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Pamela Giraud: A Play in Five Acts, a play by Honore de Balzac |
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Act 3 - Scene 4 |
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_ ACT III - SCENE FOURTH The same persons excepting Binet.
MME. GIRAUD. But, thank God, they have no reason. GIRAUD. It is your nephew who has caused all this talk about her, but she is blameless! DE VERBY. (interrupting him) But suppose that we wish her to be guilty? PAMELA. What do you mean, sir? GIRAUD AND MME. GIRAUD. To think of it! MME. DU BROCARD. (seizing De Verby's meaning) Yes, suppose, to save the life of a poor young man-- DE VERBY. It were necessary to declare that M. Jules Rousseau spent nearly the whole night of the twenty-fourth of August here with you? PAMELA. Ah! sir! DE VERBY. (to Giraud and his wife) Yes, suppose it were necessary to testify against your daughter, by alleging this? MME. GIRAUD. I would never say such a thing. GIRAUD. What! Insult my child! Sir, I have had all possible troubles. I was once a tailor, now I am reduced to nothing. I am a porter! But I have remained a father. My daughter is our sole treasure, the glory of our old age, and you ask us to dishonor her? MME. DU BROCARD. Pray listen to me, sir. GIRAUD. No, madame, I will listen to nothing. My daughter is the hope of my gray hairs. PAMELA. Calm yourself, father, I implore you. MME. GIRAUD. Keep quite, Giraud! Do let this lady and gentleman speak! MME. DU BROCARD. A family in deep affliction implores you to save them. PAMELA. (aside) Poor Jules! DE VERBY. (in a low voice to Pamela) His fate is in your hands. MME. GIRAUD. We are respectable people and know what it is for parents, for a mother, to be in despair. But what you ask is out of the question. (Pamela puts a handkerchief to her eyes.) GIRAUD. We must stop this! You see the girl is in tears. MME. GIRAUD. She has done nothing but weep for several days. GIRAUD. I know my daughter; she would be capable of going and making the declaration they ask, in spite of us. MME. GIRAUD. Yes,--for you must see, she loves him, she loves your nephew! And to save his life--Well! Well! I would have done as much in her place. MME. DU BROCARD. Have compassion on us! DE VERBY. Grant this request of ours-- MME. DU BROCARD. (to Pamela) If it is true that you love Jules-- MME. GIRAUD. (leading Giraud up to Pamela) Did you hear that? Well! Listen to me. She is in love with this youth. It is quite certain that he also is in love with her. If she should make a sacrifice like that, as a return, he ought to marry her. PAMELA. (with vehemence) Never! (Aside) These people would not wish it, not they. DE VERBY. (to Mme. du Brocard) They are consulting about it. MME. DU BROCARD. (in a low voice to De Verby) It will be absolutely necessary for us to make a sacrifice. We must appeal to their interest. It is the only plan! DE VERBY. In venturing to ask of you so great a sacrifice, we are quite aware of the claims that you will have on our gratitude. The family of Jules, who might have blamed you on account of your relations with him, are, on the contrary, anxious to discharge the obligations which bind them to you. MME. GIRAUD. Ah! Did I not tell you so? PAMELA. Can it be possible that Jules-- DE VERBY. I am authorized to make a promise to you. PAMELA. (with emotion) Oh! DE VERBY. Tell me, how much do you ask for the sacrifice required of you? PAMELA. (in consternation) What do you mean? How much--I ask--for saving Jules? What do you take me for? MME. DU BROCARD. Ah! Mademoiselle! DE VERBY. You misunderstand me. PAMELA. No, it is you who misunderstand us! You are come here, to the house of poor people, and you are quite unaware of what you ask from them. You, madame, ought to know that whatever be the rank or the education of a woman, her honor is her sole treasure! And that which you in your own families guard with so much care, with so much reverence, you actually believe that people here, living in an attic, would be willing to sell! And you have said to yourselves: "Let us offer them money! We need just now the sacrifice of a working-girl's honor!" GIRAUD. That is excellent! I recognize my own blood there. MME. DU BROCARD. My dear child, do not be offended! Money is money, after all. DE VERBY. (addressing Giraud) Undoubtedly! And six thousand francs for a solid annual income as a price of--a-- PAMELA. As the price of a lie! For I must out with it. But thank God I haven't yet lost my self-respect! Good-bye, sir. (Pamela makes a low bow to Mme. du Brocard, then goes into her bed- chamber.) DE VERBY. What is to be done? MME. DU BROCARD. I am quite nonplussed. GIRAUD. I quite admit that an income of six thousand francs is no trifle, but our daughter has a high spirit, you see; she takes after me-- MME. GIRAUD. And she will never yield. _ |
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