Jacques prefers the executioner; he waits; he is cunning; he means to plead. If he but save his head, he is quite content. A few years at hard labor, I suppose, will be a trifle to him. And that coward should be a Boiscoran: my blood should flow in his veins! Come, come, madam, Jacques is no son of mine."Crushed as the marchioness had seemed to be till now, she rose under this atrocious insult.
"Sir!" she cried.
But M. de Boiscoran was not in a state to listen to her.
"I know what I am saying," he went on. "I remember every thing, if you have forgotten every thing. Come, let us go back to your past.
Remember the time when Jacques was born, and tell me what year it was when M. de Margeril refused to meet me."Indignation restored to the marchioness her strength. She cried,--"And you come and tell me this to-day, after thirty years, and God knows under what circumstances!""Yes, after thirty years. Eternity might pass over these recollections, and it would not efface them. And, but for these circumstances to which you refer, I should never have said any thing.
At the time to which I allude, I had to choose between two evils,--either to be ridiculous, or to be hated. I preferred to keep silence, and not to inquire too far. My happiness was gone; but I wished to save my peace. We have lived together on excellent terms; but there has always been between us this high wall, this suspicion. As long as I was doubtful, I kept silent. But now, when the facts confirm my doubts, I say again, 'Jacques is no son of mine!' "Overcome with grief, shame, and indignation, the Marchioness de Boiscoran was wringing her hands; then she cried,--"What a humiliation! What you are saying is too horrible. It is unworthy of you to add this terrible suffering to the martyrdom which I am enduring."M. de Boiscoran laughed convulsively.
"Have I brought about this catastrophe?"
"Well then yes! One day I was imprudent and indiscreet. I was young; Iknew nothing of life; the world worshipped me; and you, my husband, my guide, gave yourself up to your ambition, and left me to myself. Icould not foresee the consequences of a very inoffensive piece of coquetry.""You see, then, now these consequences. After thirty years, I disown the child that bears my name; and I say, that, if he is innocent, he suffers for his mother's sins. Fate would have it that your son should covet his neighbor's wife, and, having taken her, it is but justice that he should die the death of the adulterer.""But you know very well that I have never forgotten my duty.""I know nothing."
"You have acknowledged it, because you refused to hear the explanation which would have justified me.""True, I did shrink from an explanation, which, with your unbearable pride, would necessarily have led to a rupture, and thus to a fearful scandal."The marchioness might have told her husband, that, by refusing to hear her explanation, he had forfeited all right to utter a reproach; but she felt it would be useless, and thus he went on,--"All I do know is, that there is somewhere in this world a man whom Iwanted to kill. Gossiping people betrayed his name to me. I went to him, and told him that I demanded satisfaction, and that I hoped he would conceal the real reason for our encounter even from our seconds.
He refused to give me satisfaction, on the ground that he did not owe me any, that you had been calumniated, and that he would meet me only if I should insult him publicly.""Well?"
"What could I do after that? Investigate the matter? You had no doubt taken your precautions, and it would have amounted to nothing. Watch you? I should only have demeaned myself uselessly; for you were no doubt on your guard. Should I ask for a divorce? The law afforded me that remedy. I might have dragged you into court, held you up to the sarcasms of my counsel, and exposed you to the jests of your own. Ihad a right to humble you, to dishonor my name, to proclaim your disgrace, to publish it in the newspapers. Ah, I would have died rather!"The marchioness seemed to be puzzled.