Eça de Queirós

“ The lamp that Sebastião had left on the floor, by the side of a chair, gave her rigid features livid tones, her distorted mouth was set in a grimace, and her half-open eyes, fixed immovably in death, were veiled by a cloud like a diaphanous cobweb. Everything around seemed motionless and dead. The silver on the shelves of the sideboard gleamed faintly in the light, and the cuckoo-clock continued its ceaseless ticking.
Julião examined her and then stood up, shaking his hands.
“She is dead, and very dead,” he said. “She must be taken away from here. Where is her room?” ”

“ She followed with joy the growing pallor of Juliana’s countenance, and fixed all her hopes on the aneurism. After all, might it not burst any day? And Jorge, meanwhile, was never tired of praising this woman!
Life weighed heavy upon her. No sooner did Jorge close the street-door behind him in the morning than a feeling of melancholy, blended with an indefinable fear, descended upon her soul like a funereal pall; she did not dress till four or five o’clock in the afternoon. Clad in a loose wrapper, her feet thrust into slippers, her hair in disorder, she wandered listlessly about her room. ”

“ They reached Lumiar, and Bazilio, through considerations of prudence, lowered the carriage-blinds. Luiza raised one of them slightly, and looking out, gazed as they passed them by, at the trees covered with dust, the walls of a villa painted a dirty rose-color, some mean-looking houses, an empty omnibus, some women seated before their doors in the shade, combing their children’s hair, and a youth dressed in white, with a straw hat, who stopped to look fixedly at the drawn blinds of the coupé. ”

“ If Jorge were not there she would enter, with a sense of contentment, into long chats with Marianna while she ate her jelly. At other times she would silently form plans, her eyes fixed on the ceiling; she would go for a few weeks to the country to re-establish her health and on her return she would set to work to embroider strips of cashmere to cover anew the parlor furniture; for she wanted to occupy herself with household matters, and to live quietly. Jorge would not go back to Alemtejo, he would not leave Lisbon again. Thus life would for the future be easy and sweet. ”

“ Would they pity her? Would they cry, “What a shameless creature!” or “What an unfortunate woman!” Behind her window-blinds she followed with her glance the promenades of Senhor Paula on the pavement below, the heavy immobility of the coal-vender at her door, and the movements of the three Azevedos behind their window-curtains. They would all exclaim, “Did we not say so?” How horrible! At other times she suddenly fancied she saw Jorge standing before her, terrible in his anger, with her letters in his hand, and she drew back as if she felt the physical pain of his blows. ”

“ She had a lover! Motionless in the middle of the room, her arms folded, her gaze fixed, she repeated to herself, “I have a lover!” She recalled the scene in the parlor last night, and those periods of silence in which life seemed to pause, while the eyes in the portrait of Jorge’s mother—eyes whose blackness was enhanced by the pallor of the countenance in which they were set—gazed at her from the wall with the fixed gaze of a portrait. At this moment Juliana entered the room with a basket of freshly-ironed linen. ”

“ No sooner had Jorge gone away than Juliana swept into Luiza’s room like a whirlwind, closed the door behind her, and began to cry out that the mistress soiled a heap of clothes, the master a heap of shirts, and that without assistance she could not do so much work. “Whoever wants slaves must go to Brazil for them,” she ended. “And I am in no humor to put up with the ill-temper of your husband, do you understand, Senhora? If there is so much put upon me to do I must have help.” ”

“ And standing before her dressing-table she looked at herself in the glass with a vague wistfulness, as if she sought there her image as it must shortly be, stricken by grief, her eyes weary with weeping. For the crisis had at last come. If Jorge insisted on discharging this woman, she could not, without provoking a terrible explanation, say to him, “I do not wish her to go; I wish her to die here.” And Juliana, finding herself dismissed, desperate, sick, and seeing that Luiza did not interpose in her behalf, would take her revenge. ”

“ Suddenly she flew into a violent passion, demanded her letters, heaped maledictions on Juliana, and in the same breath, in the midst of endearing epithets spoke of sums of money. Jorge feared that in her delirium she would reveal everything to Julião and to the servants, and a cold perspiration covered his brow. At times he would fly like a madman from the room, and throw himself on the sofa in the parlor, sobbing and writhing in anguish. ”

“ Luiza glanced up, dazed, as if a flash of lightning had suddenly passed through the room. But everything was motionless; not a fold of the curtains moved; the two little porcelain shepherds smiled pretentiously as before upon the dressing-table. She took off her wrapper quickly, put on a gown, without waiting to lace herself, then a winter wrap, then her hat, without smoothing her hair, left the house, hurried down the steps, and almost ran through the street, entangling her feet in the folds of her gown. ”

“ When Sebastião was gone, she began to walk up and down the room, preoccupied by this idea. To allow himself to be made love to by the shopkeeper’s wife, the wife of the delegate, and who could tell how many others! She had confidence in him, of course, but after all, he was a man. And suddenly she pictured him to herself in the embrace of the shopkeeper’s wife, or imprinting a kiss on the neck of the wife of the delegate; and imaginary instances of Jorge’s faithlessness thronged tumultuously to her mind. ”

“ At this, Ernesto, his hair carefully curled, and with a placid expression on his countenance, made his appearance. He bowed to the audience with a sigh of pleasure, and each time he made his bow he jumped to one side and another, that he might not stain his patent-leather slippers with Cousin Luiza’s blood. She felt herself expiring, when suddenly she heard confusedly a voice saying,—
“Hello! How is every one here?”
It sounded like Jorge’s voice. Whence did it come? From the sky? From the pit? From the hall? She heard a noise as of luggage being thrown on the floor, and she sat up in bed. ”

“ There are so many insects in it that I have to sleep with my clothes on; while if the senhora should feel a single bite, she has the slave take her bed apart, and clean it for her. The servant is a beast of burden; let her work if she can, if not, to the street or to the hospital with her! But my turn has come at last!” she ended, striking her breast with revengeful fury. “It is I who am mistress now!”
Luiza sobbed in silence.
“Does the senhora weep? I, too, have wept a great deal. I wish you no ill; no, Senhora, amuse yourself, enjoy yourself, but I must have my money. ”

“ Julião ordered another blister. Confusion reigned in the house. Joanna came into the room, when no one looked for her, with some broth that no one had asked for, her eyes red with weeping. Marianna sobbed in corners. Donna Felicidade came and went, shut herself up in the parlor to pray, made vows to the saints, and considered whether it might not be well to call in Dr. Barbosa or Dr. Barral.
Luiza meantime remained motionless; the livid hue of her features imparted to them a rigid and swollen appearance. ”

“ They say I have grown thin; you yourself have noticed it. My life is a hell. If Jorge were to know! That vile wretch threatened to tell him everything to-day. I work like a slave. In the morning I sweep and put things in order; often I wash the breakfast things. Have pity on me, Sebastião, if it were only for his sake! Unhappy creature that I am, I have no one in the world to turn to.” And burying her face in her hands, she burst into a fresh fit of weeping. ”

“ Luiza gave him a message for Jorge.
They gazed in silence at the staircase of the hotel, on which the shaded lamps diffused a soft light. Donna Felicidade, curious to know something of hotel life, observed attentively the laundress, who was just then entering with a basket of clothes; then a lady who descended the staircase in evening dress, her feet encased in white satin slippers; and she smiled as she saw the passers-by cast curious glances at them through the open window of the carriage.
“They are dying to know who we are,” she said. ”

“ Leopoldina expressed her astonishment. A man who had so many friends, and who could lead so agreeable a life, to leave Lisbon! “Am I not right?” she said, turning to Luiza in order to draw her out of her embarrassed silence.
“Yes, indeed,” murmured Luiza.
She was seated on the edge of a chair, filled with terror, and longing to fly. The persistent gaze of Castro from behind his eye-glasses annoyed her.
Leopoldina leaned back on the sofa, and with an accusing gesture of the finger,—
“Ah, there are petticoats at the bottom of this journey to France,” she said. ”

“ Luiza sprang up from her seat, livid. “It is Jorge!” she thought. She crushed the letter convulsively in her hand, and tried to hide it in her pocket, but there was none in her morning-gown. Without stopping to think, and half distracted, she threw it into the sarcophagus. She remained standing, waiting in suspense, her hands resting on the table.
The portière was raised, and disclosed the blue velvet hat of Donna Felicidade.
“Shut up here? What were you doing? But what is the matter? You are as white as chalk.” ”

“ He returned in a carriage half an hour later with Julião; Luiza was sleeping heavily.
“She needs care; we shall see,” said Julião, shaking his head, while Jorge watched him anxiously from the other side of the bed. He wrote a prescription, and remained to breakfast. The day was cold and cloudy. Marianna, wrapped in a shawl, waited at table, her fingers swollen with chilblains. Jorge felt depressed, as if the mists of the atmosphere were gathering around his soul. What could be the cause of this fever? he asked Julião disconsolately. ”

“ Day was dawning. Jorge stood up, and going over to the window looked out. The rain had ceased, and the pavements were beginning to dry; the light was gray and misty. Silence reigned over everything. A forgotten towel moved slowly in the cold wind on the balcony of the Azevedos.
Jorge went into the alcove. Luiza was muttering in a gasping voice. She was vaguely conscious of the mustard plasters, but the pain in her head had not abated. She began to toss about in bed, and shortly afterwards the delirium returned. Julião ordered her hair to be cut off at once. ”

“ You can tell your master now anything you please; the only thing wanting is that he should believe it. It will only end in your getting a good thrashing, you thief!”
Juliana muttered between her teeth. It was amusing! They had everything on their side, the police, the prison, fetters, Africa. And she—nothing.
All her hatred against Luiza burst forth.
“She is no better than a street-walker,” she exclaimed, “and I am an honest woman; no man can boast of ever having laid a hand on me. And that hypocrite!”
Her shawl had fallen from her shoulders, and she felt an uneasy sensation in the throat. ”

“ Luiza was dying. Her beautiful arms, that she had so often caressed before the looking-glass, were already paralyzed; her eyes, that had flamed with passion or shone humid with pleasure, were sunken in their sockets. Donna Felicidade and Marianna had placed a lighted lamp before an engraving of the Virgin of Sorrows, and were praying on their knees. Twilight was falling sadly, and seemed to bring with it a funereal silence. The bell rang discreetly, and a few moments afterwards the countenance of the Counsellor Accacio appeared at the bedroom, door. ”

“ Juliana, well lodged, well fed, with fine white under-clothing without stint, began to find some savor in life; her nature expanded in the midst of this abundance; and then, judiciously advised by Aunt Victoria, she performed her duties with zeal and skill. She took care of Luiza’s gowns as if they were relics; never had Jorge’s collars been so lustrous. The October sun shone cheerfully into the house, clean and orderly as a convent. Even the cat grew fatter. ”

“ At this epoch the two youthful neighbors, Jorge and Sebastião, became intimate. Jorge, the more active and enterprising of the two, ruled his comrade. In their sports in the garden Sebastião, if they played coach, was always the horse; if they played soldiers, he was always the defeated party. He carried the heavy things; he allowed Jorge to jump over his back, at leap-frog; in their feasts he contented himself with the bread and left the fruits to Jorge. This friendship, uninterrupted and unclouded, was to remain, throughout Sebastião’s life, an essential and permanent element in it. ”

“ In the solemn accents of Donna Felicidade there was a note of superstitious respect.
“He says she has wrought miracles,” she continued; “men who had abandoned girls after deceiving them, others who neglected their sweethearts, husbands who had ceased to care for their wives,—in a word, in every case of the kind it operates with magic speed. The man first grows melancholy, then enamoured, and ends by being madly in love with the woman he has scorned. The man has told me all about it, and I have resolved at once—”
“To employ this magic charm with the counsellor,” said Luiza. ”

“ And, by the way, if Senhor Sebastião, or any other visitor, should call, admit him.”
The gentleman, then, was a cousin. These visits had lost all their interest for Juliana. Her malicious curiosity, swelled out to its fullest proportions, suffered a momentary collapse, like a sail when the wind has fallen. He was her cousin!
She went slowly upstairs to the kitchen.
“I have news to tell you, Senhora Joanna,” she said. “The petit-maître is a cousin,—Cousin Bazilio, it seems. Bazilio! It turns out that we have a cousin at last; how nice!”
“Why, who should the man be but a relative?” ”

“ When she left the room Luiza said to Leopoldina,—
“Take care what you say before her.”
“Ah, yes,” responded Leopoldina, smiling; “you are right; we must remember we are not alone.”
And when Juliana returned with the codfish she rewarded her by a torrent of praises.
“Bravo! Superb! Delicious!”
She touched the codfish with the point of her fork. It was fried a light brown, and fell apart in flakes.
“Now you shall see. You do not like this? You are the loser; it is delicious.”
And she added with decision, “Bring me some garlic, Senhora Juliana, and plenty of it.” ”

“ Sebastião ventured to remark.
“It makes me tremble to think of it; but what is to be done?” said Jorge. “I am accustomed to the house, and it is my own; I have arranged it according to my taste; it is an economy to live here. If it were not for all this, I should not remain here a day longer.”
“The neighborhood is in truth a detestable one,” repeated Sebastião.
“Luiza, poor girl,” continued Jorge, “is an angel; but she is like a child, she knows nothing of the world, and owing to her amiable disposition she allows herself to be imposed upon. This is what happens in Leopoldina’s case. ”

“ Juliana took her broth slowly, as if she had hardly strength enough to lift the spoon to her lips. Joanna consoled her in low tones. And then, the Senhora Juliana was too easily excited. When one’s health was poor, there was nothing worse than to allow one’s self to get excited. ”

“ Donna Felicidade did not answer; half risen from her chair, her eyes bright and humid, she was making persistent gestures of salutation to some one with her hand.
“They have not seen me,” she exclaimed at last, with an air of desperation.
“Is it the counsellor?” asked Luiza.
“No, it is the Countess of Alviella; she did not see me; she often goes to the Chapel of the Encarnação; she is a friend of mine; she is an angel; her father-in-law is with her; see!”
Bazilio did not take his eyes from Luiza’s face. ”

“ Sebastião, with a sense of humiliation, lowered his eyes; but Julião grew indignant.
“You are demoralized by the vitalist doctrine, unhappy man!” he cried. “A theory which pretends that the laws which govern matter are not the same as those which govern life is a scientific heresy, and Bichat, who teaches it, an idiot.”
“Bah!” cried the student, beside himself with anger.
To call Bichat an idiot,—that was indeed idiocy. But Julião treated the insult with contempt, and continued excitedly,—
“What does the principle of life matter to us? It matters as much to me as the first shirt I put on. ”

“ Why speak of running away? It is a question of money, which is what she wants. Find out how much she asks, and give it to her.”
“No, no!” cried Luiza. “I cannot remain here. This woman might sell the letters, but she would keep the secret in her possession, and she might at any moment reveal it. If Jorge knows it, I am lost. I have not the courage to return home; I should never know a tranquil moment after he came back. We will go to-day,—shall we? Or if not to-day, to-morrow. If he should know it, he would kill me, Bazilio! ”

“ But as they passed under the gas-lamps he glanced at Luiza’s countenance through her white veil; her profile was full of grace; her dress followed perfectly the curves of her figure, and there was an undulating languor in her gait. The thought occurred to him, and he gave utterance to it aloud, that it was a pity there was not in Lisbon a restaurant where they might go and eat the wing of a partridge, moistened with a bottle of champagne frappé. ”

“ Jorge’s frank and good-humored countenance was as attractive to her now as that of the other was repellent; she hated him now.
When Jorge left the house she was trembling with nervousness. She went out into the balcony. The sun shone brightly; the street looked inviting. Why should she not go out? The harsh voice of Juliana resounded on the stairs leading to the kitchen, and that hated sound decided her. She dressed herself with care; she was a woman, and she desired to look her best. She reached Leopoldina’s house out of breath just as it was striking twelve in S. Roque. ”