Yvette

“ Yvette suddenly fixed her eyes upon her, and a suspicion, rather a feeling than a doubt, passed through her mind as a shadow of a cloud driven by the wind passes over the ground.
The bell rang for breakfast. It was silent and almost gloomy. There was a storm in the air. Great solid clouds rested upon the horizon, mute and heavy, but charged with a tempest. As soon as they had taken their coffee on the terrace, the Marquise asked:
"Well, darling, are you going to take a walk today with your friend Servigny? It is a good time to enjoy the coolness under the trees." ”

“ Yvette takes from her hair the bonnet-rouge.
Séraphine
Psst! Little fool! Put on the cap again!
Yvette
It is too heavy!
Séraphine
Saint Yves! Put it on!
De Vardes
The duel’s o’er; the night is drawing on;
Dark is thy form against the crimson sky,
Rémond Lalain! Stand further off, my foe!
And now I think I see thee not at all,
And that is well! ”

“ They are the bad ones in reality."
She was standing near the bed of the distracted Yvette, who wanted to cry out "Help," to escape. Yvette wept aloud, like children who are whipped. The Marquise was silent and looked at her daughter, and, seeing her overwhelmed with despair, felt, herself, the pangs of grief, remorse, tenderness, and pity, and throwing herself upon the bed with open arms, she also began to sob and stammered:
"My poor little girl, my poor little girl, if you knew, how you were hurting me." And they wept together, a long while. ”

“ Yvette replied with a theatrical energy: "No, mamma, that man shall leave the house, or I shall go myself, for I will not weaken."
"And where will you go? What will you do?"
"I do not know, it matters little—I want you to be an honest woman."
These words which recurred, aroused in the Marquise a perfect fury, and she cried:
"Be silent. I do not permit you to talk to me like that. I am as good as anybody else, do you understand? I lead a certain sort of life, it is true, and I am proud of it; the 'honest women' are not as good as I am." ”

“ A collegian, wanting to show off, rowed like a windmill against all the other boats, bringing the curses of their oarsmen down upon his head, and disappearing in dismay after almost drowning two swimmers, followed by the shouts of the crowd thronging in the great floating cafe.
Yvette, radiantly happy, taking Servigny's arm, went into the midst of this noisy mob. She seemed to enjoy the crowding, and stared at the girls with a calm and gracious glance.
"Look at that one, Muscade," she said. "What pretty hair she has! They seem to be having such fun!" ”

“ Yvette
Beside the stream I slept and dreamed of thee!
I knew it not, but sure I dreamed of thee,
For in my sleep I thought I saw a king!
De Vardes
O love!—
Yvette
It is Morbec arises there!
The sands that stretch above the idle waves,
And all the little shells upon the shore!
De Vardes
The convent bell is ringing! Seest thou not
The fountain old, the fruit trees in the sun?
Yvette
Oh, life was never made for happiness! ”

“ De Vardes (to Yvette)
I owe my life to thee, thou hapless child!
Ah, couldst thou make this throng depart the place!
Yvette
Monseigneur—
The Crowd
Goddess of Reason! light the torch!
Yvette
I’m faint!—The houses all are dancing there!—
Give me drink!
A Man
Here’s wine! ”

“ Yvette danced with joy, clapping and repeating: "Oh! Muscade, what fun! what fun!"
Servigny looked on, having become serious, a little disturbed, a little chilled to see her so much at her ease in this common place. A sort of instinct revolted in him, that instinct of the proper, which a well-born man always preserves even when he casts himself loose, that instinct which avoids too common familiarities and too degrading contacts. ”

“ Yvette marched with a military step, holding Belvigne by the arm, as a prisoner is led. She did not laugh; upon her features sat a pale seriousness, a sort of sinister calm. Servigny interrupted his trumpet blasts only to shout orders. The Prince and the Chevalier were greatly amused, finding all this very funny and in good taste. The two recruits drummed away continually.
When they arrived at the fete, they made a sensation. Girls applauded; young men jeered, and a stout gentleman with his wife on his arm said enviously: "There are some people who are full of fun." ”

“ The Marquise had taken Saval's arm, and Yvette, Servigny's. The four were alone by themselves. The two women seemed entirely different persons from what they were at Paris, especially Yvette. She talked but little, and seemed languid and grave.
Saval, hardly recognizing her in this frame of mind, asked her: "What is the matter, Mademoiselle? I find you changed since last week. You have become quite a serious person."
"It is the country that does that for me," she replied. "I am not the same, I feel queer; besides I am never two days alike. ”

“ A cool freshness of damp earth permeated the air under the lofty and clustered branches, where there seemed to be as many nightingales as there were leaves. A distant piano began to play a popular waltz.
Servigny took Yvette's arm and very gently slipped his hand around her waist and gave her a slight hug.
"What are you thinking about?" he said.
"I? About nothing at all. I am very happy!"
"Then you don't love me?"
"Oh, yes, Muscade, I love you, I love you a great deal; only leave me alone. It is too beautiful here to listen to your nonsense." ”

“ Then the Marquise, in whom grief could not long endure, softly rose, and gently said:
"Come, darling, it is unavoidable; what would you have? Nothing can be changed now. We must take life as it comes to us."
Yvette continued to weep. The blow had been too harsh and too unexpected to permit her to reflect and to recover at once.
Her mother resumed: "Now, get up and come down to breakfast, so that no one will notice anything."
The young girl shook her head as if to say, "No," without being able to speak. ”

“ Never has Yvette been more fascinating, never more authoritative than during those three afternoons at Maxine Elliott's Theatre, devoted ostensibly to the dissection of her method, but before she had unpacked a single instrument it must have been perfectly obvious to every auditor in the hall that she was taking great pains to explain just how impossible it would be for any one to follow in her footsteps, for any one to imitate her astonishing career. ”

“ Yvette
The light is growing in the east! My heart
It is so full I cannot speak to thee!
234De Vardes
Put thou thine arms about my neck, Yvette,
And lay thy head upon thy lover’s heart,
And veil thine eyes with all thy shadowy hair.
Now let them bind us with what cords they will,
The spirit moves unbound, triumphant, free,
Not through the Loire, but through a vaster stream!
Oh, it is something dimly great to die!
And then to die together, is’t not sweet?
And not through illness, age, decrepitude,
But the armed man is ready for new wars.
And thou—
Yvette
I hear the lark! ”

“ Monsieur de Servigny is too rich for you, and too much of a Parisian to marry." Yvette rose softly. She added: "But if he loves me as he says he does, mamma?"
Her mother replied, with some impatience: "I thought you big enough and wise enough not to have such ideas. Servigny is a man-about-town and an egotist. He will never marry anyone but a woman of his set and his fortune. If he asked you in marriage, it is only that he wants—"
The Marquise, incapable of expressing her meaning, was silent for a moment, then continued: "Come now, leave me alone and go to bed." ”

“ The Marquise entered, having jumped from her bed at the first words of the chambermaid, for a suspicion had possessed her, heart since that cry: "Mamma!" heard in the dark.
"What is the matter?" she said.
Yvette looked at her and stammered: "I—I—" Then overpowered by a sudden and terrible emotion, she began to choke.
The Marquise, astonished, again asked: "What in the world is the matter with you?"
Then, forgetting all her plans and prepared phrases, the young girl hid her face in both hands and stammered:
"Oh! mamma! Oh! mamma!" ”

“ The frogs were croaking monotonously upon the bank, and numerous nightingales were uttering their low, sweet song in the calm and peaceful air.
Yvette suddenly said: "Gracious! They are not walking behind us any more, where are they?" And she called out: "Mamma!" No voice replied. The young girl resumed: "At any rate, they can't be far away, for I heard them just now."
Servigny murmured: "They must have gone back. Your mother was cold, perhaps." And he drew her along. ”

“ People are more free in the country, and I shall succeed in finding out what ideas Yvette has in her head!"
"I should like nothing better," replied Saval. "I have nothing to do that day."
Passing down through the Champs-Elysees, under the steps they disturbed a couple making love on one of the benches, and Servigny muttered: "What foolishness and what a serious matter at the same time! How commonplace and amusing love is, always the same and always different! ”

“ She well knew, from her experience, that her daughter could not marry a man who was rich and of good society, excepting by a totally improbable chance, by one of those surprises of love which place adventuresses on thrones.
She had not considered it, furthermore, being too much occupied with herself to make any plans which did not directly concern herself.
Yvette would do as her mother, undoubtedly. She would lead a gay life. Why not? But the Marquise had never dared ask when, or how. That would all come about in time. ”

“ Then she was placed in bed. He arose very pale.
"She will come to herself," he said, "it is nothing." For he had heard her breathe in a continuous and regular way. But seeing all the men with their eyes fixed on Yvette in bed, he was seized with a jealous irritation, and advanced toward them. "Gentlemen," he said, "there are too many of us in this room; be kind enough to leave us alone,—Monsieur Saval and me—with the Marquise." ”

“ Sometimes nodding but never asleep, she had too much natural astuteness to be deceived a minute about Servigny's intentions, for she knew men by experience, and especially men of that set. So at the first words uttered by Yvette, she had cried almost in spite of herself: "Servigny, marry you? You are crazy!"
How had he come to employ that old method, he, that sharp man of the world? What would he do now? And she, the young girl, how should she warn her more clearly and even forbid her, for she might make great mistakes. ”

“ Only Yvette, although silent, seemed animated and nervous with impatience. As soon as they had finished the last course she said:
"If we were to go for a walk in the forest, it would be deliciously cool under the trees."
The Marquise murmured with a listless air: "Are you mad? Does anyone go out in such weather?"
And the young girl, delighted, rejoined: "Oh, well! We will leave the Baron to keep you company. Muscade and I will climb the hill and sit on the grass and read."
And turning toward Servigny she asked: "That is understood?"
"At your service, Mam'zelle," he replied. ”

“ And saw the morning star above the Loire!
De Vardes
The morning star!
Yvette
‘Twas like the eye of God!
I used to watch it from the fields at dawn;
This morn ‘twas watching me!
190De Vardes
Rémond Lalain!
Yvette
‘Twas all in vain. She’s dead—ah, ages since!
You’ll not forgive—So fare you well again!
De Vardes
Where goest thou, Yvette?
Yvette
To Séraphine,
Beneath the Lanterne, Sign of the Hour Glass!
De Vardes
Hear and obey! It is a dying man
Speaks to thee now and with authority!—
Thy seigneur too, and head of all thy house. ”

“ Come now, Yvette, let us cease this absurd comedy, which has already lasted too long. You are playing the part of a simple little girl, and the role does not fit you at all, believe me. You know perfectly well that there can be no question of marriage between us, but merely of love. ”

“ She has ten of us in her train, all hoping."
"Such a daughter in the hands of a woman like the Marquise is a fortune. And they play the game together, the two charmers. No one knows just what they are planning. Perhaps they are waiting for a better bargain than I should prove. But I tell you that I shall close the bargain if I ever get a chance."
"That girl Yvette absolutely baffles me, moreover. She is a mystery. If she is not the most complete monster of astuteness and perversity that I have ever seen, she certainly is the most marvelous phenomenon of innocence that can be imagined. ”

“ There still remains the Chevalier Valreali whom the Marquise seems to favor," continued Servigny.
Yvette regained all her gaiety: "'Teardrop'? Why he weeps like a Magdalene. He goes to all the first-class funerals. I imagine myself dead every time he looks at me."
"That settles the third. So the lightning will strike Baron Saval, here."
"Monsieur the Colossus of Rhodes, Junior? No. He is too strong. ”

“ The Marquise was strolling, on Saval's arm, in the circular path around the lawn. As she observed Servigny, she said, with that careless air which she had maintained since the night before.
"I told you not to go out in such hot weather. And now Yvette has come back almost with a sun stroke. She has gone to lie down. She was as red as a poppy, the poor child, and she has a frightful headache. You must have been walking in the full sunlight, or you must have done something foolish. You are as unreasonable as she."
The young girl did not come down to dinner. ”