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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

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