France -- History -- Wars of the Vendée, 1793-1832 -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction
A red flush came to Camille’s face, and his eyes went down to the ground
at his very feet, nor did he once raise them while the doctor told him
how the sad news had come. “Picard the notary brought us the Moniteur,
and there was Commandant Raynal among the killed in a cavalry skirmish.”
With this, he took the journal from his pocket, and Camille read it,
with awe-struck, and other feelings he would have been sorry to see
analyzed. He said not a word; and lowered his eyes to the ground.
“And now,” said Aubertin, “you will excuse me. I must go to my poor
friend the baroness. She had a mother’s love for him who is no more:
well she might.”
Aubertin went away, and left Dujardin standing there like a statue, his
eyes still glued to the ground at his feet.
The doctor was no sooner out of sight, than Camille raised his eyes
furtively, like a guilty person, and looked irresolutely this way
and that: at last he turned and went back to the place where he had
meditated suicide and murder; looked down at it a long while, then
looked up to heaven--then fell suddenly on his knees: and so remained
till night-fall. Then he came back to the chateau.
He whispered to himself, “And I am afraid it is too late to go away
to-night.” He went softly into the saloon. Nobody was there but Rose and
Aubertin. At sight of him Rose got up and left the room. But I suppose
she went to Josephine; for she returned in a few minutes, and rang the
bell, and ordered some supper to be brought up for Colonel Dujardin.
“You have not dined, I hear,” said she, very coldly.
“I was afraid you were gone altogether,” said the doctor: then turning
to Rose, “He told me he was going this evening. You had better stay
quiet another day or two,” added he, kindly.
“Do you think so?” said Camille, timidly.
He stayed upon these terms. And now he began to examine himself. “Did
I wish him dead? I hope I never formed such a thought! I don’t remember
ever wishing him dead.” And he went twice a day to that place by the
stream, and thought very solemnly what a terrible thing ungoverned
passion is; and repented--not eloquently, but silently, sincerely.
But soon his impatient spirit began to torment itself again. Why did
Josephine shun him now? Ah! she loved Raynal now that he was dead. Women
love the thing they have lost; so he had heard say. In that case, the
very sight of him would of course be odious to her: he could understand
that. The absolute, unreasoning faith he once had in her had been
so rudely shaken by her marriage with Raynal, that now he could only
believe just so much as he saw, and he saw that she shunned him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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