Louise Goillard went into the adjoining room, and returned with an ewer. The marquis affected to rinse his lips, and said--"I come from a great distance on a most important matter. Be assured that I shall be properly grateful for your services."He felt in his pocket, and pulled out a purse, which he rolled between his fingers.
"In the first place; you must swear to the greatest secrecy.""There is no need of that with us," said Louise Goillard; " that is the first condition of our craft.""I must have more express guarantees, and your oath that you will reveal to no one in the world what I am going to confide to you.""I give you my word, then, since you demand it; but I repeat that this is superfluous; you do not know me.""Consider that this is a most serious matter, that I am as it were placing my head in your hands, and that I would lose my life a thousand times rather than see this mystery unravelled.""Consider also," bluntly replied the midwife, "that we ourselves are primarily interested in all the secrets entrusted to us; that an indiscretion would destroy all confidence in us, and that there are even cases----You may speak."When the marquis had reassured her as to himself by this preface, he continued: "I know that you are a very able woman.""I could indeed wish to be one, to serve you.".
"That you have pushed the study of your art to its utmost limits.""I fear they have been flattering your humble servant.""And that your studies have enabled you to predict the future.""That is all nonsense."
"It is true; I have been told so."
"You have been imposed upon."
"What is the use of denying it and refusing to do me a service?"Louise Goillard defended herself long: she could not understand a man of this quality believing in fortune-telling, which she practised only with low-class people and rich farmers; but the marquis appeared so earnest that she knew not what to think.
"Listen," said he, "it is no use dissembling with me, I know all. Be easy; we are playing a game in which you are laying one against a thousand; moreover, here is something on account to compensate you for the trouble I am giving."He laid a pile of gold on the table. The matron weakly owned that she had sometimes attempted astrological combinations which were not always fortunate, and that she had been only induced to do so by the fascination of the phenomena of science. The secret of her guilty practices was drawn from her at the very outset of her defence.
"That being so," replied the marquis, "you must be already aware of the situation in which I find myself; you must know that, hurried away by a blind and ardent passion, I have betrayed the confidence of an old lady and violated the laws of hospitality by seducing her daughter in her own house; that matters have come to a crisis, and that this noble damsel, whom I Love to distraction, being pregnant, is on the point of losing her life and honour by the discovery of her fault, which is mine."The matron replied that nothing could be ascertained about a person except from private questions; and to further impose upon the marquis, she fetched a kind of box marked with figures and strange emblems. Opening this, and putting together certain figures which it contained, she declared that what the marquis had told her was true, and that his situation was a most melancholy one. She added, in order to frighten him, that he was threatened by still more serious misfortunes than those which had already overtaken him, but that it was easy to anticipate and obviate these mischances by new consultations.
"Madame," replied the marquis, "I fear only one thing in the world, the dishonour of the woman I love. Is there no method of remedying the usual embarrassment of a birth?""I know of none," said the matron.
"The young lady has succeeded in concealing her condition; it would be easy for her confinement to take place privately.""She has already risked her life; and I cannot consent to be mixed up in this affair, for fear of the consequences.""Could not, for instance," said the marquis, "a confinement be effected without pain?""I don't know about that, but this I do" know, that I shall take very good care not to practise any method contrary to the laws of nature.""You are deceiving me: you are acquainted with this method, you have already practised it upon a certain person whom I could name to you.""Who has dared to calumniate me thus? I operate only after the decision of the Faculty. God forbid that I should be stoned by all the physicians, and perhaps expelled from France!""Will you then let me die of despair? If I were capable of making a bad use of your secrets, I could have done so long ago, for I know them. In Heaven's name, do not dissimulate any longer, and tell me how it is possible to stifle the pangs of labour. Do you want more gold? Here it is." And he threw more Louis on the table.
"Stay," said the matron: "there is perhaps a method which I think Ihave discovered, and which I have never employed, but I believe it efficacious.""But if you have never employed it, it may be dangerous, and risk the life of the lady whom I love.""When I say never, I mean that I have tried it once, and most successfully. Be at your ease.""Ah!" cried the marquis, "you have earned my everlasting gratitude!
But," continued he, "if we could anticipate the confinement itself, and remove from henceforth the symptoms of pregnancy?""Oh, sir, that is a great crime you speak of!""Alas!" continued the marquis, as if speaking to himself in a fit of intense grief; "I had rather lose a dear child, the pledge of our love, than bring into the world an unhappy creature which might possibly cause its mother's death.""I pray you, sir, let no more be said on the subject; it is a horrible crime even to think of such a thing.""But what is to be done? Is it better to destroy two persons and perhaps kill a whole family with despair? Oh, madame, I entreat you, extricate us from this extremity!"The marquis buried his face in his hands, and sobbed as though he were weeping copiously.
