Scenes from a Courtesan's Life [30]
in a straight line from Locusta; while Europe filled you with uneasiness, which could not fail to increase the more you had to do with her; her corruption seemed boundless. You felt that she could set the devils by the ears.
"Madame might say she had come from Valenciennes," said Europe in a precise little voice. "I was born there--Perhaps monsieur," she added to Lucien in a pedantic tone, "will be good enough to say what name he proposes to give to madame?"
"Madame van Bogseck," the Spaniard put in, reversing Esther's name. "Madame is a Jewess, a native of Holland, the widow of a merchant, and suffering from a liver-complaint contracted in Java. No great fortune --not to excite curiosity."
"Enough to live on--six thousand francs a year; and we shall complain of her stinginess?" said Europe.
"That is the thing," said the Spaniard, with a bow. "You limbs of Satan!" he went on, catching Asie and Europe exchanging a glance that displeased him, "remember what I have told you. You are serving a queen; you owe her as much respect as to a queen; you are to cherish her as you would cherish a revenge, and be as devoted to her as to me. Neither the door-porter, nor the neighbors, nor the other inhabitants of the house--in short, not a soul on earth is to know what goes on here. It is your business to balk curiosity if any should be roused.-- And madame," he went on laying his broad hairy hand on Esther's arm, "madame must not commit the smallest imprudence; you must prevent it in case of need, but always with perfect respect.
"You, Europe, are to go out for madame in anything that concerns her dress, and you must do her sewing from motives of economy. Finally, nobody, not even the most insignificant creature, is ever to set foot in this apartment. You two, between you, must do all there is to be done.
"And you, my beauty," he went on, speaking to Esther, "when you want to go out in your carriage by night, you can tell Europe; she will know where to find your men, for you will have a servant in livery, of my choosing, like those two slaves."
Esther and Lucien had not a word ready. They listened to the Spaniard, and looked at the two precious specimens to whom he gave his orders. What was the secret hold to which he owed the submission and servitude that were written on these two faces--one mischievously recalcitrant, the other so malignantly cruel?
He read the thoughts of Lucien and Esther, who seemed paralyzed, as Paul and Virginia might have been at the sight of two dreadful snakes, and he said in a good-natured undertone:
"You can trust them as you can me; keep no secrets from them; that will flatter them.--Go to your work, my little Asie," he added to the cook.--"And you, my girl, lay another place," he said to Europe; "the children cannot do less than ask papa to breakfast."
When the two women had shut the door, and the Spaniard could hear Europe moving to and fro, he turned to Lucien and Esther, and opening a wide palm, he said:
"I hold them in the hollow of my hand."
The words and gesture made his hearers shudder.
"Where did you pick them up?" cried Lucien.
"What the devil! I did not look for them at the foot of the throne!" replied the man. "Europe has risen from the mire, and is afraid of sinking into it again. Threaten them with Monsieur Abbe when they do not please you, and you will see them quake like mice when the cat is mentioned. I am used to taming wild beasts," he added with a smile.
"You strike me as being a demon," said Esther, clinging closer to Lucien.
"My child, I tried to win you to heaven; but a repentant Magdalen is always a practical joke on the Church. If ever there were one, she would relapse into the courtesan in Paradise. You have gained this much: you are forgotten, and have acquired the manners of a lady, for you learned in the convent what you never could have learned in the ranks of infamy in which you were living.--You owe me nothing," said he, observing a beautiful look of gratitude on Esther's face. "I did it all for him," and he pointed to Lucien.
"Madame might say she had come from Valenciennes," said Europe in a precise little voice. "I was born there--Perhaps monsieur," she added to Lucien in a pedantic tone, "will be good enough to say what name he proposes to give to madame?"
"Madame van Bogseck," the Spaniard put in, reversing Esther's name. "Madame is a Jewess, a native of Holland, the widow of a merchant, and suffering from a liver-complaint contracted in Java. No great fortune --not to excite curiosity."
"Enough to live on--six thousand francs a year; and we shall complain of her stinginess?" said Europe.
"That is the thing," said the Spaniard, with a bow. "You limbs of Satan!" he went on, catching Asie and Europe exchanging a glance that displeased him, "remember what I have told you. You are serving a queen; you owe her as much respect as to a queen; you are to cherish her as you would cherish a revenge, and be as devoted to her as to me. Neither the door-porter, nor the neighbors, nor the other inhabitants of the house--in short, not a soul on earth is to know what goes on here. It is your business to balk curiosity if any should be roused.-- And madame," he went on laying his broad hairy hand on Esther's arm, "madame must not commit the smallest imprudence; you must prevent it in case of need, but always with perfect respect.
"You, Europe, are to go out for madame in anything that concerns her dress, and you must do her sewing from motives of economy. Finally, nobody, not even the most insignificant creature, is ever to set foot in this apartment. You two, between you, must do all there is to be done.
"And you, my beauty," he went on, speaking to Esther, "when you want to go out in your carriage by night, you can tell Europe; she will know where to find your men, for you will have a servant in livery, of my choosing, like those two slaves."
Esther and Lucien had not a word ready. They listened to the Spaniard, and looked at the two precious specimens to whom he gave his orders. What was the secret hold to which he owed the submission and servitude that were written on these two faces--one mischievously recalcitrant, the other so malignantly cruel?
He read the thoughts of Lucien and Esther, who seemed paralyzed, as Paul and Virginia might have been at the sight of two dreadful snakes, and he said in a good-natured undertone:
"You can trust them as you can me; keep no secrets from them; that will flatter them.--Go to your work, my little Asie," he added to the cook.--"And you, my girl, lay another place," he said to Europe; "the children cannot do less than ask papa to breakfast."
When the two women had shut the door, and the Spaniard could hear Europe moving to and fro, he turned to Lucien and Esther, and opening a wide palm, he said:
"I hold them in the hollow of my hand."
The words and gesture made his hearers shudder.
"Where did you pick them up?" cried Lucien.
"What the devil! I did not look for them at the foot of the throne!" replied the man. "Europe has risen from the mire, and is afraid of sinking into it again. Threaten them with Monsieur Abbe when they do not please you, and you will see them quake like mice when the cat is mentioned. I am used to taming wild beasts," he added with a smile.
"You strike me as being a demon," said Esther, clinging closer to Lucien.
"My child, I tried to win you to heaven; but a repentant Magdalen is always a practical joke on the Church. If ever there were one, she would relapse into the courtesan in Paradise. You have gained this much: you are forgotten, and have acquired the manners of a lady, for you learned in the convent what you never could have learned in the ranks of infamy in which you were living.--You owe me nothing," said he, observing a beautiful look of gratitude on Esther's face. "I did it all for him," and he pointed to Lucien.