Volume III Part 64 (1/2)
All the persons who accompanied the doctor recoiled with horror at the sight of the Schoolmaster, for it was he. He was not mad, but he pretended to be both mad and dumb. He had ma.s.sacred La Chouette, not in a fit of madness, but in a fit of fever, such as he had been attacked with at Bouqueval on the night of his horrible vision. After his arrest in the tavern of the Champs Elysees, recovering from his transient delirium, the Schoolmaster had awoke in a cell of the Conciergerie, where the insane are temporarily confined. Hearing every one say around him, ”He is a furious madman,” he resolved to continue to play his part, and pretended dumbness in order not to compromise himself by his answers, in case they should suspect his feigned insanity. This stratagem succeeded. Conducted to Bicetre, he pretended to have other attacks of madness, always taking care to choose the night for these manifestations, in order to escape the penetrating observation of the chief physician; the attending surgeon, awakened in haste, never arriving until the crisis was over, or nearly at an end. The very small number of the accomplices of the Schoolmaster, who knew his real name and his escape from the galleys at Rohefort, were ignorant of what had become of him, and, besides, had no interest in denouncing him; thus his ident.i.ty could not be proved. He hoped to remain always at Bicetre, by continuing his part of a madman and mute. Yes, always. Such was then the sole desire of this man, thanks to the inability to do harm which paralyzed his savage instincts. Thanks to the state of profound seclusion in which he had lived in the cellar of Bras-Rouge, remorse had taken almost entire possession of his iron heart. By dint of concentrating his mind upon one unceasing meditation (the recollection of his past crimes), deprived of all communication with the exterior world, his ideas often a.s.sumed a sort of reality, as he had told La Chouette; then pa.s.sed before him sometimes the features of his victims; but this was not madness--it was the power of memory carried to its greatest extent. Thus this man, still in the prime of life, of a vigorous const.i.tution--this man, who, without doubt, would live many long years--this man, who enjoyed all the plenitude of his reason, was to pa.s.s these long years among madmen, without ever exchanging a word with a human being. Otherwise, if he were discovered, he would be led to the scaffold for his new murders, or he would be condemned to a perpetual imprisonment among scoundrels, for whom he felt a horror which was augmented by his repentance. The Schoolmaster was seated on a bench; a forest of grayish hair covered his hideous and enormous head; with his elbows on his knees, he supported his chin on his hand. Although this frightful man was deprived of sight, two holes replaced his nose, and his mouth was deformed, yet a withering, incurable despair was still manifest on his horrid visage. A lunatic of a sad, benevolent, and juvenile appearance kneeled before the Schoolmaster, held his large hands in his own, looked at him with kindness, and, with a sweet voice, constantly repeated, ”Strawberries! strawberries! strawberries!”
”See now,” said the learned madman, gravely, ”the sole conversation which this idiot can hold with the blind man. Yes, with him, the eyes of the body closed, those of the mind are without doubt opened, and he will be pleased if I enter into communication with him.”
”I do not doubt it,” said the doctor; while the poor lunatic with the melancholy face regarded the abominable face of the Schoolmaster with compa.s.sion, and repeated, in his soft voice, ”Strawberries! strawberries!
strawberries!”
”Since his entrance here, this poor idiot has uttered no other words than these,” said the doctor to Madame George, who looked at the Schoolmaster with horror; ”what mysterious events are connected with these words, I cannot penetrate.”
”Mother,” said Germain to Madame George, ”how much this poor blind man seems depressed!”
”It is true, my child,” answered Madame George: ”in spite of myself my heart is oppressed! the sight of him sickens me. Oh! how sad it is to see humanity under this dreadful aspect.”
Hardly had Madame George p.r.o.nounced these words, than the Schoolmaster started; his scarred face became pale under its cicatrices; he arose, and turned his head so quickly toward the mother of Germain, that she could not refrain from a cry of horror, although she did not know who he was. The Schoolmaster had recognized the voice of his wife, and the words of Madame George told him that she had spoken to his son!
”What is the matter, mother?” cried Germain.
”Nothing, son; but the movement of this man, the expression of his face--all this has frightened me. Pardon my weakness,” added she, addressing the doctor, ”I almost regret having yielded to my curiosity in accompanying my son.”
”Oh! for once, mother--there is nothing to regret.”
”Very sure am I that our good mother will never return here, nor we either, my little Germain,” said Rigolette: ”it is too affecting.”
”You are a little coward!” said Germain, smiling: ”is not my wife a little coward, doctor?”
”I confess,” answered the doctor, ”that the sight of this unhappy blind and dumb man has made a strong impression upon me--who have seen so much distress.”
”What a sight, old darling!” whispered Anastasia.
”Well! in comparison with you, all men appear to me as ugly as this frightful madman. It is on this account that no one can boast of--you comprehend, my Alfred?”
”Anastasia, I shall dream of that face, it is certain--I shall have the nightmare.”
”My friend,” said the doctor to the Schoolmaster, ”how do you find yourself?” The Schoolmaster remained mute.
”Do you not hear me, then?” continued the doctor, striking him lightly on the shoulder.
The Schoolmaster made no reply, but bowed his head. At the end of some moments, from his sightless eyes there fell a tear.
”He weeps,” said the doctor.
”Poor man!” added Germain, with compa.s.sion.
The Schoolmaster shuddered; he heard anew the voice of his son, who evinced for him a sentimental compa.s.sion.
”What is the matter? What afflicts you?” demanded the doctor. The Schoolmaster buried his face in his hands.
”We shall obtain nothing,” said the doctor.
”Let me try: I am going to console him,” replied the learned madman. ”I am going to demonstrate that all kinds of orthogonal surfaces in which the three systems are isothermal, are 1st, those of the superficies of the second order; 2nd, those of the ellipsoides of revolution around the small axis and the grand axis; 3rd, those--but no,” said the madman, reflecting, ”I will commence with him on the planetary system.” Then, addressing the young lunatic, who was still kneeling before the Schoolmaster, ”Take yourself off from there with your strawberries.”