Part 36 (1/2)
”No, he has been in Paris for a long while.”
The young woman seemed so sad after she had said this that Jacques regretted his question. The more he looked at his brother's wife, the more he felt drawn toward her and disposed to love her; he did not doubt that Edouard had said nothing of his meeting with him.
”She would not have turned me away,” he said to himself; ”with such gentleness in the features and the voice, a person cannot have a hard and unfeeling heart. Edouard alone is guilty. But I will not tell her; I should distress her to no purpose; and, besides, I have no intention of going near the ingrate who spurned me.”
It was growing dark; Adeline could not remain at the farm; everyone offered to escort her, but she selected Jacques, to show him that she harbored no unpleasant memories against him. He was secretly flattered by the preference. He took little Ermance on one arm and offered the other to the young woman, who bade the people at the farm adieu, and, delighted by their cordial welcome, promised to go again to see them.
They walked in silence at first. From time to time Jacques embraced pretty Ermance, who was only eight months old, but who smiled at the honest soldier, and pa.s.sed her little hand over his moustaches.
”I am very sorry to give you so much trouble,” said Adeline, ”but I did not think that I had gone so far.”
”Madame, it is a pleasure to me.”
”That child must tire you.”
”Tire me! No! ten thousand cannons!--Ah! I beg pardon; one should not swear before ladies.”
”It is very excusable in an old soldier.”
”You see, I am very fond of children; and this little one is really so pretty.”
”Ah me! she is my only consolation!” murmured Adeline.
Jacques could not hear, but he saw that she was sad, and he changed the subject.
”Madame will soon return to Paris, no doubt; it is late in the season, October is almost here.”
”No, I do not expect to leave the country yet; I may pa.s.s the winter here.”
”This is strange,” thought Jacques; ”she remains in the country and her husband in the city; can it be that they do not live happily together?--In that case,” he said aloud, ”I hope that we shall have the pleasure of seeing madame at the farm sometimes.”
”Yes, I look forward with pleasure to going there again. You are a relative of the farmer, I suppose?”
”No, madame, my comrade is their cousin, but I am only an old soldier, without family or acquaintances, whom they have been good enough to supply with work.”
”I am sure that they congratulate themselves upon it every day.--You are still young, you cannot have served very long?”
”I beg your pardon, I enlisted very early.”
”And on your return from the army you had no mother, no sister, to take care of you and to make you forget the fatigues of war?”
”No, madame. I have only one relative, and he treated me with so little affection! I am proud, I have a keen sense of honor, and I rejected a.s.sistance which was not offered by the heart, and which would have humiliated me.”
”That must have been some distant relative?”
”Yes, madame.”
”My husband has a brother. By the way, his name is Jacques as yours is.
He left his family many years ago; he is dead, no doubt, but if he were still alive, if he should return--oh! I am very sure that Edouard would be overjoyed to see him.”
Jacques made no reply; but he turned his head aside to conceal a tear that dropped from his eyes.