well ! perhaps my turn will come,
’ said theyoung man
,his lips trembling. W on’t I cut
myself in pieces for her at a word,that is all .’
I like you better when you talk so .
’
Mademoiselle LaureMonsieur Edouard‘If you will come to where the great oak tree
standsT o the Pleasance you mean ?
’
Oh ! the Pleasance is it ? What lovely namesevery thing has here ! Well
,if you will come
into the Pleasance I will make you a drawing ofthat dear old tree I love so .
’
And what right have you to love it —it is notyours you are always loving something you haveno business to .
’
I love things that on e can’t help loving—is thata crime ?’
He can’t help loving a tree,tender nature
No,I can’t help loving a tree out o f which you
introduced yourself to me .
’
236 WHITE LIES .
‘Heaven forbid mademoiselle ! only I did notsee at first that it was a serious promise you aredoing me the honour to make me . I g o .
’
He went and placed himself on the west Side o fthe oak and took out his sketch-book, and workedz ealously and rapidly . He had done the outlinesOf the tree and was finishing in detail a part o fthe huge trunk
,when his eyes were suddenly
daz z led : in the middle o f the rugged bark, deformed here and there with great wart-like bosses
,
and wrin kled,Seamed
,and ploughed all over with
ag e , burst a bit o f variegated colour : bright as a
p oppy on a dungeon wall, it glowed and glitteredout through a large hole in the brown bark it wasLaure ’s face peeping . T o our young lover’s eyehow divine it shone ! None o f the half tints o f
common flesh were there, but a thing all rose, lily,
sapphire,and soul . His pencil drooped , his mouth
opened, he was downright dazzled by the glowing,bewitching face
,sparkling with fun in the gaunt
tree . Tell me,ladies
,did she know the value o f
that sombre frame to her brightness ? Oh ! noshe was only a child ! The moment she foundherself detected
,the gaunt old tree rang musical
with a crystal laugh,and out came the arch-dryad .
I have been there all the time . How solemn
you looked —ha ! ha ! Now for the result of such
p ro found study .
’ He showed her his work ; shealtered her tone .
Oh ! how clever,"
she cried,
‘and how rapid !W hat a facility you have ! Monsieur is an artist,
’
WHITE LIES . 237
said she gravely ; I will be m ore respectful ,’ and
she dropped him a low curtsey. Mind youpromised it me
,
’
she added Sharply .
You will accept it,then ?’
‘That I will,n ow it is worth having : I n ever
reckoned on that—hence my n onchalance. Finishit directly
,
’ cried this peremptory young person .
First I must trouble you to stand out there nearthe tree .
’
W hat for ?’
Because I want a contrast . The tree is apicture o f Age and gradual decay ; by its side thenI must place a personification of Youth and growing loveliness . ’
She did not answer,but made a sort o f pi
rouette,and went where she was bid
,and
stood there With her back’
to the artist . ‘Butthat will n ot do
,mademoiselle ; you must turn
round .
’
‘Oh ! very well . ’ And when she came roundhe saw her colour was high . Flattery is sweet .This child o f nature was pleased
,and ashamed it
should be seen that she was pleased—and so hedrew her ; and kept lookin g o ff the paper at her
,
and had a right in his character o f artist to lookher full in the face : and he did so with lon glingering glances beginning severe an d businesslike
,and ending tender
,that she poor girl hardly
knew which’
way to look n ot to be scorched up byhis eye like a tender flower
,or blandly absorbed
like the pearly dew . Ah ! happy hour ! ah !
238 WHITE LIES .
happy days o f youth,and innocence
,and first
love !
Here is my sister. Something is the matterJosephine came towards them
,pale and panting .
Oh ! my children,’ she cried
,and could n ot
speak a moment for agitation . They came roundher in an xiety .
A great misfortune has fallen on us,and I am
the cause .
’
Oh ! Heaven ! ’
W e have an enemy now,a deadly enemy.
Perrin the notary Laure—Monsieur—he insultedus -he insulted my mother—I could not bear thatI insulted fiz
’
m .
’
You,Josephine ? ’
‘Yes you may well wonder . H ow little weknow ourselves ! but our mother was trembling in ;
her chair,her noble
,her beloved face all pale—all
pale—and she put up -her hands before her sacredhead
,fo r the ruflian _was threatening her with his
loud voice and brutal gesture .’
S acr—r—r e’ canaz’lle —and I n o t there ! ’Then in a mom ent; I know n o t how
,I ~was
upon him , and I cried, Back, wretchWell done .’
With my hand over,
his head . Oh ! if he hadfaced me a moment
,I should struck him with all
my soul, and in the face . I Should have killedhim . I was stronger than lions
,and as fierce .
”
Iwas n ot myself. I knew n o fear I who n ow am
240 W HITE LIES .
perhaps you m ight’
do something . Will you dosomething f or me
Did you do nothing for me to-day that you putsuch a question ? ’
We will .n ot speak of that,my friend .
’
No,
’ cried the boy,trembling
'
with emotion ,we will n ot talk o f it ; these are nOt things to talk
o f but we will And fo r lack o f words he
seiz ed upon both her hands and kissed themviolently, and then seized her gown an d kissedthat .You know Bonard the farme r—he lives about a
league from this,
’ asked Josephine .Yes ! yes ! ’
Run thither across the meadows,and find out
whether Perrin has been to him ‘
sin ce leaving thechateau . He has only a few minutes’ start ; youwill perhaps arrive before he leaves . ’
Before he leaves ! I shall’
be there before him .
Do you think a dun cow can carry a scoundreltowards villainy as fast as I can g o to please anangel ? ’
You will comeback to Beaurepaire and tell me ?’
Yes ! yes !’ and he was gone .
The Sisters followed slowly to the gate andwatched the impetuous boy run across the park .
He does not take the path .
’
Oh .
l’ said Laure,
‘what are paths to him . H e
has n o prejudiceIn favour o f beaten tracks . He Isgoing the shortest way to Bonard
,that we may be
sure o f .’
.WHITE LIES . 241
‘How gallantly he runs,Laure ; how high he
holds his head ; how easily he moves and yet howhe clears the ground—already at the edge of thepark .
’
Yes,but Josephine
,the strong bramble hedge
ther e is n o gap there—no stile . What will he do 9
Ah ! ’
Edouard had solved the riddle of the hedge bya familiar manoeuvre unknown to those ladies un tilthat moment
,he increased his pace and took a
flying leap right at the hedge,but
,turning in the
air,came at it with his back instead of his face ,
and,by his weight and impetus
,burst through
Briareus in a mom ent,and was next seen a
furlong beyond it . The girls looked at o n e
another . Josephine smiled sadly . Laure lookedup hopefully .
‘All our lives we have thought that hedge abarrier no mortal could pass—he didn ’t makemuch o f it. Have courage then , sister .
’
Laure,go in and comfort our mother .
’
Yes,my sister alone ? Where are you going ?
’
To the oratory .
’
Ah you are right .’
Oh ! Laure , the blessing and the comfort o f
believing the God o f the Fatherless is strongerthan wicked men . Dark days are coming myS ister . ’
Laure tried to comfort her mother ; the con
soling topic she chose was young Riviere . She
VOL . I . M
242 WHITE LIES .
described his zeal,his determination to baffle the
enemy,how
,she did not know,
but she was surehe would somehow and
,to crown all
,his jumping
through the hedge .The baroness listened like a wounded porcupine
round whom a fly buzzes . The notary was herwound ; the statesman her worrying fly . Whenher patience was exhausted
,she lashed out against
him . Now,capricious imps
,whom their very
nature seems to impel to tease and flout,and even
quarrel with a lover to his face , are balanced byanother strong impulse—v iz .
,to defend him be
hind his back, ay with more spirit than those do
who have more loving natures. Perhaps they feelthey owe him this reparation . Perhaps to abusehim is to
'
infringe their monopoly,and they can ’t
stand that .Laure defended Edouard so warmly
,that
,be
tween her mother’s sagacity and her own vexationat his being sneered at by anybody but her
,_and
also at her being called once o r twice in the courseo f the argument by the hateful epithet a child,
’ ittranspired she Was the young lady Edouard cameto Beaurepaire for . The baroness was so shockedat this that Laure repented bitterly her unguardedtongue . Oh mamma ! don
’t look so—pray,don’t
look so ! Mamma dear,be angry again
,do pray
be very angry : but don’t look so at your Laur e .
I could n o t help growing up . I could not helpbeing like you
‘
m am m a. So then they call thatbeing pretty
,and come teasing me . But I am not
244 WHITE LIES .
a little longer . W ho knows how long we Shallbe togetherThere was a heavy silence .Laure Whispered to Jo sephin e m
‘Tell our mothershe can dismiss him whenever she pleases it is allon e to me . ’
No ! no said Josephine,that is not what she
is thinking o f . She is right : I have ruined youall .’ Monsieur Riviere
,
’ cried JacIn tha and amoment after the young man shone in the door-wayIs this an hour began the baroness .‘He comes by my request
,
’ whispered Josephinehastily .
That Is a diff erent thing .
’
Edouard came down the saloon with a brisk stepand a general animation
,and joined the languid
group like a sunbeam struggling into thick fog.
He bowed all round .
Mademoiselle, he has been there . As I jumpedover the last stile
,that dun pony trotted into the
yard ; I say, how he must have spurred him .
’
Josephine,who had risen all excited to hear his
report,sat down again with a desponding mien .
I waited in ambush to see what became o f him.
He was with the farmer a good hour—then hewent home . I followed him but I did nothingyou understand—because I had not precise ordersfrom you but I W ent hence, and g o t my dog whipF—here it is whenever you give the word
, o r holdup your little finger to that effect
,it shall be ap
p lied , and with a will crack and the ex-school
WHITE LIES . 245
boy sm acked his whip, meaning to make a littlecrack
,but it went O ff like a pistol shot .
Ah cried the baroness, and nearly jumped out
o f her seat . Edouard was abashed. The youngsavage said Laure
,and smiled approvingly.
I t is no question o f dog whips,’ objected St.
Aubin with dignity .
And the man is enough our enemy without ourgiving him any real cause to hate us
,
’ remonstratedJosephine .We shall n o t be here long,
’ muttered thebaroness gloomily.
Forgive me if I v enture to contradict youmadam .
’
We are ruined—and no power can save uS .
’
Yes madam,there is on e who can .
’
‘W ho can save me n ow ?’
asked the baronesswith deep despondency.
I if you will perm it me .
’
This frantic announcement took them so byprise that they had n o t even the presence o f mindto exclaim ag ainst its absurdity, but sat looking at .
o n e another.The state sman to ok advantage of their p etrifac
tion,and began to do a little bit of pomposity .
Madam the Baroness, and you monsieur, who'
have honour ed me with your esteem , and youMademoise lle de Beaurepaire whom I adore, and
you Mademoise lle Laure whom I—whom I hopeto be permitted—whom I— listen all . You havethis day done m e the honour to admit me to an
246 WHITE LIES .
intimacy I have long sought in vain let me thenthis day try to make you some sm all return , and tojustify in some deg ree Mon sieur St . Aubin m y kindadvocate . Madam
,it is your entire ignorance o f
business, and unfortunate neglect of your property,that make you fancy yourself ruined .
’
The baroness sm iled bitterly . Then her headdroop ed .
Let us come to facts . You are living n ow
upon about on e thousand two hundred francs ayear : the balance o f your rents after the inte restof your loans is paid .
’
Oh — and they were astounded and terrified athis kn owledge of their secret
,and blushed in silence
for their poverty .
Your real balance,after paying your creditors
is— that is,ought to be—fiv e thousand two hun
dred francs . Your farms are let a good forty percent . below their value : your tenants are o f two
classes— those who never had any leases,and those
Whose leases have lon g been run out. The tenantsare therefore in your power
,and Whenever you
can pluck up resolution to have your real income,
say the word and I will get it you .
’
Monsieur,you are right
,I understand little o f
business ; but this I know,that the farms are let
too high,not to o low . They all say so .
’
Who says so madamThey who should know best—the tenants them
selves . Two o f their wives came here last weekand complained o f the hard times . ’
248 .WHITE LIES .
natur e,all
’
being alike uncultivated in that barbarous time ; it is a rich clay watered by half adozen brooks . Ah ! if you could farm it yourselfas my uncle does his
,you might be wealthy in
spite of its encumbrances . ’
Farm it ourselves Is he mad ?’
No,madam it is not I who am mad . Why if
you‘go to that it requires no skill to deal with
m eadow land , especially such lan d as yours , inwhich the grass springs of itself. “Pundit hum o
f acilem victum justissz’
m a tellus,
” doctor . There,I
will back Jacin tha to farm it for you,without
Spoiling the dinner . She has more intelligencethan meadow land asks . In that case your incomewould be twelve thousand francs a-year . The
very idea makes you ill . Well I withdraw itan d there go seven thousand francs per annum ; butthe three thousand francs I must and will force uponyou for the young ladies’ sake ; and justice
’s andcommon sen se
’
S—do you consent ? Monsieur, thebaroness is ill—she does not answer me ! her lipsare colourless ! Oh what have I done ? I havekilled her by my br usquerie.
’
‘It is nothing my child,
’ said the baronessfaintly : too much trouble—too much grief —an dShe was sinking back in her chair
,but Laure’s
arm was already supporting her, and Josephineholding salts to her . ’ ‘It is fatigue
,
’ said thedoctor . The baroness should have retired to restear lier
,after so tryin g a day .
’
‘He is right my children . At my age ladies
WHITE LIES . 49
cannot defy their medical adviser with impunity .
Your arm my youngest,
’ and she retired slowly,
leaning upon Laure . This little shade of preference was a comfort to Laure after the shortliveddiff erences o f the day
,and Josephine
,it would
seem,did n o t think it quite accidental
,for she
resisted her desire to come on her mother’s otherside
,and only went slowly before them with the
light .On the young ladies return they were beset with
anxious inquiries by Edouard . St . Aubin interrup ted them .
They will n o t tell you the truth,
’ said he,perhaps they do not even know it . It is partlyfatigue
,partly worry but these would not kill her
so fast as they are doing—if—if—her food wasmore generous—more—more nutritious and thedoctor groaned . Oh ! doctor,
’ cried Laure,we
give her the best we have .
’
I know you do,little angel
,but you give her
delicacies— she wants meat ; you give her spicedand perfumed slops—she wants the essence o f
soup ; and what are grapes, and apples, and pears,and peaches —water : what are jellies —stickywater
,wate r and glue
,but not fibre : what are
salads -water : what are nearly all vegetables ?ninety-six parts in the hundred water ; this hasbeen lately proved by analysis in Paris, by a friendo f mine . Nature i s very cunning, she disguiseswater with a hundred delicious flavours and thenwe call it food . Farina and flesh are food : the
M 3
250 WHITE LIES .
rest are water,air
,nothing . The baroness is at
an age when people ought to eat little at a time ,but often , and only sovereign food .
’ ‘She shallhave it from this day
,
’ cried Edouard .
‘Let usconspire .
’
Oh,yes
,
’ cried Laure,
‘let us conspire ! ’
Let us be kinder to her than she will ever be toherself. You saw how prompt she was to opposemy plans for baflflin g her enemies ? Let us act
without her knowledge .
’
But howLet me see . First let us think o f her health .
’
Ah ! thank you Edouard,
’ cried Josephinewarmly .
‘Well then we must begin thus . One o f you
young ladies must ask to be allowed to m anage thehousehold matters You can say you wish to
prepare yourself for the day when you shall yourself be mistress o f an establishment . Perhaps
,
Mademoiselle Laure, you would make the pro
posalMe ! I shall n ever be mistress o f an establish
ment,
’ said Laure,dolefully and pettishly . She
added,in quite a different key
,I do not mean to
I would not for the world .
’
What a violent disclaimer,
’ said Josephine‘it will be best fo r me to make the proposal. Iwill be apparent mistress o f the house
,but as Laure
rules me in all things, she will be the real mistress .
Will you meet my friend ’s views ?’
Provided she can be got to obey me,
’ was
252 WHITE LIE S .
and “ with his pencil he rap Idly inserted a malefigure walking with the ladies , and its body p ayingthem a world o f obsequious attention . Jacin tharetired with a grin . The map was warmly ad
mired.
Oh,I used always to get a prize for them at
the Polyte chnic . ’ And so beautifully colouredbut what are all these names said Josephinethe Virgin’s Coppice ? I never heard of that .Oh ! oh !
’ exclaimed Edouard,
‘she never heardof the Virgin’s Coppice—what is it ? why it is asort o f marsh : I shot a brace o f snipes in it theother day .
‘But you have n o t painted any trees on it toShow it is a coppice .
’
Trees ? there is not a tree in it and has n o t beenthis two o r three hundred years .
’
Then why do we call it a coppice stillI don ’t know : all I know is
,there are snipes
I n lt— D O small v irtue .
’
Laure . The Deer Park -I never heard - o f
that . ’
Edouard (lifting up his hands) They don’tknow their ow
’
n fields the Deer Park is a ploughedfield n o t far from Dard’s house
,which you may
behold. Now give me your attention .
’ The youngman then showed them the homesteads o f the
several tenants,and pointed out the fields that
belonged to each farm,and the very character o f
the soil o f each field . They gazed at him in halfstup ifled wonder, and at the mass and p recision o f
WHITE LIES . 253
his knowledge on a subject where they were notonly profoundly ignorant, but had not even deemedknowledge accessible to ladies and gentlemen .
He concluded by assuring them,that he had care
fully surveyed and valued every field on the estate,
and that the farms were let full forty per cent .below their value . Now mesdemoiselles
,your
mother has a claim upon the estate for her jointure,
but you are the true proprietors .’
Are weOh gracious Heavens
,they did not even know
who their estate belonged to . Well,give me an
authority,o n this paper, to act as your agent, o r
we Shall never get our forty per cent . Neitheryou nor your mother are any match for these sheepfaced rustics —leeches who have been Sucking yourblood this fifty years— crying hyenas that havebeen moaning and W hining because they could notgnaw your bones as well . ’
My friend ,’ said Josephine
,
‘I would do thiswith pleasure
,but mamma would be so hurt, it is
impossible . ’
Mademoiselle—Josephine—you saw how yourmother received m y proposals for her good andyours . Consider, I am strong enough to defeatyour enemies—provided I have none but enemiesto battle but if I am to fight the baroness and herprejudices as well as Perrin and the tenants thenfailure is certain
,and I wash my hands of it .
‘But consider,impetuous boy, we cannot defy
our mother, whom we love so .
’
254 WHITE LIES .
Defy her ? n o ! But you need n o t go and tellher everything you do .
’
Certainly n o t . You know,doctor, we kept
from her Bon ard’
s threat till the danger seemedpassed .
’
And we did well,
’ cried Laure ; think if shehad known what was hanging over her all thattimeWhat do you say, doctor ?
’ asked Josephine .I don ’t know
,my dear . It is a hard alternative .
As a general rule I don’t like deception .
’
I do n ot propose deception ,’
said the young manblushing ; only a wise reticence and without thisreticence
,this reserve
,even my plan fo r improving
her diet must fail . ’
In that case I take the sin o f reticence on me .
I claim the post o f honour .
l’ cried Laure with greatagitation and glistening eyes .I consent . exclaimed Josephine ; this child so
young,so pure
,cannot be wrong .
‘All I knowis
,
’ said the doctor,that the more roast meat she
has, and the less worry, the longer my poor friend
will live .’
Give me the paper Edouard,we will both au
thor iz e you—and thank you for letting us . ’
Yes ! yes and we will do whateve r he advisesus that is
,you shall—I ’ll see about it. ’
A nd Oh ! doctor,
’
said Josephine,what a
comfort it is to have some o n e about us who hasenergy and decision
,and
,above all
,takes the
command
256 WHITE LIES .
‘Jacim‘ka,do whatever Monszeur Riviere bids
you !9JOSEPHINE DE BEAUREPAIRE .
Well,to be sure . I say you have n ot lost much
time . At least tell me what you want fortybunches of grapes for ? ’ Before he could answercame a clatter, and a figure hopped in with acrutch .
Why Dard a sight o f you is good fo r sore eyes .Who would have thought you could have g o t so
far as this ? ’
I am g om g farther than this .‘I am going down
to the town to sell your grapes,and such like belly ’
vengeance,and bring back grub—aha
Oh,that is the game
,is it my lads ?’
That,and n o other
,
’ replied Dard .
If the baroness comes to hear o f it won’t youcatch it
,that is all
‘But she neve r will hear o f it unless you tell
Oh ! I shan’t tell her . I durstn ’
t . She wouldfaint away . Here is a down—come . Selling our
fruit . Ah ! well a day . What is Beaurepairecoming to ?
’
‘Will you go and cut them ?’ cried Rivierestamping with impatience . Well
,I am going
,
sn apped Jacin tha.
Dard had got a little cart outside,and his grand
mother’s jackass. Citizen,if you will bring the
hampers out o f my cart into the garden, I will help
WHITE LIES . 257
her cut the fruit : it is all I am fit for at the present . I am no longer a man . Behold me a robinredbreast
,hop-ping a-bout
‘We may as well be killed for a sheep as,
alamb
,
’ said Jacintha dolefully .
‘I have pulled afew dozen peaches . It is a highway robbery .
They would have rotted on the tree . Oh Dard !you won’t ever let the folks kn ow where they comefromNo
,no he has got his lessons from me .
’
What would they say if they knew ? Why, thatwe are at our last gasp S elling our very fruit o ffour walls ! ’ and the corner of her apron was liftedto her eye . You great baby
,
’ cried Edouard ;‘don’t you see this is the beginning o f commonsense
,and proper economy
,and Will end in riches
Dard shrugged his shoulders Reason is too
g ood a thing to waste let her snivel‘Now Dard
,
’ said_Jacintha cheerfully, what I
want m ost is som e lard , some butter, some meal , apiece o f veal
,a small joint o f mutton , and a bit o f
beef for soup but a little chocolate would’
n o t beamiss
,our potatoes are very short
,and you can
bring up some white beans,if you see any good
ones . ’ ‘Nothing more ?’ inquired Dard .
Yes . Was I mad ? Coffee is wanted mostdismally .
’
Buy it if you dare cried Riviere . NO,Dard ,
that is my affair,and mine alone .
’ Presently therewas a fre sh an xiety . Dard would be recog nised ,and
,by him
,the folk would know out of what
258 WHITE LIES .
garden came his merchandise . All is providedfo r
,
’ said Edouard . Dard em bellish thyself.’
Dard drew out o f his pocket a beard and put it
Is he Dard n ow ?’
My faith n o
Is he even human ? ’
No t to o much so,ha ! ha I—well Beaurepaire
aliv e since you come into it my gaillardNow you know,
’ said Dard,
‘if I am to do thislittle job to—day
,I m ust start . ’
Who keeps youThus these two loved.
Edouard had no sooner embellished,primed
,and
started Dard by fencing with a pointed stick at hisjackass
,which like a ship was a goo d traveller but
a coy starter,than he went round to all the tenants
with St . Aubin . He showed them his authority,
and off ered them leases at forty per cent . advanceon the present rent . They refused to a man .
Most o f them had been about to propose a reduction
,but had forborne out o f good feeling towards
the baroness . And that same feeling would perhapsgive them the courage to go o n under the burdena year o r two longer
,but as for advancing the
rent a sou—never ! 1Others could not be got to take a grave view o f
so merry a proposal . They were all good humourwith satire underneath at the jolly audacity o f p ro
posing to raise the Beaurepaire rents with on e
and all Riviere was short and clear . There “ is
im
260 WHITE LIES .
been able to see this prodigious diff erence between “
the sexes .
‘And can all these honest male facesbe deceiving us ?’ asked he .
‘Honest'What ? because they are round‘Well, I too , used to picture to myself a sharperW ith a sharp face—eyes close together—foxybut I soon ‘found your true Tartuffe is the roundvisaged o r square-faced fellow . He seems a lumpo f candour : he is a razor keen and remorseless .There are n o better actors “ in the Tlte’dtre F rangais
than these frank peasants . You will see . Goodbye ; I must run to the town for drafts of leases,Mocha coff ee
,and Writs o f ejectm ent .
There were in the,little town in question two
notaries,Perrin and Picard
,on good terms with
each other outwardly .
Though young and impetuous,and subject to
gusts o f vanity,Edouard was not so shallow as to
despise an chemy o f Whom he knew nothing, butthat he was a lawyer . No . He said to himselfWe have a notary against us . I must play a
notary .
’ He went to Picard,and began by r e
questing - him to draw up seven agreements forleases
,and to have ready three o r four writs o f
ejectment . Having thus propitiated the notaryby doing actual business with him he begancautiously to hint at the other notary s enmity toBeaurepaire .
‘You surprise me,
’ said Picard,
‘Ireally think you must be mistaken . MonsieurPerrin owes all to that family. It was the baronwho launched him . How often have I seen him ,
WHITE LIES . 2 61
when a boy, hold the baron’s horse
,and be r e
warded by a silver coin. Oh I no , Monsieur Perrinis a man that bears a fair character : I cannotbelieve this o f him .
’
This defence of his competitor looked so like anasp in a basket o f figs
,that Edouard hesitated no
longer,but gave him the general features of the
case,and went by rapid gradations into a towering
passion . Picard . p r o p o sed to him to be cool . ‘Icannot
,
’ said he,enter into your feud with Perrin
for the best o f all reasons I do business with him .
’
Edouard looked blank .
‘He is also a respectableman .
’ Edouard looked blanker .But
,on the other hand
,
'ou are n ow my client
,
monsieur,and he is not my client. You under
standPerfectly . You are an honest man
,
’ criedEdouard not stopping to pick his epithets
,and
seized the notary’s hand,and shook it it let itself
be shaken,and was in that and other respects like
cold jelly . Its owner invited him to tell the wholestory . Never have any reserves with your notary
,
’ said he severely ; that is the grand folly ofclients : and then they come and blame us if wemake a mistake : they forgot that it is they whomislead us . ’
On this theme he rose to tepid . He dwelt onthis abominable practice o f clients till E douardfound out that lawyers are the worst-used peopleliving .
But who is not that ?
WHITE LIES .
When he was gone , Picard went into his clerk’s
room and gave him an order to draw up agreements fo r leases, leaving blanks for the namesthen he addedWhat do you think ? The rascal is scheming
to get hold o f Beaurepaire now .
’
Is it possible But it is just like him .
’
But I’ll put a spoke in his wheel . ’
Josephine was now househoc queen at Beaurepaire ; Laure Viceroy over her . This young ladywas born to command , and Nature prevailed overseniority . The young statesman elected himselfprime minister to the lady-lieutenant ; and so
great was his deference to her judgment,even on
points where she was unfathomably ignorant,that
he was for ever seeking grave conferences with her .The leading maxim with them all was that the
baroness was on no account to be worried o r
alarmed,nor her prejudices shocked ; where these
stood between her comfort,and her own friend’s
plans for that comfort, the governing powers madea little détour and evaded collisions with them .
For instance,the baroness would n ever have
consented to sell a Beaurepaire grape . She wouldhave starved sooner
,or lived on the grapes ; if
diar rhoein g can be called livin g . So when she
demanded o f Queen Josephine how there camesuch an influx of beef, mutton, and veal into thechateau . Lieutenant Laure explained that Edouardhad begged Josephine to give him some fruit thatwas rotting on the walls, and she had consented .
“
264 WHITE LIES .
the old lady for her good . The baroness was notto see o r hear anything but what she would liketo see and hear .Do n o t deceive her unnecessarily . But deceive
her rather than thwart o r vex her . ’
This was the leadin g maxim o f the new Queencraft and all played their part to perfectionnone better than Jacin tha
,who
,besides a ready
invention and an oily tongue,possessed in an
eminent degree the valtas clausus o f the Latinswho sciolto o f their descendants : in En glish
,a
close face . And though they entered on thisgame with hesitation
,yet they soon warmed in it .
The n ew guile was charming . T o defraud - a
beloved o n e o f discomfort— to cheat her into agood opinion o f all she wished to think well o fto throw a veil
,o f silver tissue o f inn ocent fibs
,
between her and trouble—r—to sm uggle sovereignfood into her mouth and more sovereign hope intoher heart . Pious frauds ! and many a holy manhas justified these in writings dedicated to theChurch
,and practised them for the love o f God
and the good o f man .
The baroness’s health,strength and spirits im
proved visibly .
On the third day a tenant called on Riviere,
hem m’
d and haw’d,and prepared to draw distant
,
but converging,lines of circumvallation round the
subject o f Rent .~
WHITE LIES . 265
Riviere cut the process short .I am a public man
,and have no time to waste
in verbiage . On that table is a seven years’ lease,
with blanks ; you can sign it at forty per cent .increased rent, o r at thirty per cent . by paying abonus o f one thousand francs . ’
The man attemp ted to remonstrate . Rivierecut him dead short this time .
The farmer then lowered his voice . I have gota thousand francs in my pocket .’
Oh ! you prefer the thirty per cent. and thebonus . Very well . ’
That is not what I mean . You and I’
m ight
do better than that . We will say nothing about abonus ; you shall _clap o n ten per cent . to showyour zeal to the landlord
,and this
,
’ lowering hisvoice
,will be for you
,and no questions asked .
’
Riviere ’s first impulse was to hit him ; the nextwas to laugh at him
,which he accordingly did .
‘My man,
’ said he , you must be very much inlove with dishonesty . Now listen ; if I reportthat little proposal of yours at Beaurepaire
,you
will never g et a lease upon any terms .’
But you won’t ! you won’t‘Won’t I ? if you don’t come to book in
‘
fiveminutes I will ! ’
Give me ten,and I will see about it. ’
Humph I don’t see what you want with tenminutes—but take them .
’
The farmer retired,and very soon after voices
VOL . I . N
266 WHITE LIES .
were heard and .heavy f eet,and in came four
farmers .Riviere grinned . No . 1 had been secretly adeputation . The little band had been all underthe window, waiting till the agent should hav etaken the bribe
,and made them all right with
Beaurepaire . But when No . I came down withhis hair standing on end
,to tell them that he had “
fallen in‘with a monster,a being unknown
,
fabulous,incredible
,an agent that would n o t
swindle his master,they succumbed as the bravest
Spirits must,ev en Macbeth, before the super
natural .They came up stairs
,and sorrowfully knuckled
down ; only No . 1 put in a hope that they weren o t to be treated wo rse than those who had notcome to him at all .Certainly notBecause two o r three are gone to the chateau‘~They shall gain nothing by that . ’‘But we said why plague the baroness : she is
old. She is at death’s door . Lastly she has gotan honest agent ; let us go to him .
’ N . B.
—Theyhad all been at the chateau ; but Jacin tha hadfooled the lot .Riviere opened a door an d beckoned . Out
popped M . Picard’s clerk,
‘brisk,and smiling .
You have got the writs in your p ocket .’
Seven of them monsieur.’ The farmers lookedat each other
268 WHITE LIES .
sore puz zled what to do : but catching a sight ofthe young ladies going out for a walk they hadboldly rushed into the Pleasance and interceptedthem
,and told them the tale of their Wrongs so
glibly and with such heartiness and uniformity ofOpinion
,and in tones so mellow and convincing,
that both the ladies and the doctor inclined to theirview .
‘We ’ will talk to Monsieur Riviere,
’- said
Josephin e kindly ah ! here he is .
’
Yes,here I am . I thought I should find you
here good pe ople , Well have you piped yourtune ? are you overburdened with rent already ? isyour part o f the estate cold an d sour, and does itlie low &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c. eh ?’
Yes,
’ cried Laure,they have . La ! ’
And it is too true monsieur .
’
Chorus . Too true .
’
‘Jacques Pirot,last market day you broke a
bottle o f wine,I use your own phrase, with the
man who bought your calves .Well
,monsieur
,was that a sin
‘When you had broken that,and spilled the
wine into your gullet,you broke another .
’
And that is what brings you home from marketthe face red and the tongue stuttering
,
’ cackledPir ot
’
s wife,there present . Silence cried
Edouard . When the wine is in,the truth comes
out, even of a farmer . You bragged that Grap in et
had offered you fifteen hundred francs to changefarms with him
,an d that you had laughed in his
face . ’
WHITE LIES . 26 9
Do not believe it mademoiselle it is nottrue f‘I heard you . You too were there
,Ren n acon
,
drunk and truthful—two events that happen to youonce a week—thanks to Bacchus
,not to R
’
en n acon .
You boasted that Braconnier had off ered to chan gewith you and give you two thousand francs . ’ ‘Ilied I lied cried Ren n acon eagerly .
Unjust to thyself ! it was thy half hour forspeaking the truth .
’ Now mademoiselle,deign
to cast your eyes on these parchments . These areleases . Grap in et and Pepin and Braconnier havejust signed their rent is advanced thirty per cent . ’
General exclamation o f the doctor and ladies.Looks o f surprise and dismay from the others .
Fo r which favour—JHe calls that a favour. ’
They have just paid me on e thousand francsapiece . You
,by your own showing
,can pay me
two thousand five hundred francs instead o f athousand . Now I will make a bargain with you .
Sign Similar leases here in three minutes,and I
will let you o ff fo r on e thousand francs each ;hesitate
,and I will have two thousand francs . ’
I will n o t sign at all , for on e .
’
Nor I .’
Nor I .
’
Chorus o f women We will sign away our
lives sooner .Jacin tha—Jacin thaJacin tha appeared with suspicious celerity the
WHITE LIES .
distance from the kitchen to the Pleasance consider ed.
Fetch me a good pen and some ink .
’
But they say they will not sign,
’ said Laure .
They will Sign mademoiselle . MonsieurChose
,approach—serve the ejectments .’ The
clerk,who had just arrived
,but s tood aloof
,drew
out three slips of stamped paper, and made threes teps forward . The effect was like a pistol presented at each head . The whole party se t uptheir throats Wait a moment
,for Heaven’s sake
Mademoiselle,it is fo r you to speak . This is to
usurp your place . Do not let them persecutehonest men
,who have paid their rent faithfully
,
they“
and their forbears to you and yours, in quiettimes and troubled times
,in good harvests and bad
harvests .’
! Messieurs,’ replied Josephine
,M . RIV Ier e
,my
good friend,has deigned to act as our agent. It
would be little delicate on my part were I,after
the trouble he has taken, to interfere with his p roceedin g s . Settle then this affair with him
,who
appears to understand your sentiments, whereasmy sister and I do not un derstand you.
’ And shewithdrew quietly a little way like an angel gentlyevading moral pitch .
Are you satisfied ? is every'
door shut ? here isJacin tha ! In on e word, will you Sign o r will younot sign ?’
Jacin tha, With characteristic promptitude , tookRiviere
’s part,without knowing what itwas about.
272 . WHITE LIES .
asked a farmer . Josephine moved toward RIV Ier e
thinkin g he might require her.No ! ’ he cried haughtily .
‘I have got hername on this authority
,but my name is good
enough for you . She Shall not Sign,and you
shall not speak to her . You -may look at herthat is no small thing . Good ! you have lookedat her . Now decamp rogues and jades .’
They went o ff muttering . They felt deeplywronged . Each a shade more so than the other .Ren n acon vented the general sentiment o f illusage thus Cursed be : interlopers ! Another"year o r two and I should have put aside enoughto buy my farm : it will take me ten years at thisrate .
’
Come Jacin tha,hold your apron for the bags
lock them in one o f your cupboards . Away with
you .
’
Then his f riends all came round Edouard,and
shook his hand warmly,and thanked him
_with
glistening eyes again,and again
,and again
,Laure
an d all .Now this young gentleman was so formed, that
if o n e did not see his,merit he swelled with
bumptiousness like a peacock,but if o n e praised
him to o much,straightway he compared himself
with his beau ideal,his model
,say the Chevalier
Bayard,and turned modest and shame-faced : so
now he hung his head and stammered as theyshowered praise and adm iration on him .
W HITE LIES . 73
‘No more Words,
’ said Jo sephIn e ,‘they make
him blush . I must crown him . Run Laure,and
bring me some bay leaves . ’‘No ! mesdemoiselles ! no there is more work
to be done before I dare triumph . I must takeyour money down to the town , and pay that credito r o ff . Then my heart will be at ease aboutyou all
,an d then I should like to wear a crown
for half an hour . ’
Come back to supper, Edouard, and wear it ."
O ! thank you .
’
There he goes without being measured,the
giddy child . Take o ff your hat, monsieur.’
Then there was a mysterious gliding o f softpalms and delicate fingers about his brow andhead
,and the latter was announced to be meal
sured . And oh ! reader, what botheration mightbe saved if every man was measured before acrown was clapped on him ! He is for a hat .They can measure the outside ,
’ said the doctorsaucily ; their art goes so far .
’ Edouard ran o ff :
He quits us every minute ,’ said Laure to Jo se
phine that is why I detest him .
’
You don’t detest him,
’ objected the doctor,as
gravely as if he was announcing a fact in physics .That is why I like him then
,
’ said saucebox .
Edouard ran to.Jacintha for two out o f the
‘
three money bags,took them home , converted the
'
six thousand francs into bank paper (n o t'
assig nats)and pelted down to the town .
He went at once to his notary to ask him whatN 3
WHITE LIES .
forms were to be complied with ‘in discharging thecreditor . To this question
,asked with eagerness
and agitation,the notary answered with perfect
coolness‘The thing to do n ow is to take the money to
the mayor . Perhaps you had better go to him atonce : on your return I have something to say to
you .
’
Edouard ran to the Mairie in front o f it hefound forty o r fifty idlers collected
,and gaping at
a placard on the wall .Edouard’s eye followed theirs carelessly
,and
saw a Sight that turned him cold,and took the
pith out o f his body .
A great staring notice,the paste behind which
was scarce dry,glared him in the face .
‘FOR SALE . T H E LANDS OF BE AUREPA IRE,
W ITH THE CHATE AU AND OTHER THE BUILDINGSMESSUAGES AND TENEMEN‘TS .
‘AT THE REQUISIT ION OF JACQUE S BONARD ,CREDITOR . BY ORDER OF T H E D IRECTORY
,
ARMAND,Mayor. ’
This was the brightest afternoon Beaurepaire hadseen fo r years . These young women whose liveshad so few pleasures
,denied themselves the luxury
o f telling their mother the family triumph . Un
sclfish and innocent they kept so sacred a pleasurefrom their friend . But though their words wereguarded, their bird-like notes and bright glanceswere free, and chirped and beamed in tune with
276 WHITE LIES .
Would n o t come at all,when he arrived in haste
,
an d sank into a chair, fatigued partly by . a longday’s work
,partly by the emotions he had passed
through . Through all this peeped an air o f selfcontent .Forg ive me, madam
—it has been a long day .
’
‘Be seated,monsieur
,
’ said the baroness cerem on iously . She was n o t best pleased at his makin ghimself so at home . Or rather let us off er yousomething to restore you .
Nothing,madam
,but a tumbler of w1n e with a
little water—thank you . Mesdames,great events
have occurred since I left you .
’
Oh,tell ! tell ! ’ Eyes
,bright as sword blades
In the sun with interest and curiosity were fastenedOn him
,
“and their lovely ‘p rOp rieto rs held their
breath to hear him .
He glanced round with secret satisfaction,
paused,relished their curiosity
,and then he told
them how he rode down to the town,and went to
his notary : an d“ his notary had sent him to the
Mairie, and there he had seen a placard offeringthe chateau and lands o f Beaurepaire for sale .Oh ! Heaven ! oh Edouard ! ’
Be calm—there,I meant to keep you a moment
‘o r two in Suspense
,but I have n o t the heart . I
went into the Mairie : I saw . the mayor : it wasBon ard
’
s dom g , set on,o f course
,by Perrin : I
paid your six .thousand francs into the mayor’shands f or Bonard. Here ladies
,is the mayor’s
r eceipt ; from thatmoment Beaurepaire was yours
.WHITE LIES .
again, and that accursed placard mine .
’
I tore itdown before all the crowd ; they cheered me .
’
Heaven bless them cried the doctor .Dard
‘was there in his donkey cart he put his
cap on his crutch,and waved it in the air
,and
cried Long live the Baroness and the Dem oi
sel les d e Beaurepaire and they all joined—aha !- well
,as I made my way through the crowd
,who
should I run against but PerrinThe w
'
retch .
’
The pieces of the placard were in my hand Ihurled them with all my force into the animal’sf ace .
’
Oh you good boyIt was the act of a young man .
”
‘You are right,monsieur : I am almost sorry I
did it . ’
Monsieur Edouard,
’ cried the baroness,rising
,
the tears in her eyes,I scarcely understand all you
are doing,and have done for us : but you are a
Worthy young man : and I have not till now hadthe discernment to see all your value ! ’
Oh,madam
,do not speak
’
to me so : It makesme ashamed let me continue my story .
’
Yes ! but first tell me , this six thousand francs—oh
,how my heart beats ! my children , how near
ruin we have been—oh dear !’
oh dear ! ’
Dear mamma,do not tremble it is all our own ,
thanks to our g uardian angel ,’ said Josephine
.
Edouard,I
’
thin k our mother wishes to learn howwe came to have so much money,
’
WHITE LIES .
What,have you n o t told her ?’
No ! Laure said you should have that pleasureit was your right .’
Ah ! thank you, Mademoiselle Laure . Madam,
the tenants paid you seven thousand francs to-dayfor leases at a rent raised thirty per cent . fromthis day .
’
Lowered, my child, you mean .
’
No thank you,raised .
’
Is it possible —the good creatures !Eh ? ah ! humph ! yes ! ’
But is it really true ? Can this be true ?’
Jacin tha holds a thousand francs at your disposal
,madam
,and this receipt is your voucher f or
the other six thousand ; and the leases signed areIn the house .
’
And these are the people you had hard thoughtso f , m on s1eur .
See how unjust I wasDid they volunteer all this ?’
No t exactly. It was proposed to them,and
within three daysThey fell into it ?’
They fell into it .’
May Heaven reward them ! ’
HumphAs they deserve .Amen ! amen ! ’
Such actions do the heart good as well as thehouse . I cannot but be affected by the sympathyo f these humble p eople, who have known how to
2 80 .WHITE LIES .
He said I have a hundred and twenty thousandfrancs I will lend you them On Beaurepaire . Go
to some other capitalist for a similar sum . Thetotal will pay all the
’
debts . Capitalists will n otrefuse you for this rise in the rents plus the six
thousan d francs you have paid o ff alters the faceo f the security
,and leaves a fair margin . Get the
money while I amuse Perrin with false hopes .”
Here was‘a stroke o f policy beyond poor little
Edouard Riviere to have invented . Notary cut.
notary ! ! So to-morrow I ride to CommandantRayn al fo r a week ’s leave
-
o f absence,and the next
day I ride to my uncle,and beg him to lend a
hun dred and twenty thousand francs on Beaure
paire . He can do it if he likes . Yet his estate isscarce half so large as your s
,and not half so rich
but he has never let anyone share it with him .
I’
ll have no gO-between , says he, to impoverishus both .
”
Both whomSelf and Soil—iha ! ha ! The soil -is always
g rateful,” —Says my uncle makes you a return
in exact proport ion to what you bestow on it inthe way o f manure and labour—men don ’t .” Sayshe, the man that has got on e hand in your pocketshakes the other fist in your face ; the man thathas got both hands in your pocket spits in -yourface .
” Asking excuse of you,madam
,fo r quoting
my uncle,who is honest and shrewd
,but little
polished . He is also a ! bit o f a misanthrope,and
has coloured me : this you must hav e obser v ed.
’
WHITE LIES . 28 1
But if he is a misanthrope,Monsieur Edouard
,
he will n o t sympathize with us—will he not despise us
,who have so mismanaged Beaurepaire
Permit me,Josephine
,
’ said the doctor . Natural histo ry steps in here
,and teaches by me
,its
mouth-piece—ahem ! A misanthrop e hates allmankind
,but is kind to everybody—generally to o
kind . A philanthrope loves the whole humanr ace
,but dislikes his wife
,his mother
,his brother
,
and his friends and acquaintances . Misanthropeis the potato —rough and repulsive outside
,but
good to the core . Philanthrope is a peach—hismanner all velvet and bloom,
and his words sweetjuice
,but his heart o f hearts a stone . Let me read
philanthrope’ s book,and fall into the hands o f
misanthrope.
’
He is ”right,ladies . My uncle will say plenty
o f biting words,which
,-by the by, will n o t hur t
you, who will , not hear them—only me . H e‘will
lash us and lend us the money,and Beaurepaire
will be free and I shall have had some little handin it—hurrahThen came a delicious hour to Edouard Riviere .
Young and old poured out their glowing thanksand praises upon him till his cheeks burned likefire .Jo sephin e . And besides he raises our spirits
so : does he n o t,my mother ? Now, is n o t the
house changed o f late,doctor ? I appeal to you .
’
St . Aubin. I off er a frigid explanation .
Among. the feats o f science is the infusion o f
282 .WHITE LIES .
blood . I have seen it done . Boiling blood fromt he veins o f the healthy and young is injected intoo ld or languid vessels . The eff ect is magical .Well
,Beaurepaire was old and languishing . Life’s
warm current entered it with Edouard ; its lang uidpulses beat
,and its system swells and throbs
,and
its heart is warm once more , and leaps with theblood o f youth
,and dances in the sunshine o f
hope : I also am young again , like all the rest .Madame the Baroness
, gavottons—you and I—tI a
la la la lah,tra la la la lah
Laure . Ha ! ha ha ! Down with science,
doctor .’
St . Aubin. W hat impiety ! Some on e willsay, down with young ladies next .
’
Laure "
. No That would be punishing themselves . Hear my solution o f the mystery . Injection o f blood and infusion there is none . Monsieuris nothing more o r less than a merry im p that hasbroken into paradise .’
Jo se phin e . The fine paradise that it was before the imp came . No : it is that a man hascome among a parce l o f weak women, and putSpirit into them .
’
St . Aubin . Item into an o ld useless dreamer .’
Jo sephin e . Fie ! It was you who read himat sight. We babble and he remains uncrown edt’
Edouard . No n o There are n o more Kingsin France ! ’
Josephine . Excuse me,there is the King o f
Hearts ! And we are going to crown him . Come,
284 . WHITE LIES .
than before . Soon after he took his leave . Hewent into the kitchen
,and
,after a few earnest
words with Jacin tha,went into the stable and
gave his horse a feed .
The baroness retired to rest . In taking leave o fthem all
,she kissed Laure with more than usual
warmth,and putting her out at arm’s length
,
examined her,then kissed her again.
Stay doctor,’ said Josephine
,who was about to
retire too . What is it ? What can it be ? Did
you see what a struggle the poor boy went throughthe moment he read it ; he took o ff his crown to o
,
and sighed,oh so sadly
,as he laid it down .
’
Mademoiselle,’ said Jacin tha softly at the door,
may he come inYes -yes Edouard came sadly . Is she
gone to b ed happy ? ’
Yes dear ! thanks to you, and we will be firm.
Keep nothing from us . ’ Edouard just gave her.the letter
,and leaned his head sorrowfully on his
hand .
They all read it together . It was from Picard .
Perrin,it seems
,had already purchased o n e o f the
claims on Beaurepaire,value sixty thousand francs,
and n ow demanded in his own name the sale o f
the property,Upon the general order from the
directory . The mayor had consented and the
was even now in the p rinter’s hands . The
letter continued1t is to be reg retted that you insultedPerr in , at this
WHITE LIES . 28 5
stage of the busin ess . Had you consulted its on this
p oin t,we should have advised you n ot to take anystep s of that sor t un til af ter the estate'should be abso
lately saf e. We think he m ust have f ollowed you toour p lace and so learn ed that you ar e our clien t in this
matter , f or he has sen t a line to say he will n ot tr ouble
us, but will g et the m oney elsewhere.
’
That is what cuts me to the heart ! ’
It is I who ruin you after all . Oh ! how hardit is for a young man to be wise The girls cameand sat beside Edouard
,and
,without speaking
,
“
glided each a kind hand into his . The doctorfin ished
’
the letter .But if you will send us down the new leases in a
p arcel, we shallp erhap s be able to p ut a sp oke in his
wheel still m ean tim e,we advise you to lose n o tim e in
raising a hundr ed and twen ty thousand f rancs. l/Ve
renew/
our of er of a sim ilar sum : but you m ust give
us thr ee days’
n otice .
’
Good bye then .
’
Stay a little lon ger . ’
No I am miserable till I repair my folly .
’
We will comfort you .
’
Nothing can’
comfort me,but repairing the ill
I have done .’
The ill you have done But for you , all wouldhave been over long agoThank you for saying that—oh ! thank you
will you see me o ff . I feel a little daunted—forthe moment
286 WHITE LIES .
Poor boy,yes
,we will See you o ff .
’
They went down gwith him . He brought hishorse round, and they walked together to thegarden gate in silence .
As he put his foot in the stirrup,Josephine
murmured : Do not vex yourself little heart.Sleep well to-night after all your fatigues
,an d
come to us early in the morning .
’
Edouard checked his horse,who wanted to start
and turning in the saddle cried out with surprise—iWhy where do you think I am going ? ’
Home to be sure .Home ? while Beaurepaire is in peril ; sleep .
while Beaurepaire is in peril. What ! don’t yousee I am going to my uncle
,twenty leagues from
here . ’
Yes but n o t n ow.
What ? fling away half a day l—no not anhour
,n o t a minute—the enemy is to o keen
,the
stake 1s to o great .’
But think Ed—Monsieur Edouard,
’ said Laure,
you are so tired .
’
I was . But I am not n ow.
’
But m on Dieu ! you will kill yourself—on e
does not travel on horseback in the dark by night . ’
Mademoiselle,the night' and the day are all
on e to a man when he can serve those he loves . ’
With the very words his impatient heel prickedthe willing horse
,who started forward
,striking
fire in the night from the stones with his iron
288 WHITE LIES .
CHAPTER I ! .
T H E French league in those days was longer thannow ; it was full three miles En glish . Edouardbaited his horse twenty miles from Beaurepaire :he then rode the other forty miles judiciously
,but
without a halt .He reached hisuncle’s at three in the morning
put his horse in the stable , and not to disturb theinmates
,got in by the kitchen window
,which he
found left open as in the golden age : the kitchenfire was smoulderin g he made it up
,and dropped
asleep on a chair as hard—as hard as a philan thro
p ist’
s heart, doctor . He seemed to have beenscarce a minute asleep, when a sound as o f RedIndians screeching all around woke him with astart
,and there stood his uncle’s housekeeper
,who
screamed again at his jumping up,but died away
into an uncertain quaver,and from that rose
crescendo to a warm welcome .
But saints defend us,how you frightened me
You had your revenge .
’
I thought a legion o f
WHITE LIES . 289
fiends were yelling right into my ear. My uncle—is he upYour uncle W hat don’t you know ?
’
No how should’
I know What is the matter ?Oh Heaven
,he is dead ! ’
Dead ? N0 ! Would he die like that,without
settling his affairs No,but he is gone . ’
Where ? ’
We don’t know. Took o n e shirt, a raz or, anda comb
,and o ff without a word—just like him .
’
Edouard groan ed .
When did he goYesterday
,at noon .
’
Edouard swore .
Oh ! don’t vex yourself like that,Master
Edouard .
’
But Marthe it is life and death . I Shall"
gomad ! I shall g o madNo
,don’t ye—don
’t ye ; bless you, he willcome back before long .
’
‘So he will Marthe ; he must be backhe to ok but on e Shirt .’
Hum said Marthe doubtfully,that does n o t
follow. I have seen him wear a shirt a good dealmore than a day .
’
Edouard walked up and down the kitchen ingreat agitation . T o Spirits o f his kind to be
compelled to be passive and wait for others,unable
to do anything fo r themselves,is their worst
torture it is fey er plus paralysis .V OL . I .
290 WHITE LIES .
The good woman soothed him an d coaxed him .
Have a cup of coff ee . See—I have warmed it,
and the m ilk and all . ’
Thank you my good Marthe . I have theappetite of a wolf.’
And after that go to bed,and the moment your
uncle comes I will wake you .
’
‘Ah ! thank you good Marthe . Oh ! yes ; bedby all means . Better be asleep than twiddlingone ’s thumbs awake .
’
So Marthe g o t him to bed ; and once there ,Nature prevailed
,and he slept twelve ho urs at a
stretch .
Just at sunse t he awoke,and took it fo r sunrise .
He dressed him self hastily and came down . Hisuncle had not arrived . He did not know what onearth to do . He had a presentiment that while hishands were tied the enemy was working .
And if no t,
’ said he,why then chance is
robbing me o f the advantage z eal ought to begaining me .’
W ait till to-morrow,
’ said Marthe ‘if he doesn o t come I shall have a letter .’
Edouard sat down and wrote a line to DoctorSt . Aubin, telling him his ill-luck, and begging thedoctor to send down the leases to Picard
,as he had
requested .
Picard is wiser than I am,
’
s aid he .The morning came—_n o letter . Then Edouard
had another anxiety—he was away from his post .
292 WHITE LIES .
mandant against me he has timed the attackwell
,n ow that I have a favour to ask him
,and he
such a disciplinaria‘n .
’
Edouard came before Rayn al despondently,and
after the usual greeting saidI have a favour to ask you commandant .’
Speak ! ’ rang ‘
out the commandant .A short leav e o f absence . ’
‘HumphOn pressing aff airs oh
,monsieur
,do n ot refuse
me ! ’
Who tells you that I shall refuse you ?’ askedthe commandant roughly.
N0 on e monsieur,but I have enemies : and I
feared on e o f them might have lately maligned m e
behind my back.
’
Citiz en Riviere,
’ replied the other sternly,‘if a
man cam e to me to accuse any on e o f my off icersbehind his back
,I should send for that officer and
say to his accuser Now there is the m an ; lookhim in the face and say your say .
”
I was a fool,
’ cried the young man my noblecommandant—J
Enough ! ’ said the commandant rudely . No
body has ever said a word against you in my hearing . It is true
,
’ he added satirically,
‘very fewhave ever mentioned you at all . ’
My~name has n o t been mentioned to you to—daycommandantNo —halt cried the exact soldier
,except by
WHITE LIES . 293
the servant who announced you. Read that deSp atch while I give an Order outsideEdouard read‘the despatch and the blood rushed
to his brow at o n e sentence in it EdouardRiviere is active zealous and punctual . In six
months more you can safely promote him .
’ Thiswas all : but not a creature besides was praised atall .The commandant returned .
Oh commandant,what goodness ! ’
Citizen,I rose from the ranks—hOw —guess
By valour,by chivalry
,by Spart
Gammon —by minding my business : there isthe riddle key and that is why my eye is on thosewho mind their business—you are on e I havepraised you for it—so now
,how many days do you
want to waste ? Speak .
’
A few,a very few .
’
Are ye in love ? That is enough—you aremore fool you . Is it to go after her you fall to therear ? ’
No indeed commandant . ’
Look me in the face ! There are but two menin the world—the man who keeps his word, andthe man who breaks it . The first is an honestman
,the second is a liar
,and waiting to be a thief
if it is to run after a girl take a week : anythingelse
,a fortnight . No ! no thanks ! I have not
time for chit chat . March .
’
Edouard rode away in triumph .
294 WHITE LIES ;
Long live the Commandant Raynal! ’ he shouted .
He is not flesh and blood . He is metal he ringsloud and true . H is words are not words
,they are
notes o f some golden trumpet and after being withhim five minutes
,on e feels like beating all the
notaries on‘
earth .
’
'H e reached his uncle’s place .Not come home
,Master Edouard .
’
The cold fit fell on him .
The next morm n g came a letter from his uncle,
dated Paris .Edouard Was ready to tear his hair .Gone to Paris with on e
'
shirt ! Who couldforesee a human creature going from any place butBicetre to the capital o f the world with on e shirt !Order my horse
,Marthe . He will turn it
,I
suppose, after the first week . That will , be a com
p lim en t to the capital—ten thousand devils ! Ishall go mad . Order my horse .
’
Where are you going my young m onsieurTo Paris . Equip me lend me a shirt . He
hasone left,has he n ot ?’
Marthe did n ot even deign to notice this skit .But he is com ing home -he is coming home
she cried ; ‘you don’t read the letter .’
True he is coming home to-day o r to-morrow.
“Heaven above,how these oldmen talk ! as if to-day
an d to-morrow were the same thing, o r anythinglike the same thing. I shall ride to Paris . ’
Then you will miss him on the road .
’
296 WHITE LIES .
do it for me —for me Whose heart is tied to themf o r ever ! ’
Pheugh Well look here E douard,if you
have really been fool enough to fall in love there,
and have a mind to play Georges Dandin,I ’ll find
you some money for the part ; but I can’t afford
so much as this, and I wash my hands o f youraristos .’
Enough,uncle . I have n o t then a friend in
the world but those whom you call aristos . ’
You are an ungrateful boy. It is I who haven o friend : and I thought he came to see me out
o f love : old fool ! it was for'
m on ey, like all ther est f
You insult me,uncle . But you have the right .
I do not answer . I g o away .
’
Go to all the devils,nephew ! ’
Edoua'
rd was interrupted on ‘hisway to the stables
by o ld Marthe .No my young monsieur
, you do n o t leave us
like that . ’
He insulted me Marthe . ’
Ah bah ! he insults me three times a week,and
I him for that matter but we don ’t part any themore for that . He shall apologise . Above all
,he
shall lend your aristocrats the money . It won’truin uS .
’
Why Marthe , you must have listened .
’
‘Parbleu ! and a good thing too . You keepquiet. You will see he has had his bark
,and
WHITE LIES . 297
there is not much bite in him poor man,though
he thinks he is full o f it . ’
Oh ! my good Marthe I know his character,and that he is good' at bottom
,but to come here
and wait,and wait
,and lose days when every hour
was gold,and
,
then to be denied . Mon D ieu
where should I come for help but to my mother ’sbrother ? Alas ! I have no other kindred .
’
Marthe prevailed on him to stay.
This done,She went and attacked her master .
Are you content ?’ asked she calmly
,dusting a
chair, o r pretending to . He weeps . ’
Who weepsOur guest—our
.n ep hew
—our pretty child .
’
'All the worse for him . You don’t know then—he insulted me .
’
T o whom do you tell that ? I was at the keyhole .’Ugh ! ’
The boot is on the other leg ; it is you whotreated him” cruelly . He weeps , and he is goingaway .
’
Going ? Where ? ’
Do I know ? Where you bade him go !That gives me pain
,that he Should go like
that .’
I knew it would,our master
,so I stopped him .
sore against his will . ’
You did well that will be worth a new gownto you. What did you say to him ?
’
298 WHITE LIES .
I sa1d You must n o t take things to heartlike that ; our master is a V lle temper
‘
Ye liedBut he has a good heart .
You spoke the truth ; I am to o good .
’
He is your mother’s brother
,
” said I,and
though he is a little wicked he does n o t hate youat bottom . Stay with us
,and don’t talk about
money,” said I
,that nettles him .
”For all that,
master,I could n ot help thinking to myself
,we are
o ld, and we can
’t take our money away with us
our time will soon come when we must go away as
bare as we came .’
That is true,confound it
As fo r m y dirt o f money, and I have rolled upa good bit in your service
,for you know you were
never stingy to m e.
’
‘Because I never caught you robbing me , youo ld jade ! ’
I shall let him have that anyway .
’
If you dare to say such a word to him I’ll wring
your neck round ; who are you to comewith yourthree coins between my sister’s son an d me ; be o ffand cook the dinner . ’
I go,our master . ’
Uncle and nephew met at dinner : and nephewafter his rebuff talked anythin g but money . Afterdinn er
,which Marthe took care should be much to
his taste,the old man leaned back in his chair
,and
said with a good humour large as the ocean
300 WHITE LIES .
Beaurepaire . Still he could not help counting thehours
,and he did not really feel safe till Thursday
evening came , and his uncle showed him an” apo
p lectic'
p ocketbo ok, and ordered his Norman horse , abeast of singular power and bottom,
to be fed earlyfo r the journey .
The youth was in a delicious rever ie : the old
man calmly smoking his pipe when Marthebrought a letter in that the postman had just left .It was written in a lady’s hand . His heartthrobbed : Marthe watched him with a smile
,and
found an excuse for hanging about . He opened it—his eye went like lightning to the Sig nature .Laure Ag lae Rose de Beaurepaire .
The sweet name was on its way to his eagerlips
,when he caught sight of a word o r two above
it that struck him like some icy dagger . He readand the colour left his very lips . He sat with theletter
,and seemed a man turned into stone , all but
his quivering lip,and the trembling hands that
held that dear handwriting .
END OF V OL . I .
LONDON : PRINT ED BY W . CLOW ES AND SONS, STAMFORD ST REET .
