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The Stepmother, A Drama in Five Acts, a play by Honore de Balzac |
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Act 3 |
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_ ACT III SCENE FIRST (Same stage-setting. Morning.) Gertrude; then Champagne.
Champagne (coming in) M. Ferdinand is coming, madame. Gertrude Thank you, Champagne. He went to bed very late, did he not? Champagne M. Ferdinand makes his rounds, as you know, every night, and he came in at half-past one o'clock. I sleep over him, and I heard him. Gertrude Does he ever go to bed later than that? Champagne Sometimes he does, but that is according to the time he makes his rounds. Gertrude Very good. Thank you, Champagne. (Exit Champagne.) As the reward for a sacrifice which has lasted for twelve years, and whose agonies can only be understood by women,--for what man can guess at such tortures!--what have I asked? Very little! Merely to know that he is here, near to me, without any satisfaction saving, from time to time, a furtive glance at him. I wished only to feel sure that he would wait for me. To feel sure of this is enough for us, us for whom a pure, a heavenly love is something never to be realized. Men never believe that they are loved by us, until they have brought us down into the mire! And this is how he has rewarded me! He makes nocturnal assignations with this stupid girl! Ah! He may as well pronounce my sentence of death; and if he has the courage to do so, I shall have the courage at once to bring about their eternal separation; I can do it! But here he comes! I feel faint! My God! Why hast Thou made me love with such desperate devotion him who no longer loves me!
Ferdinand and Gertrude.
Ferdinand (aside) What an avalanche of reproach! (Aloud) Let us try, Gertrude, both of us, to behave wisely in this matter. Above all things, let us try to avoid base accusations. I shall never forget what you have been to me; I still entertain towards you a friendship which is sincere, unalterable and absolute; but I no longer love you. Gertrude That is, since eighteen months ago. Ferdinand No. Since three years ago. Gertrude You must admit then that I have the right to detest and make war upon your love for Pauline; for this love has rendered you a traitor and criminal towards me. Ferdinand Madame! Gertrude Yes, you have deceived me. In standing as you did between us two, you made me assume a character which is not mine. I am violent as you know. Violence is frankness, and I am living a life of outrageous duplicity. Tell me, do you know what it is to have to invent new lies, on the spur of the moment, every day,--to live with a dagger at your heart? Oh! This lying! But for us, it is the Nemesis of happiness. It is disgraceful, when it succeeds; it is death, when it fails. And you, other men envy you because you make women love you. You will be applauded, while I shall be despised. And you do not wish me to defend myself! You have nothing but bitter words for a woman who has hidden from you everything--her remorse--her tears! I have suffered alone and without you the wrath of heaven; alone and without you I have descended into my soul's abyss, an abyss which has been opened by the earthquake of sorrow; and, while repentance was gnawing at my heart, I had for you nothing but looks of tenderness, and smiles of gaiety! Come, Ferdinand, do not despise a slave who lies in such utter subjection to your will! Ferdinand (aside) I must put an end to this. (Aloud) Listen to me, Gertrude. When first we met it was youth alone united us in love. I then yielded, you may say, to an impulse of that egotism which lies at the bottom of every man's heart, though he knows it not, concealed under the flowers of youthful passion. There is so much turbulence in our sentiments at twenty-two! The infatuation which may seize us then, permits us not to reflect either upon life as it really is, or upon the seriousness of its issues-- Gertrude (aside) How calmly he reasons upon it all! Ah! It is infamous! Ferdinand And at that time I loved you freely, with entire devotion; but afterwards--afterwards, life changed its aspect for both of us. If you ask why I remained under a roof which I should never have approached, it is because I chose in Pauline the only women with whom it was possible for me to end my days. Come, Gertrude, do not break yourself to pieces against the barrier raised by heaven. Do not torture two beings who ask you to yield to them happiness, and who will ever love you dearly. Gertrude Ah, I see! You are the martyr--and I--I am the executioner! Would not I have been your wife to-day, if I had not set your happiness above the satisfaction of my love? Ferdinand Very well! Do the same thing to-day, by giving me my liberty. Gertrude You mean the liberty of loving some one else. That is not the way you spoke twelve years ago. Now it will cost my life. Ferdinand It is only in romance that people die of love. In real life they seek consolation. Gertrude Do not you men die for your outraged honor, for a word, for a gesture? Well, there are women who die for their love, that is, when their love is a treasure which has become their all, which is their very life! And I am one of those women. Since you have been under this roof, Ferdinand, I have feared a catastrophe every moment. Yes. And I always carry about me something which will enable me to quit this life, the very moment that misfortune falls on us. See! (She shows him a phial.) Now you know that life that I have lived! Ferdinand Ah! you weep! Gertrude I swore that I would keep back these tears, but they are strangling me! For you--While you speak to me with that cold politeness which is your last insult,--your last insult to a love which you repudiate!--you show not the least sympathy towards me! You would like to see me dead, for then you would be unhampered by me. But, Ferdinand, you do not know me! I am willing to confess everything to the General, whom I would not deceive. This lying fills me with disgust! I shall take my child, I shall come to your house, we will flee together. But no more of Pauline! Ferdinand If you did this, I would kill myself. Gertrude And I, too, would kill myself! Then we should be united in death, and you would never be hers! Ferdinand (aside) What an infernal creature! Gertrude And there is this consideration. What would you do if the barrier which separates you from Pauline were never broken down? Ferdinand Pauline will be able to maintain her own independence. Gertrude But if her father should marry her to some one else? Ferdinand It would be my death. Gertrude People die of love in romance. In real life they console themselves with some one else, and a man only does his duty by being true to her with whom he has plighted troth. The General (outside) Gertrude! Gertrude! Gertrude I hear the general calling. (The General appears.) You will then finish your business as quickly as you can, M. Ferdinand, and return promptly; I shall wait for you here. (Exit Ferdinand.)
The General, Gertrude, then Pauline.
Gertrude What were we discussing? I will tell you; for you are exactly like your son; when once you begin to ask questions, you must have a direct answer. I had an impression that Ferdinand had something to do with Pauline's refusal to marry Godard. The General When I come to think of it, you were perhaps right. Gertrude I got M. Ferdinand to come here for the purpose of clearing up my suspicions, and you interrupted us at the very moment when I seemed likely to gain some information. (Pauline pushes the door ajar unseen.) The General But if my daughter is in love with M. Ferdinand-- Pauline (aside) I must listen. The General I do not see why, when I questioned her yesterday in a paternal manner and with absolute kindness, she should have concealed it from me, for I left her perfectly free, and her feeling for him would be absolutely natural. Gertrude She probably misunderstood you or you questioned her before she had made up her mind. The heart of a young girl, as you ought to know, is full of contradictions. The General And why should there not be something between them? This young man toils with the courage of a lion, he is the soul of honor, he is probably of good family. Pauline (aside) I understand the situation now. (Pauline withdraws.) The General He will give us information on this point. He is above all things trustworthy; but you ought to know his family, for it was you who discovered this treasure for us. Gertrude I proposed him to you on the recommendation of old Madame Morin. The General But she is dead! Gertrude (aside) It is very lucky that I quoted her then! (Aloud) She told me that his mother was Madame de Charny to whom he is devoted; she lives in Brittany and belongs to the Charnys, an old family of that country. The General The Charnys. Then if he is in love with Pauline, and Pauline with him, I, for my part, would prefer him to Godard in spite of Godard's fortune. Ferdinand understands the business of the factory, he could buy the whole establishment with the dowry of Pauline. That would be understood. All he has to do is to tell us where he comes from, who he is, and who his father was. But we will see his mother. Gertrude Madame Charny? The General Yes, Madame Charny. Doesn't she live near Saint-Melo? That is by no means at the other end of the world. Gertrude Just use a little tact, some of the manoeuvres of an old soldier, and be very gentle, and you will soon learn whether this child-- The General Why should I worry about it? Here comes Pauline herself.
The same persons, Marguerite, then Pauline.
Marguerite I, General, cause the death of my child! The General You forgot to take away the vase containing flowers of a strong scent, and she was almost suffocated. Marguerite Impossible! I took away the vase before the arrival of M. Godard, and Madame must have seen that it was not there while we were dressing Mademoiselle-- Gertrude You are mistaken. It was there. Marguerite (aside) She's a hard one. (Aloud) Does not Madame remember that she wished to put some natural flowers in Mademoiselle's hair, and that she remarked about the vase being gone? Gertrude You are inventing a story. But where did you carry it? Marguerite To the foot of the veranda. Gertrude (to the General) Did you find it there last night? The General No. Gertrude I took it from the chamber myself last night, and put it where it now stands. (Points to the vase of flowers on the veranda.) Marguerite Sir, I swear to you by my eternal salvation-- Gertrude Do not swear. (Calling.) Pauline! The General Pauline! (Pauline appears.) Gertrude Was the vase of flowers in your room last night? Pauline Yes. Marguerite, my dear old friend, you must have forgotten it. Marguerite Why don't you say, Mademoiselle, that some one put it there on purpose to make you ill! Gertrude Whom do you mean by some one? The General You old fool, if your memory failed you, it is unnecessary for you, at any rate, to accuse anybody else. Pauline (aside to Marguerite) Keep silence! (Aloud) Marguerite, it was there! You forgot it. Marguerite It is true, sir, I was thinking of the day before yesterday. The General (aside) She has been in my service for twenty years. Strange that she should be so persistent! (Takes Marguerite aside.) Come! What did you say about the flowers for my daughter's hair? Marguerite (while Pauline makes signs to her) I said that, sir--I am so old that my memory is treacherous. The General But even then, why did you suppose that any one in the house had an evil thought towards-- Pauline Say no more, father! She has so much affection for me, dear Marguerite, that she is sometimes distracted by it. Marguerite (aside) I am quite sure I took away the flowers. The General (aside) Why should my wife and my daughter deceive me? An old trooper like me doesn't permit himself to be caught between two fires, and there is something decidedly crooked-- Gertrude Marguerite, we will take tea in this room when M. Godard comes down. Tell Felix to bring in all the newspapers. Marguerite Very good, madame.
Gertrude, the General and Pauline.
Pauline (kissing him) But, you began by scolding about nothing. I declare, father, I am going to undertake your education. It is quite time for you, at your age, to control yourself a little,--a young man would not be so quick as you are! You have terrified Marguerite, and when women are in fear, they tell little falsehoods, and you can get nothing out of them. The General (aside) I'm in for it now! (Aloud) Your conduct, young lady, does not do much towards promoting my self-control. I wish you to marry, and I propose a man who is young-- Pauline Handsome and well educated! The General Please keep silence, when your father addresses you, mademoiselle. A man who possesses a magnificent fortune, at least six times as much as yours, and you refuse him. You are well able to do so, because I leave you free in the matter; but if you do not care for Godard, tell me who it is you choose, if I do not already know. Pauline Ah, father, you are much more clear-sighted than I am. Tell me who he is? The General He is a man from thirty to thirty-five years old, who pleases me much more than Godard does, although he is without fortune. He is already a member of our family. Pauline I don't see any of our relations here. The General I wonder what you can have against this poor Ferdinand, that you should be unwilling-- Pauline Ah! Who has been telling you this story? I'll warrant that it is Madame de Grandchamp. The General A story? I suppose, you will deny the truth of it! Have you never thought of this fine young fellow? Pauline Never! Gertrude (to the General) She is lying! Just look at her. Pauline Madame de Grandchamp has doubtless her reasons for supposing that I have an attachment for my father's clerk. Oh! I see how it is, she wishes you to say: "If your heart, my daughter, has no preference for any one, marry Godard." (In a low voice to Gertrude) This, madame, is an atrocious move! To make me abjure my love in my father's presence! But I will have my revenge. Gertrude (aside to Pauline) As you choose about that; but marry Godard you shall! The General (aside) Can it be possible that these two are at variance? I must question Ferdinand. (Aloud) What were you saying to each other? Gertrude Your daughter, my dear, did not like my idea that she was taken with a subordinate; she is deeply humiliated at the thought. The General Am I to understand, then, my daughter, that you are not in love with him? Pauline Father, I--I do not ask you to marry me to any one! I am perfectly happy! The only thing which God has given us women, as our very own, is our heart. I do not understand why Madame de Grandchamp, who is not my mother, should interfere with my feelings. Gertrude My child, I desire nothing but your happiness. I am merely your stepmother, I know, but if you had been in love with Ferdinand, I should have-- The General (kissing Gertrude's hand) How good you are! Pauline (aside) I feel as if I were strangled! Ah! If I could only undo her! Gertrude Yes, I should have thrown myself at your father's feet, to win his consent, if he had refused it. The General Here comes Ferdinand. (Aside) I shall question him at my discretion; and then perhaps the mystery will be cleared up.
The same persons and Ferdinand.
Ferdinand It is my duty, General. The General Granted; but does not the heart count for a good deal in this? Come now, Ferdinand, you know my way of considering the different ranks of society, and the distinctions pertaining to them. We are all the sons of our own works. I have been a soldier. You may therefore have full confidence in me. They have told me all; how you love a certain young person, here present. If you desire it, she shall be yours. My wife had pleaded your cause, and I must acknowledge that she has gained it before the tribunal of my heart. Ferdinand General, can this be true? Madame de Grandchamp has pleaded my cause? Ah, madame! (He falls on his knees before her.) I acknowledge in this your greatness of heart! You are sublime, you are an angel! (Rising and rushing forward to Pauline.) Pauline, my Pauline! Gertrude (to the General) I guessed aright; he is in love with Pauline. Pauline Sir, have I ever given you the right, by a single look, or by a single word, to utter my name in this way? No one could be more astonished than I am to find that I have inspired you with sentiments which might flatter others, but which I can never reciprocate; I have a higher ambition. The General Pauline, my child, you are more than severe. Come, tell me, is there not some misunderstanding here? Ferdinand, come here, come close to me. Ferdinand How is it, mademoiselle, when your stepmother, and your father agree? Pauline (in a low voice to Ferdinand) We are lost! The General Now I am going to act the tyrant. Tell me, Ferdinand, of course your family is an honorable one? Pauline (to Ferdinand) You hear that! The General Your father must certainly have been a man of as honorable a profession as mine was; my father was sergeant of the watch. Gertrude (aside) They are now separated forever. Ferdinand Ah! (To Gertrude) I understand your move. (To the General) General, I do not deny that once in a dream, long ago, in a sweet dream, in which it was delicious for a man poor and without family to indulge in--dreams we are told are all the fortune that ever comes to the unfortunate--I do not deny that I once regarded it as a piece of overwhelming happiness to become a member of your family; but the reception which mademoiselle accords to those natural hopes of mine, and which you have been cruel enough to make me reveal, is such that at the present moment they have left my heart, never again to return! I have been rudely awakened from that dream, General. The poor man has his pride, which it is as ungenerous in the rich man to wound, as it would be for any one to insult--mark what I say--your attachment to Napoleon. (In a low voice to Gertrude) You are playing a terrible part! Gertrude (aside to Ferdinand) She shall marry Godard. The General Poor young man! (To Pauline) He is everything that is good! He inspires me with affection. (He takes Ferdinand aside.) If I were in your place, and at your age, I would have--No, no, what the devil am I saying?--After all she is my daughter! Ferdinand General, I make an appeal to your honor; swear that you will keep, as the most profound secret, what I am going to confide to you; and this secrecy must extend so far even as to Madame de Grandchamp. The General (aside) What is this? He also, like my daughter, seems to distrust my wife. But, by heaven, I will learn what it means! (Aloud) I consent; you have the word of a man who has never once broken a promise given. Ferdinand After having forced me to reveal that which I had buried in the recesses of my heart, and after I have been thunderstruck, for that is the only word in which to express it, by the disdain of Mademoiselle Pauline, it is impossible for me to remain here any longer. I shall therefore put my accounts in order; this evening I shall quit this place, and to-morrow will leave France for America, if I can find a ship sailing from Havre. The General (aside) It is as well that he should leave, for he will be sure to return. (To Ferdinand) May I tell this to my daughter? Ferdinand Yes, but to no one else. The General (aside to Pauline) Pauline! My daughter, you have so cruelly humiliated this poor youth, that the factory is on the point of losing its manager; Ferdinand is to leave this evening for America. Pauline (to the General) He is right, father. He is doing of his own accord, what you doubtless would have advised him to do. Gertrude (to Ferdinand) She shall marry Godard. Ferdinand (to Gertrude) If I do not punish you for your atrocious conduct, God Himself will! The General (to Pauline) America is a long way off and the climate is deadly. Pauline (to the General) Many a fortune is made there. The General (aside) She does not love him. (To Ferdinand) Ferdinand, you must not leave before I have put in your hands sufficient to start you on the road to fortune. Ferdinand I thank you, General; but what is due me will be sufficient. Moreover, I shall not be missed in your factory, for I have trained Champagne so thoroughly as a foreman, that he is skillful enough to become my successor; and if you will go with me to the factory, you will see-- The General I will gladly accompany you. (Aside) Everything is in such a muddle here, that I must go and look for Vernon. The advice and clear-sightedness of my old friend, the doctor, will be of service in ferreting out what it is that disturbs this household, for there is something or other. Ferdinand, I will follow you. Ladies, we will be soon be back again. (Aside) There is something or other! (The General follows Ferdinand out.)
Gertrude and Pauline.
Gertrude You have been reading the _Nouvelle Heloise_, my dear. What you say is rather stilted in diction, but it is nevertheless true. Pauline Well, madame, you have just caused me to commit suicide. Gertrude The very act you would have been happy to see me commit; and if you had succeeded in forcing me to it, you would have felt in your heart the joy which fills mine at present. Pauline According to my father, war between civilized nations has its laws; but the war which you wage against me, madame, is that of savages. Gertrude You may do as I do, if you can--but you can do nothing! You shall marry Godard. He is a very good match for you; you will be very happy, I assure you, for he has fine qualities. Pauline And you think that I will quietly let you marry Ferdinand? Gertrude After the few words which we have exchanged this evening, why should we now indulge in the language of hypocrisy? I was in love with Ferdinand, my dear Pauline, when you were but eight years old. Pauline But now you are more than thirty--and I am still young. Moreover, he hates you, he abhors you! He has told me so, and he wishes to have nothing to do with a woman capable of the black treachery with which you have acted towards my father. Gertrude In the eyes of Ferdinand, my love will serve as my vindication. Pauline He shares the feelings which I have for you; he despises you, madame. Gertrude Do you really believe it? Well, if it is so, my dear, I have one more reason for the position I take, for if he refuses to become my husband, to gratify his love, Pauline, you will force me to marry him for the sake of satisfying my revenge. When he came to this house, was he not aware that I was here? Pauline You probably caught him by some such snare as you have just set for us, and into which both of us have fallen. Gertrude Now, my child, a single word more will put an end to everything between us. Have you not said a hundred times, a thousand times, in moments when you were all feeling, all soul, that you would make the greatest sacrifices for Ferdinand? Pauline Yes, madame. Gertrude You said you would leave your father, would flee from France; you would give your life, your honor, your salvation for Ferdinand? Pauline Yes, and if there is anything else that I can offer besides myself--this world and heaven! Gertrude Let me tell you, then, that all that you have wished to do, I have done! It is enough therefore to assure you that nothing, not even death itself, can arrest my course. Pauline In saying this, you give me the right to defend myself before my father. (Aside) O Ferdinand! Our love, (Gertrude takes a seat on the sofa during the soliloquy of Pauline) as she has said, is greater than life. (To Gertrude) Madame, you must repair all the evil that you have done to me; the sole difficulties which lie in the way of my marriage with Ferdinand, you must overcome. Yes, you who have complete control over my father, you must make him forego his hatred of the son of General Marcandal. Gertrude And do you really mean that? Pauline Yes, madame. Gertrude And what means do you possess formidable enough to compel me to do so? Pauline Are we not carrying on a warfare of savages? Gertrude Say rather, of women, which is even more terrible! Savages torment the body alone; while we direct our arrows against the heart, the self-love, the pride, the soul of those whom we attack in the very midst of their happiness. Pauline That is truly said. It is the whole woman-nature that I attack. Therefore, my dear and truly honored stepmother, you must eliminate by to-morrow, and not later, all the obstacles that stand between me and Ferdinand; or you may be sure my father shall learn from me the whole course of your conduct, both before and after your marriage. Gertrude Ah! That is the way you are going to do it! Poor child! He will never believe you. Pauline Oh, I know the domination you exercise over my father; but I have proofs. Gertrude Proofs! Proofs! Pauline I went to Ferdinand's house--I am very inquisitive--and I found there your letters, madame; I took from among them those which would convince even the blindness of my father, for they will prove to him-- Gertrude What will they prove? Pauline Everything! Gertrude But this will be, unhappy child, both theft and murder! For think of his age. Pauline And have not you accomplished the murder of my happiness? Have you not forced me to deny, both to my father and to Ferdinand, my love, my glory, my life? Gertrude (aside) This is a mere trick; she knows nothing. (Aloud) This is a clever stratagem, but I never wrote a single line. What you say is not true. It is impossible. Where are the letters? Pauline They are in my possession. Gertrude In your room? Pauline They are where you can never reach them. Gertrude (aside) Madness with its wildest dreams spins through my brain! My fingers itch for murder. It is in such moments as this that men kill each other! How gladly would I kill her! My God! Do not forsake me! Leave me my reason! (Aloud) Wait a moment. Pauline (aside) My thanks to you, Ferdinand! I see how much you love me; I have been able to pay back to her all the wrongs she did us a short time ago--and--she shall save us from all we feared! Gertrude (aside) She must have them about her,--but how can I be sure of that? Ah! (Aloud) Pauline! If you have had those letters for long, you must have known that I was in love with Ferdinand. You can only lately have received them. Pauline They came into my hands this morning. Gertrude You have not read them all? Pauline Enough to find out that they would ruin you. Gertrude Pauline, life is just beginning for you. (A knock is heard.) Ferdinand is the first man, young, well educated and distinguished, for he is distinguished, by whom you have been attracted; but there are many others in the world such as he is. Ferdinand has been in a certain sense under the same roof with you, and you have seen him every day; the first impulses of your heart have therefore directed you to him. I understand this, and it is quite natural. Had I been in your place I should doubtless have experienced the same feelings. But, my dear, you know not the ways either of the world or of society. And if, like so many other women, you have been deceiving yourself--for we women, ah, how often are we thus deceived!--you still can make another choice. But for me the deed has been done, I have no other choice to make. Ferdinand is all I have, for I have passed my thirtieth year, and I have sacrificed to him what I should have kept unsullied--the honor of an aged man. The field is clear for you, you may yet love some other man more ardently than you can love to-day--this is my experience. Pauline, child, give him up, and you will learn what a devoted slave you will have in me! You will have more than a mother, more than a friend, you will have the unstinted help of a soul that is lost! Oh! listen to me! (She kneels, and raises her hands to Pauline's corsage.) Behold me at your feet, acknowledging you my rival! Is this sufficient humiliation for me? Oh, if you only knew what this costs a woman to undergo! Relent! Relent, and save me. (A loud knocking is heard, she takes advantage of Pauline's confusion to feel for the letters.) Give back my life to me! (Aside) She has them! Pauline Oh, leave me, madame! Will you force me to call for some one? (Pauline pushes Gertrude away, and proceeds to open the door.) Gertrude (aside) I was not deceived, she has them about her; but I must not leave them with her one single hour.
The same persons, the General and Vernon.
Vernon How pale you are, my child! Let me feel your pulse. The General (to Gertrude) And you also seem to be very much excited. Gertrude There was a joke between us and we were indulging in a laugh; weren't we, Pauline? You were laughing, my pet? Pauline Yes, papa. Dear mamma and I were in a gale of laughter. Vernon (in a low voice to Pauline) That's a pretty big lie! The General Didn't you hear us knocking? Pauline We heard quite plainly, papa; but we didn't know it was you. The General (in a low voice to Vernon) They seem to be leagued against me. (Aloud) But what was it all about? Gertrude Dear husband, you always want to know everything! We were speaking for the moment about the tenants, about some acquaintance of ours. But let me go and ring for tea. The General But tell me all about it? Gertrude Why this is sheer tyranny! To tell the truth, we locked ourselves in so that no one would disturb us. Is that plain enough? Vernon I should think it quite plain. Gertrude (whispering to the General) I wished to worm her secrets out of your daughter, for it is evident that she has some secrets! And you come interrupting us, while I am working in your service--for Pauline is not my daughter; you arrive, as if you were charging a hostile squadron, and interrupt us, at the very moment I was going to learn something. The General Madame the Countess of Grandchamp, ever since the arrival of Godard-- Gertrude Ah! yes, Godard. Well! he is still here. The General Do not ridicule my words! Ever since yesterday nothing has gone as usual! By God! I'd like to know-- Gertrude Sir, this oath is the first I have ever heard from you. Felix, bring in the tea. (To the General) You are tired, it seems, of twelve years of happiness? The General I am not, and never will be a tyrant. A little time ago I came unexpectedly upon you and Ferdinand engaged in conversation, and I felt I was in the way. Again, I come home and you are locked in with my daughter, and my appearance seemed to put you out. And to cap all, last night-- Vernon Come, General, you can quarrel with Madame as much as you like, but not before other people. (Godard is heard approaching.) I hear Godard. (Whispers to the General) Is this keeping your promise to me? In treating with women--I am bound as a doctor to admit it--you must leave them to betray themselves; while at the same time you watch them carefully; otherwise your violence draws forth their tears, and when once the hydraulic machinery begins to play, they drown a man as if they had the strength of a triple Hercules!
The same persons and Godard.
Vernon No, I came to take some tea. Godard Ah! I see you keep up the custom of the English, Russians and Chinese. Pauline Would you prefer some coffee? Godard No, no; allow me to have some tea; I will, for once, deviate from my every-day custom. Moreover, you have your luncheon at noon, I see, and a cup of coffee with cream would take away my appetite for that meal. And then the English, the Russians and the Chinese are not entirely incorrect in taste. Vernon Tea, sir, is an excellent thing. Godard Yes, when it is good. Pauline This is caravan tea. Gertrude Doctor, have you seen the papers? (To Pauline) Go and talk to M. de Rimonville, my daughter, I, myself, will make tea. Godard Perhaps Mlle. De Grandchamp likes my conversation no better than my person? Pauline You are mistaken, sir. The General Godard-- Pauline Should you do me the favor of no longer seeking me in marriage, you would still possess in my eyes qualities of sufficient brilliancy to captivate the young ladies Boudeville, Clinville, Derville, etc. Godard That is enough, mademoiselle. Ah! How you do ridicule an unfortunate lover, in spite of his income of forty thousand francs! The longer I stay here, the more I regret it. What a lucky fellow M. Ferdinand de Charny is! Pauline Lucky? Why is he lucky? Poor fellow! Does his good fortune consist in the fact that he is my father's clerk? Gertrude M. de Rimonville-- The General Godard-- Gertrude M. de Rimonville-- The General Godard, my wife is speaking to you. Gertrude Do you like much or little sugar? Godard A moderate quality. Gertrude Not much cream, I suppose? Godard On the contrary, plenty of cream, countess. (To Pauline) Ah, M. Ferdinand is not then, after all the man who--whom you have distinguished by your favor? I can at least assure you that he is very much to the taste of your stepmother. Pauline (aside) How annoying these inquisitive provincials are! Godard (aside) It is fair that I should amuse myself a little at her expense before I take leave. I must get something out of this visit. Gertrude M. de Rimonville, if you desire anything solid, there are sandwiches here. Godard Thank you, madame. Gertrude (whispering to Godard) Your cause is not wholly lost. Godard O madame! I have thought a great deal over my rejection by Mlle. de Grandchamp. Gertrude Ah! (To the doctor) Doctor, you will take yours as usual, I suppose? Vernon If you please, madame. Godard (to Pauline) Did you say, "poor fellow," mademoiselle? For M. Ferdinand is not so poor as you think him. He is richer than I am! Pauline How do you know that? Godard I am certain of it, and I will tell you why. This M. Ferdinand, whom you think you know, is an exceedingly crafty fellow-- Pauline (aside) Can he possibly know his real name? Gertrude (aside) A few drops of opium in her tea will put her to sleep, and I shall be saved. Godard (to Pauline) You cannot deny the authority of him who has put me on the track. Pauline Oh, sir! Kindly tell-- Godard It was the prosecuting attorney. I remembered that at the house of the Boudevilles it was said that your clerk-- Pauline (aside) He is putting me on the rack. Gertrude (offering a cup to Pauline) Here, Pauline. Vernon (aside) Am I dreaming? I thought I saw her put something into Pauline's cup. Pauline (to Godard) And what did they say? Godard Ah! Ah! How attentive you are! I should have been exceedingly flattered to think that you put on that air when any one was talking about me, as I am now talking about M. Ferdinand de Charny. Pauline What a strange taste this tea has! You find yours good? Godard You talk about the tea in order to distract my attention from the interest you take in what I am telling you. I see through it all! Well, come now, I am going to astonish you. You must know that M. Ferdinand is-- Pauline Is--? Godard A millionaire. Pauline You are joking, M. Godard. Godard On my word of honor, mademoiselle, he possesses a treasure. (Aside) She is madly in love with him. Pauline (aside) How this fool startled me. (Pauline rises from her seat and Vernon takes the teacup from her hand.) Vernon Let me take it, my child. The General (to his wife) What ails you, dearest? You seem-- Vernon (who has retained Pauline's cup and returned his own in its place to Gertrude. Aside) It is laudanum; fortunately the dose is light; but it is very certain that something is about to happen. (To Godard) M. Godard, you are a crafty fox. (Godard takes out his handkerchief as if to blow his nose.) Ah! Godard Doctor, I bear no ill-will. Vernon Listen! Do you think that you could carry off the General to the factory and keep him there for an hour. Godard I would like to have that youngster to help me. Vernon He is at school until dinner-time. Godard Why do you wish me to do this? Vernon Now I beg of you, for you are a good fellow, to do as I bid you; it is necessary. Do you love Pauline? Godard I did love her yesterday, but this morning-- (Aside) I must find out what he is concealing from me. (To Vernon) It shall be done! I will go on to the veranda and come back again with a message that Ferdinand sends for the General. You may rely upon me. Ah! Here is Ferdinand himself, that is all right! (Godard goes on the veranda.) Pauline 'Tis peculiar, how drowsy I feel. (Pauline lies down on the divan; Ferdinand appears and talks with Godard.)
The same persons and Ferdinand.
The General That is only just to you. Pauline (drowsily) Ferdinand! Godard Ah, General, I'll take advantage of this occasion to visit your establishment with you, for I have never seen it. The General Very good, come along, Godard. Godard De Rimonville. Gertrude (aside) If they go away, fortune will favor me indeed. Vernon (who has overheard her, aside) Fortune, in this case, is represented by me--
Gertrude, Vernon, Pauline, and later Marguerite.
Vernon Thank you, but I am so deep in the election returns that I have not yet finished my first cup. Gertrude (pointing to Pauline) Poor child, you see she is sleeping? Vernon How is this? She is sleeping? Gertrude It is no wonder. Imagine, doctor, she did not go to sleep until three o'clock in this morning. We were greatly disturbed last night. Vernon Let me assist you to carry her to her room. Gertrude It is not necessary. Marguerite, help me put this poor child to bed. She will be more comfortable there. (Marguerite comes forward and assists Gertrude to carry Pauline away.)
Vernon, Felix (who enters at this juncture) and Marguerite later.
Felix Is there anything I can do for you, sir? Vernon Is there a closet anywhere here in which I can lock up something? Felix (pointing to the closet) Here is a place, sir. Vernon Good! Felix, don't say a word of this to a single soul. (Aside) He will be sure to remember it. (Aloud) I am playing a trick on the General, and the trick will fail if you say anything. Felix I will be as dumb as a fish. (The doctor takes from him the key of the closet.) Vernon And now leave me alone with your mistress, who is coming back here, and be on the watch that no one interrupts us for a moment. Felix (going out) Marguerite was right; there is something in the wind, that's certain. Marguerite (returning) There is nothing the matter. Mademoiselle is sleeping quietly. (Exit Marguerite.)
Vernon (alone) What can have set by the ears two women who have hitherto lived in peace? All doctors, little though they be philosophers, can tell. The poor General, who all his life has had no other idea excepting that of escaping the common lot! Yet I see no one here likely to cause him jealousy, but myself and Ferdinand. It is not probable that I am the man; but Ferdinand--Yet I have so far noticed nothing--I hear her coming! Now for the tug-of-war!
Vernon and Gertrude.
Vernon Madame, I have sent everybody away. Gertrude May I ask you why? Vernon In order that we may have our explanation without witnesses. Gertrude Explanation! By what right do you--you, the parasite of the house, pretend to have an explanation with the Comtesse de Grandchamp? Vernon I, a parasite? Madame! I have an income of ten thousand francs, besides my pension; I have the rank of general, and my fortune will be bequeathed to the children of my old friend! A parasite indeed! You forget that I am not only here as a friend but as a doctor, and--you poured certain drops of laudanum into Pauline's tea. Gertrude I? Vernon I saw you do it, and I have the cup. Gertrude You have the cup? Why, I washed it myself! Vernon Yes, you washed mine, which I gave you in exchange for that of Pauline! I was not reading the newspaper, I was watching you. Gertrude Oh! sir, how unworthy of you! Vernon You must confess that what I did then is of great service to you, for if you had by the effect of that draught brought Pauline to the brink of the grave, you would have been very glad of my services. Gertrude The brink of the grave--why, doctor, I put in only a very few drops. Vernon You admit, then, that you put opium in her tea? Gertrude Doctor--this is outrageous! Vernon That I have obtained a confession from you? Every woman under the same circumstances would have said the same thing. I know it by experience. But that is not all. You have several others things to confide in me. Gertrude (aside) He is a spy! The only thing I can do is to make him my accomplice. (Aloud) Doctor, you are too useful to me to admit of our quarreling. In a moment, if you will wait here, I will return and speak frankly to you. (Gertrude goes into her chamber and locks the door.) Vernon She has turned the key! I am caught, tricked! I cannot after all resort to violence. What is she doing? She is going to hide her flask of opium. A man is always wrong when he undertakes to discharge for a friend the offices which my old friend, this poor General, expects of me. She is going to entangle me--Ah! Here she comes. Gertrude (aside) I have burnt them! There is not a trace left--I am saved! (Aloud) Doctor! Vernon Madame? Gertrude My stepdaughter Pauline, whom you believed to be an innocent girl, an angel, had carried off furtively and criminally something whose discovery would have compromised the honor and the life of four persons. Vernon Four! (Aside) That is herself, the General--Ah! her son, perhaps--and the unknown. Gertrude This secret, concerning which she is forced to keep silence, even though it imperilled her life to do so-- Vernon I don't quite catch your meaning. Gertrude In short, the proofs of this secret are now destroyed! And you, doctor, who love us all, you would be as base, as infamous as she is--even more so, because you are a man, and have not the insensate passions of a woman!--You would be a monster if you were to take another step along the path on which you have now started-- Vernon You mean that for intimidation? Madame, since civilized society first sprang into being, the seed which you are sowing has produced a crop whose name is crime. Gertrude But there are four lives at stake; remember that. (Aside) He is giving way. (Aloud) In spite of this danger I demand that you will assist me in maintaining peace here, and that you will immediately go and get something by which Pauline may be roused from her slumber. And you will explain, if necessary, her drowsiness to the General. Further, you will give me back the cup, for I am sure you intend to do so, and each step that we take together in this affair shall be fully explained to you. Vernon Madame! Gertrude We must separate now, for the General will soon be back. Vernon (aside) I shall still look after you! I have now a weapon that I can use and-- (Exit Vernon.)
Gertrude (alone, leaning against the closet in which the cup is locked up) Where can he have hidden that cup?
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