the brotherhood of consolation-第30节

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those　despairing　gestures　made　only　by　the　wretched。　〃The　little　money
that　I　had；for　in　1830　I　was　cast　from　a　high　position；in　fact；
all　that　I　possessed；　was　soon　used　by　on　my　daughter's　illness；　her
mother；　too；　was　ruined　by　it；　and　finally　her　husband。　To…day　the
pension　I　receive　from　the　government　barely　suffices　for　the　actual
necessities　of　my　poor；　dear；　saintly　child。　The　faculty　of　tears　has
left　me；　I　have　suffered　tortures。　Monsieur；　I　must　be　granite　not　to
have　died。　But　no；　God　had　kept　alive　the　father　that　the　child　might
have　a　nurse；　a　providence。　Her　poor　mother　died　of　the　strain。　Ah！
you　have　come；　young　man；　at　a　moment　when　the　old　tree　that　never　yet
has　bent　feels　the　axethe　axe　of　poverty；　sharpened　by　sorrowat
his　roots。　Yes；　here　am　I；　who　never　complain；　talking　to　you　of　this
illness　so　as　to　prevent　you　from　coming　to　the　house；　or；　if　you
still　persist；　to　implore　you　not　to　trouble　our　peace。　Monsieur；　at
this　moment　my　daughter　barks　like　a　dog；　day　and　night。〃

〃Is　she　insane？〃　asked　Godefroid。

〃Her　mind　is　sound；　she　is　a　saint；〃　replied　the　old　man。　〃You　will
presently　think　I　am　mad　when　I　tell　you　all。　Monsieur；　my　only　child；
my　daughter　was　born　of　a　mother　in　excellent　health。　I　never　in　my
life　loved　but　one　woman；　the　one　I　married。　I　married　the　daughter　of
one　of　the　bravest　colonels　of　the　Imperial　guard；　Tarlowski；　a　Pole；
formerly　on　the　staff　of　the　Emperor。　The　functions　that　I　exercised
in　my　high　position　demanded　the　utmost　purity　of　life　and　morals；　but
I　have　never　had　room　in　my　heart　for　many　feelings；　and　I　faithfully
loved　my　wife；　who　deserved　such　love。　I　am　a　father　in　like　manner　as
I　was　a　husband；　and　that　is　telling　you　all　in　one　word。　My　daughter
never　left　her　mother；　no　child　has　ever　lived　more　chastely；　more
truly　a　Christian　life　than　my　dear　daughter。　She　was　born　more　than
pretty；　she　was　born　most　beautiful；　and　her　husband；　a　young　man　of
whose　morals　I　was　absolutely　sure；he　was　the　son　of　a　friend　of
mine；　the　judge　of　one　of　the　Royal　courts；did　not　in　any　way
contribute　to　my　daughter's　illness。〃

Godefroid　and　Monsieur　Bernard　made　an　involuntary　pause；　and　looked
at　each　other。

〃Marriage；　as　you　know；　sometimes　changes　a　young　woman　greatly；〃
resumed　the　old　man。　〃The　first　pregnancy　passed　well　and　produced　a
son；　my　grandson；　who　now　lives　with　us；　the　last　scion　of　two
families。　The　second　pregnancy　was　accompanied　by　such　extraordinary
symptoms　that　the　physicians；　much　astonished；　attributed　them　to　the
caprice　of　phenomena　which　sometimes　manifest　themselves　in　this
state；　and　are　recorded　by　physicians　in　the　annals　of　science。　My
daughter　gave　birth　to　a　dead　child；　in　fact；　it　was　twisted　and
smothered　by　internal　movements。　The　disease　had　begun；　the　pregnancy
counted　for　nothing。　Perhaps　you　are　a　student　of　medicine？〃

Godefroid　made　a　sign　which　answered　as　well　for　affirmation　as　for
negation。

〃After　this　terrible　confinement；〃　resumed　Monsieur　Bernard；〃so
terrible　and　laborious　that　it　made　a　violent　impression　on　my　son…in…
law　and　began　the　mortal　melancholy　of　which　he　died；my　daughter；
two　or　three　months　later；　complained　of　a　general　weakness　affecting；
particularly；　her　feet；　which　she　declared　felt　like　cottonwood。　This
debility　changed　to　paralysis；and　what　a　paralysis！　My　daughter's
feet　and　legs　can　be　bent　or　twisted　in　any　way　and　she　does　not　feel
it。　The　limbs　are　there；　apparently　without　blood　or　muscles　or　bones。
This　affection；　which　is　not　connected　with　anything　known　to　science；
spread　to　the　arms　and　hands；　and　we　then　supposed　it　to　be　a　disease
of　the　spinal　cord。　Doctors　and　remedies　only　made　matters　worse　until
at　last　my　poor　daughter　could　not　be　moved　without　dislocating　either
the　shoulders；　the　arms；　or　the　knees。　I　kept　an　admirable　surgeon
almost　constantly　in　the　house；　who；　with　the　doctor；　or　doctors　（for
many　came　out　of　interest　in　the　case）；　replaced　the　dislocated　limbs；
sometimes；　would　you　believe　it　monsieur？　three　and　four　times　a
day！　Ah！This　disease　has　so　many　forms　that　I　forgot　to　tell　you
that　during　the　first　period　of　weakness；　before　the　paralysis　began；
the　strangest　signs　of　catalepsy　appearedyou　know　what　catalepsy　is。
She　remained　for　days　with　her　eyes　wide　open；　motionless；　in　whatever
position　she　was　when　the　attack　seized　her。　The　worst　symptoms　of
that　strange　affection　were　shown；　even　those　of　lockjaw。　This　phase
of　her　illness　suggested　to　me　the　idea　of　employing　magnetism；　and　I
was　about　to　do　so　when　the　paralysis　began。　My　daughter；　monsieur；
has　a　miraculous　clear…sightedness；　her　soul　has　been　the　theatre　of
all　the　wonders　of　somnambulism；　just　as　her　body　has　been　that　of　all
diseases。〃

Godefroid　began　to　ask　himself　if　the　old　man　were　really　sane。

〃So　that　I；〃　continued　Monsieur　Bernard　paying　no　attention　to　the
expression　in　Godefroid's　eyes；　〃even　I；　a　child　of　the　eighteenth
century；　fed　on　Voltaire；　Diderot；　Helvetius；I；　a　son　of　the
Revolution；　who　scoff　at　all　that　antiquity　and　the　middle…ages　tell
us　of　demoniacal　possession；well；　monsieur；　I　affirm　that　nothing
but　such　possession　can　explain　the　condition　of　my　child。　As　a
somnambulist　she　has　never　been　able　to　tell　us　the　cause　of　her
sufferings；　she　has　never　perceived　it；　and　all　the　remedies　she　has
proposed　when　in　that　state；　though　carefully　carried　out；　have　done
her　no　good。　For　instance；　she　wished　to　be　wrapped　in　the　carcass　of
a　freshly　killed　pig；　then　she　ordered　us　to　run　the　sharp　points　of
ret…hot　magnets　into　her　legs；　and　to　put　hot　sealing…wax　on　her
spine〃

Godefroid　looked　at　him　in　amazement。

〃And　then！　what　endless　other　troubles；　monsieur！　her　teeth　fell　out；
she　became　deaf；　then　dumb；　and　then；　after　six　months　of　absolute
dumbness；　utter　deafness；　speech　and　hearing　have　returned　to　her！　She
recovered；　just　as　capriciously　as　she　had　lost；　the　use　of　her　hands。
But　her　feet　have　continued　in　the　same　hapless　condition　for　the　last
seven　years。　She　has　shown　marked　and　well…characterized　symptoms　of
hydrophobia。　Not　only　does　the　sight　of　water；　the　sound　of　water；　the
presence　of　a　glass　or　a　cup　fling　her　at　times　into　a　state　of　fury；
but　she　barks　like　a　dog；　that　melancholy　bark；　or　rather　howl；　a　dog
utters　when　he　hears　an　organ。　Several　times　we　have　thought　her
dying；　and　the　priests　had　administered　the　last　sacraments；　but　she
has　always　returned　to　life　to　suffer　with　her　full　reason　and　the
most　absolute　clearness　of　mind；　for　her　faculties　of　heart　and　soul
are　still　untouched。　Though　she　has　lived；　monsieur；　she　has　caused
the　deaths　of　her　mother　and　her　husband；　who　have　not　been　able　to
endure　the　suffering　of　such　scenes。　Alas！　monsieur；　those　distressing
scenes　are　becoming　worse。　All　the　natural　functions　are　perverted；
the　Faculty　alone　can　explain　the　strange　aberration　of　the　organs。
She　was　in　this　state　when　I　brought　her　from　the　provinces　to　Paris
in　1829；　because　the　two　or　three　distinguished　doctors　to　whom　I
wrote；　Desplein；　Bianchon；　and　Haudry；　thought　from　my　letters　that　I
was　telling　them　fables。　Magnetism　was　then　energetically　denied　by
all　the　schools　of　medicine；　and　without　saying　that　they　doubted
either　my　word　or　that　of　the　provincial　doctors；　they　said　we　could
not　have　observed　thoroughly；　or　else　we　had　been　misled　by　the
exaggeration　which　patients　are　apt　to　indulge　in。　But　they　were
forced　to　change　their　minds　when　they　saw　my　daughter；　and　it　is　to
the　phenomena　they　then　observed　that　the　great　researches　made　in
these　latter　days　are　owing；　for　I　must　tell　you　that　they　class　my
daughter's　singular　state　as　a　form　of　neurosis。　At　the　last
consultation　of　these　gentlemen　they　decided　to　stop　all　medicines；　to
let　nature　alone　and　study　it。　Since　then　I　have　had　but　one　doctor；
and　he　is　the　doctor　who　attends　the　poor　of　this　quarter。　We　do
nothing　for　her　now　but　alleviate　pain；　for　we　know　not　the　cause　of
it。〃

Here　the　old　man　stopped　as　if　overcome　with　his　harrowing　confidence。

〃For　the　last　five　years；〃　he　continued；　〃my　daughter　alternates
between　revivals　and　relapses；　but　no　new　phenomena　have　appeared。　She
suffers　more　or　less　from　the　varied　nervous　attacks　I　have　briefly
described　to　you；　but　the　paralysis　of　the　legs　and　the　derangement　of
the　natural　functions　are　constant。　The　poverty　into　which　we　fell；
and　which　alas！　is　only　increasing；　obliged　me　to　leave　the　rooms　that
I　took；　in　1829；　in　the　faubourg　du　Roule。　My　daughter　cannot　endure
the　fatigue　of　moving；　I　came　near　losing　her　when　I　brought　her　to
Paris；　and　again　when　I　removed　her　to　this　house。　Here　my　worst
financial　misfortunes　have　come　upon　me。　After　thirty　years　in　the
public　service　I　was　made　to　wait　four　years　before　my　pension　was
granted。　I　have　only　received　it　during　the　last　six　months　and　even
then　the　new　government　has　sternly　cut　it　down　to　the　minimum。〃

Godefroid　made　a　gesture　of　surprise　which　seemed　to　ask　for　a　more
complete　confidence。　The　old　man　so　understood　it；　for　he　answered
immediately；　casting　a　reproachful　glance　to　heaven：

〃I　am　one　of　the　tho