"No, Josephine, I will not leave you till this terrible meeting is over.We will encounter him hand in hand, as we used to go when our hearts were one, and we deceived others, but never each other."At this tender reproach Josephine fell upon her neck and wept.
"I will not deceive you," she said."I am worse than the poor doctor thinks me.My life is but a little candle that a breath may put out any day."Rose said nothing, but trembled and watched her keenly.
"My little Henri," said Josephine imploringly, "what would you do with him--if anything should happen to me?""What would I do with him? He is mine.I should be his mother.
Oh! what words are these: my heart! my heart!""No, dearest; some day you will be married, and owe all the mother to your children; and Henri is not ours only: he belongs to some one I have seemed unkind to.Perhaps he thinks me heartless.For I am a foolish woman; I don't know how to be virtuous, yet show a man my heart.But THEN he will understand me and forgive me.Rose, love, you will write to him.He will come to you.You will go together to the place where I shall be sleeping.You will show him my heart.
You will tell him all my long love that lasted to the end.YOU need not blush to tell him all.I have no right.Then you will give him his poor Josephine's boy, and you will say to him, 'She never loved but you: she gives you all that is left of her, her child.She only prays you not to give him a bad mother.'"Poor soul! this was her one bit of little, gentle jealousy; but it made her eyes stream.She would have put out her hand from the tomb to keep her boy's father single all his life.
"Oh! my Josephine, my darling sister," cried Rose, "why do you speak of death? Do you meditate a crime?""No; but it was on my heart to say it: it has done me good.""At least, take me to your bosom, my well-beloved, that I may not SEE your tears.""There--tears? No, you have lightened my heart.Bless you! bless you!"The sisters twined their bosoms together in a long, gentle embrace.
You might have taken them for two angels that flowed together in one love, but for their tears.
A deep voice was now heard in the sitting-room.
Josephine and Rose postponed the inevitable one moment more, by arranging their hair in the glass: then they opened the door, and entered the tapestried room.
Raynal was sitting on the sofa, the baroness's hand in his.Edouard was not there.
Colonel Raynal had given him a strange look, and said, "What, you here?" in a tone of voice that was intolerable.
Raynal came to meet the sisters.He saluted Josephine on the brow.
"You are pale, wife: and how cold her hand is.""She has been ill this month past," said Rose interposing.
"You look ill, too, Mademoiselle Rose."
"Never mind," cried the baroness joyously, "you will revive them both."Raynal made no reply to that.
"How long do you stay this time, a day?"
"A month, mother."
The doctor now joined the party, and friendly greetings passed between him and Raynal.
But ere long somehow all became conscious this was not a joyful meeting.The baroness could not alone sustain the spirits of the party, and soon even she began to notice that Raynal's replies were short, and that his manner was distrait and gloomy.The sisters saw this too, and trembled for what might be coming.
At last Raynal said bluntly, "Josephine, I want to speak to you alone."The baroness gave the doctor a look, and made an excuse for going down-stairs to her own room.As she was going Josephine went to her and said calmly,--"Mother, you have not kissed me to-day."
"There! Bless you, my darling!"
Raynal looked at Rose.She saw she must go, but she lingered, and sought her sister's eye: it avoided her.At that Rose ran to the doctor, who was just going out of the door.
"Oh! doctor," she whispered trembling, "don't go beyond the door.Ifound her praying.My mind misgives me.She is going to tell him--or something worse."
"What do you mean?"
"I am afraid to say all I dread.She could not be so calm if she meant to live.Be near! as I shall.She has a phial hid in her bosom."She left the old man trembling, and went back.
"Excuse me," said she to Raynal, "I only came to ask Josephine if she wants anything.""No!--yes!--a glass of eau sucree."
Rose mixed it for her.While doing this she noticed that Josephine shunned her eye, but Raynal gazed gently and with an air of pity on her.
She retired slowly into Josephine's bedroom, but did not quite close the door.
Raynal had something to say so painful that he shrank from plunging into it.He therefore, like many others, tried to creep into it, beginning with something else.
"Your health," said he, "alarms me.You seem sad, too.I don't understand that.You have no news from the Rhine, have you?""Monsieur!" said Josephine scared.
"Do not call me monsieur, nor look so frightened.Call me your friend.I am your sincere friend.""Oh, yes; you always were."
"Thank you.You will give me a dearer title before we part this time.""Yes," said Josephine in a low whisper, and shuddered.
"Have you forgiven me frightening you so that night?""Yes."
"It was a shock to me, too, I can tell you.I like the boy.She professed to love him, and, to own the truth, I loathe all treachery and deceit.If I had done a murder, I would own it.A lie doubles every crime.But I took heart; we are all selfish, we men; of the two sisters one was all innocence and good faith; and she was the one I had chosen."At these words Josephine rose, like a statue moving, and took a phial from her bosom and poured the contents into the glass.
But ere she could drink it, if such was her intention, Raynal, with his eyes gloomily lowered, said, in a voice full of strange solemnity,--"I went to the army of the Rhine."
Josephine put down the glass directly, though without removing her hand from it.
"I see you understand me, and approve.Yes, I saw that your sister would be dishonored, and I went to the army and saw her seducer.""You saw HIM.Oh, I hope you did not go and speak to him of--of this?""Why, of course I did."
