juana-第8节

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in　a　piercing　voice。



But；　at　a　word　from　Perez；　the　apprentice　closed　and　bolted　the　doors；

so　that　the　soldiers　were　delayed　by　battering　them　in。　Before　they

could　enter；　the　Marana　had　time　to　strike　her　dagger　into　the　guilty

man；　but　anger　hindered　her　aim；　the　blade　slipped　upon　the　Italian's

epaulet；　though　she　struck　her　blow　with　such　force　that　he　fell　at

the　very　feet　of　Juana；　who　took　no　notice　of　him。　The　Marana　sprang

upon　him；　and　this　time；　resolved　not　to　miss　her　prey；　she　caught　him

by　the　throat。



〃I　am　free　and　I　will　marry　her！　I　swear　it；　by　God；　by　my　mother；　by

all　there　is　most　sacred　in　the　world；　I　am　a　bachelor；　I　will　marry

her；　on　my　honor！〃



And　he　bit　the　arm　of　the　courtesan。



〃Mother；〃　said　Juana；　〃kill　him。　He　is　so　base　that　I　will　not　have

him　for　my　husband；　were　he　ten　times　as　beautiful。〃



〃Ah！　I　recognize　my　daughter！〃　cried　the　mother。



〃What　is　all　this？〃　demanded　the　quartermaster；　entering　the　room。



〃They　are　murdering　me；〃　cried　Montefiore；　〃on　account　of　this　girl；

she　says　I　am　her　lover。　She　inveigled　me　into　a　trap；　and　they　are

forcing　me　to　marry　her〃



〃And　you　reject　her？〃　cried　Diard；　struck　with　the　splendid　beauty

which　contempt；　hatred；　and　indignation　had　given　to　the　girl；　already

so　beautiful。　〃Then　you　are　hard　to　please。　If　she　wants　a　husband　I

am　ready　to　marry　her。　Put　up　your　weapons；　there　is　no　trouble　here。〃



The　Marana　pulled　the　Italian　to　the　side　of　her　daughter's　bed　and

said　to　him；　in　a　low　voice；



〃If　I　spare　you；　give　thanks　for　the　rest　of　your　life；　but；　remember

this；　if　your　tongue　ever　injures　my　daughter　you　will　see　me　again。

Go！How　much　'dot'　do　you　give　her？〃　she　continued；　going　up　to

Perez。



〃She　has　two　hundred　thousand　gold　piastres；〃　replied　the　Spaniard。



〃And　that　is　not　all；　monsieur；〃　said　the　Marana；　turning　to　Diard。

〃Who　are　you？Go！〃　she　repeated　to　Montefiore。



The　marquis；　hearing　this　statement　of　gold　piastres；　came　forward

once　more；　saying；



〃I　am　really　free〃



A　glance　from　Juana　silenced　him。



〃You　are　really　free　to　go；〃　she　said。



And　he　went　immediately。



〃Alas！　monsieur；〃　said　the　girl；　turning　to　Diard；　〃I　thank　you　with

admiration。　But　my　husband　is　in　heaven。　To…morrow　I　shall　enter　a

convent〃



〃Juana；　my　Juana；　hush！〃　cried　the　mother；　clasping　her　in　her　arms。

Then　she　whispered　in　the　girl's　ear。　〃You　MUST　have　another　husband。〃



Juana　turned　pale。　She　freed　herself　from　her　mother　and　sat　down　once

more　in　her　arm…chair。



〃Who　are　you；　monsieur？〃　repeated　the　Marana；　addressing　Diard。



〃Madame；　I　am　at　present　only　the　quartermaster　of　the　6th　of　the

line。　But　for　such　a　wife　I　have　the　heart　to　make　myself　a　marshal　of

France。　My　name　is　Pierre…Francois　Diard。　My　father　was　provost　of

merchants。　I　am　not〃



〃But；　at　least；　you　are　an　honest　man；　are　you　not？〃　cried　the　Marana；

interrupting　him。　〃If　you　please　the　Signorina　Juana　di　Mancini；　you

can　marry　her　and　be　happy　together。Juana；〃　she　continued　in　a　grave

tone；　〃in　becoming　the　wife　of　a　brave　and　worthy　man　remember　that

you　will　also　be　a　mother。　I　have　sworn　that　you　shall　kiss　your

children　without　a　blush　upon　your　face〃　（her　voice　faltered

slightly）。　〃I　have　sworn　that　you　shall　live　a　virtuous　life；　expect；

therefore；　many　troubles。　But；　whatever　happens；　continue　pure；　and　be

faithful　to　your　husband。　Sacrifice　all　things　to　him；　for　he　will　be

the　father　of　your　childrenthe　father　of　your　children！　If　you　take

a　lover；　I；　your　mother；　will　stand　between　you　and　him。　Do　you　see

that　dagger？　It　is　in　your　'dot；'〃　she　continued；　throwing　the　weapon

on　Juana's　bed。　〃I　leave　it　there　as　the　guarantee　of　your　honor　so

long　as　my　eyes　are　open　and　my　arm　free。　Farewell；〃　she　said；

restraining　her　tears。　〃God　grant　that　we　may　never　meet　again。〃



At　that　idea；　her　tears　began　to　flow。



〃Poor　child！〃　she　added；　〃you　have　been　happier　than　you　knew　in　this

dull　home。Do　not　allow　her　to　regret　it；〃　she　said；　turning　to

Diard。



The　foregoing　rapid　narrative　is　not　the　principal　subject　of　this

Study；　for　the　understanding　of　which　it　was　necessary　to　explain　how

it　happened　that　the　quartermaster　Diard　married　Juana　di　Mancini；

that　Montefiore　and　Diard　were　intimately　known　to　each　other；　and　to

show　plainly　what　blood　and　what　passions　were　in　Madame　Diard。







CHAPTER　III



THE　HISTORY　OF　MADAME　DIARD



By　the　time　that　the　quartermaster　had　fulfilled　all　the　long　and

dilatory　formalities　without　which　no　French　soldier　can　be　married；

he　was　passionately　in　love　with　Juana　di　Mancini；　and　Juana　had　had

time　to　think　of　her　coming　destiny。



An　awful　destiny！　Juana；　who　felt　neither　esteem　nor　love　for　Diard；

was　bound　to　him　forever；　by　a　rash　but　necessary　promise。　The　man　was

neither　handsome　nor　well…made。　His　manners；　devoid　of　all

distinction；　were　a　mixture　of　the　worst　army　tone；　the　habits　of　his

province；　and　his　own　insufficient　education。　How　could　she　love

Diard；　she；　a　young　girl　all　grace　and　elegance；　born　with　an

invincible　instinct　for　luxury　and　good　taste；　her　very　nature　tending

toward　the　sphere　of　the　higher　social　classes？　As　for　esteeming　him；

she　rejected　the　very　thought　precisely　because　he　had　married　her。

This　repulsion　was　natural。　Woman　is　a　saintly　and　noble　creature；　but

almost　always　misunderstood；　and　nearly　always　misjudged　because　she

is　misunderstood。　If　Juana　had　loved　Diard　she　would　have　esteemed

him。　Love　creates　in　a　wife　a　new　woman；　the　woman　of　the　day　before

no　longer　exists　on　the　morrow。　Putting　on　the　nuptial　robe　of　a

passion　in　which　life　itself　is　concerned；　the　woman　wraps　herself　in

purity　and　whiteness。　Reborn　into　virtue　and　chastity；　there　is　no

past　for　her；　she　is　all　future；　and　should　forget　the　things　behind

her　to　relearn　life。　In　this　sense　the　famous　words　which　a　modern

poet　has　put　into　the　lips　of　Marion　Delorme　is　infused　with　truth；



〃And　Love　remade　me　virgin。〃



That　line　seems　like　a　reminiscence　of　a　tragedy　of　Corneille；　so

truly　does　it　recall　the　energetic　diction　of　the　father　of　our　modern

theatre。　Yet　the　poet　was　forced　to　sacrifice　it　to　the　essentially

vaudevillist　spirit　of　the　pit。



So　Juana　loveless　was　doomed　to　be　Juana　humiliated；　degraded；

hopeless。　She　could　not　honor　the　man　who　took　her　thus。　She　felt；　in

all　the　conscientious　purity　of　her　youth；　that　distinction；　subtle　in

appearance　but　sacredly　true；　legal　with　the　heart's　legality；　which

women　apply　instinctively　to　all　their　feelings；　even　the　least

reflective。　Juana　became　profoundly　sad　as　she　saw　the　nature　and　the

extent　of　the　life　before　her。　Often　she　turned　her　eyes；　brimming

with　tears　proudly　repressed；　upon　Perez　and　Dona　Lagounia；　who　fully

comprehended；　both　of　them；　the　bitter　thoughts　those　tears　contained。

But　they　were　silent：　of　what　good　were　reproaches　now；　why　look　for

consolations？　The　deeper　they　were；　the　more　they　enlarged　the　wound。



One　evening；　Juana；　stupid　with　grief；　heard　through　the　open　door　of

her　little　room；　which　the　old　couple　had　thought　shut；　a　pitying　moan

from　her　adopted　mother。



〃The　child　will　die　of　grief。〃



〃Yes；〃　said　Perez；　in　a　shaking　voice；　〃but　what　can　we　do？　I　cannot

now　boast　of　her　beauty　and　her　chastity　to　Comte　d'Arcos；　to　whom　I

hoped　to　marry　her。〃



〃But　a　single　fault　is　not　vice；〃　said　the　old　woman；　pitying　as　the

angels。



〃Her　mother　gave　her　to　this　man；〃　said　Perez。



〃Yes；　in　a　moment；　without　consulting　the　poor　child！〃　cried　Dona

Lagounia。



〃She　knew　what　she　was　doing。〃



〃But　oh！　into　what　hands　our　pearl　is　going！〃



〃Say　no　more；　or　I　shall　seek　a　quarrel　with　that　Diard。〃



〃And　that　would　only　lead　to　other　miseries。〃



Hearing　these　dreadful　words　Juana　saw　the　happy　future　she　had　lost

by　her　own　wrongdoing。　The　pure　and　simple　years　of　her　quiet　life

would　have　been　rewarded　by　a　brilliant　existence　such　as　she　had

fondly　dreamed；dreams　which　had　caused　her　ruin。　To　fall　from　the

height　of　Greatness　to　Monsieur　Diard！　She　wept。　At　times　she　went

nearly　mad。　She　floated　for　a　while　between　vice　and　religion。　Vice

was　a　speedy　solution；　religion　a　lifetime　of　suffering。　The

meditation　was　stormy　and　solemn。　The　next　day　was　the　fatal　day；　the

day　for　the　marriage。　But　Juana　could　still　remain　free。　Free；　she

knew　how　far　her　misery　would　go；　married；　she　was　ignorant　of　where

it　went　or　what　it　might　bring　her。



Religion　triumphed。　Dona　Lagounia　stayed　beside　her　child　and　prayed

and　watched　as　she　would　have　prayed　and　watched　beside　the　dying。



〃God　wills　it；〃　she　said　to　Juana。



Nature　gives　to　woman　alternately　a　strength　which　enables　her　to

suffer　and　a　weakness　which　leads　her　to　resignation。　Juana　resigned

herself；　and　without　restriction。　She　determined　t