The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III
General
The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III
Literature -- Collections
Never was Republic One and Indivisible at a lower ebb. Amid dim
ferment, History specially notices one thing: in the lobby of the
Maison de l'Intendance, where busy Deputies are coming and going, a
young Lady with an aged valet, taking grave graceful leave of Deputy
Barbaroux. She is of stately Norman figure: in her twenty-fifth year;
of beautiful still countenance: her name is Charlotte Corday,
heretofore styled D'Armans, while Nobility still was. Barbaroux has
given her a note to Deputy Duperret,--him who once drew his sword in
the effervescence. Apparently she will to Paris on some errand? "She
was a Republican before the Revolution, and never wanted energy." A
completeness, a decision is in this fair female Figure: "By energy
she means the spirit that will prompt one to sacrifice himself for his
country." What if she, this fair young Charlotte, had emerged from her
secluded stillness, suddenly like a Star; cruel-lovely, with
half-angelic, half-demonic splendor; to gleam for a moment, and in a
moment be extinguished; to be held in memory, so bright complete was
she, through long centuries!--Quitting Cimmerian Coalitions without,
and the dim-simmering twenty-five million within, History will look
fixedly at this one fair Apparition of a Charlotte Corday; will note
whither Charlotte moves, how the little Life burns forth so radiant,
then vanishes swallowed of the Night.
With Barbaroux's Note of Introduction, and slight stock of luggage, we
see Charlotte on Tuesday the 9th of July seated in the Caen Diligence,
with a place for Paris. None takes farewell of her, wishes her
Good-journey: her Father will find a line left, signifying that she is
gone to England, that he must pardon her, and forget her. The drowsy
Diligence lumbers along; amid drowsy talk of Politics, and praise of
the Mountain; in which she mingles not: all night, all day, and again
all night. On Thursday, not long before noon, we are at the bridge of
Neuilly; here is Paris with her thousand black domes, the goal and
purpose of thy journey! Arrived at the Inn de la Providence in the Rue
des Vieux Augustins, Charlotte demands a room; hastens to bed; sleeps
all afternoon and night, till the morrow morning.
On the morrow morning, she delivers her Note to Duperret. It relates
to certain Family Papers which are in the Minister of the Interior's
hands; which a Nun at Caen, an old Convent friend of Charlotte's, has
need of; which Duperret shall assist her in getting: this then was
Charlotte's errand to Paris? She has finished this, in the course of
Friday:--yet says nothing of returning. She has seen and silently
investigated several things. The Convention, in bodily reality, she
has seen; what the Mountain is like. The living physiognomy of
Marat[47] she could not see; he is sick at present, and confined to
home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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