England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
acute suffering of the present, the apprehensions of the future, made
them seek solace in talking of the past. Monsieur de Crequy and the
gardener found themselves disputing with interest in which chimney of
the stack the starling used to build,—the starling whose nest Clement
sent to Urian, you remember, and discussing the merits of different
espalier-pears which grew, and may grow still, in the old garden of
the Hotel de Crequy. Towards morning both fell asleep. The old man
wakened first. His frame was deadened to suffering, I suppose, for he
felt relieved of his pain; but Clement moaned and cried in feverish
slumber. His broken arm was beginning to inflame his blood. He was,
besides, much injured by some kicks from the crowd as he fell. As the
old man looked sadly on the white, baked lips, and the flushed cheeks,
contorted with suffering even in his sleep, Clement gave a sharp cry
which disturbed his miserable neighbours, all slumbering around in
uneasy attitudes. They bade him with curses be silent; and then turning
round, tried again to forget their own misery in sleep. For you see,
the bloodthirsty canaille had not been sated with guillotining and
hanging all the nobility they could find, but were now informing,
right and left, even against each other; and when Clement and Jacques
were in the prison, there were few of gentle blood in the place,
and fewer still of gentle manners. At the sound of the angry words
and threats, Jacques thought it best to awaken his master from his
feverish uncomfortable sleep, lest he should provoke more enmity; and,
tenderly lifting him up, he tried to adjust his own body, so that it
should serve as a rest and a pillow for the younger man. The motion
aroused Clement, and he began to talk in a strange, feverish way, of
Virginie, too,—whose name he would not have breathed in such a place
had he been quite himself. But Jacques had as much delicacy of feeling
as any lady in the land, although, mind you, he knew neither how to
read nor write,—and bent his head low down, so that his master might
tell him in a whisper what messages he was to take to Mademoiselle de
Crequy, in case—Poor Clement, he knew it must come to that! No escape
for him now, in Norman disguise or otherwise! Either by gathering fever
or guillotine, death was sure of his prey. Well! when that happened,
Jacques was to go and find Mademoiselle de Crequy, and tell her that
her cousin loved her at the last as he had loved her at the first;
but that she should never have heard another word of his attachment
from his living lips; that he knew he was not good enough for her, his
queen; and that no thought of earning her love by his devotion had
prompted his return to France, only that, if possible, he might have
the great privilege of serving her whom he loved. And then he went off
into rambling talk about petit-maitres, and such kind of expressions,
said Jacques to Flechier, the intendant, little knowing what a clue
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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