第41章

She had said to this man, "I love you; I am yours!" Was it possible that the Duchesse de Langeais should have uttered those words--in vain? She must either be loved now or play her part of queen no longer.And then she felt the loneliness of the luxurious couch where pleasure had never yet set his glowing feet; and over and over again, while she tossed and writhed there, she said, "I want to be loved."But the belief that she still had in herself gave her hope of success.The Duchess might be piqued, the vain Parisienne might be humiliated; but the woman saw glimpses of wedded happiness, and imagination, avenging the time lost for nature, took a delight in kindling the inextinguishable fire in her veins.She all but attained to the sensations of love; for amid her poignant doubt whether she was loved in return, she felt glad at heart to say to herself, "I love him!" As for her scruples, religion, and the world she could trample them under foot! Montriveau was her religion now.She spent the next day in a state of moral torpor, troubled by a physical unrest, which no words could express.She wrote letters and tore them all up, and invented a thousand impossible fancies.

When M.de Montriveau's usual hour arrived, she tried to think that he would come, and enjoyed the feeling of expectation.Her whole life was concentrated in the single sense of hearing.

Sometimes she shut her eyes, straining her ears to listen through space, wishing that she could annihilate everything that lay between her and her lover, and so establish that perfect silence which sounds may traverse from afar.In her tense self-concentration, the ticking of the clock grew hateful to her;she stopped its ill-omened garrulity.The twelve strokes of midnight sounded from the drawing-room.

"Ah, God!" she cried, "to see him here would be happiness.

And yet, it is not so very long since he came here, brought by desire, and the tones of his voice filled this boudoir.And now there is nothing."She remembered the times that she had played the coquette with him, and how that her coquetry had cost her her lover, and the despairing tears flowed for long.

Her woman came at length with, "Mme la Duchesse does not know, perhaps, that it is two o'clock in the morning; I thought that madame was not feeling well.""Yes, I am going to bed," said the Duchess, drying her eyes.

"But remember, Suzanne, never to come in again without orders; Itell you this for the last time."

For a week, Mme de Langeais went to every house where there was a hope of meeting M.de Montriveau.Contrary to her usual habits, she came early and went late; gave up dancing, and went to the card-tables.Her experiments were fruitless.She did not succeed in getting a glimpse of Armand.She did not dare to utter his name now.One evening, however, in a fit of despair, she spoke to Mme de Serizy, and asked as carelessly as she could, "You must have quarrelled with M.de Montriveau? He is not to be seen at your house now."The Countess laughed."So he does not come here either?" she returned."He is not to be seen anywhere, for that matter.He is interested in some woman, no doubt.""I used to think that the Marquis de Ronquerolles was one of his friends----" the Duchess began sweetly.

"I have never heard my brother say that he was acquainted with him."Mme de Langeais did not reply.Mme de Serizy concluded from the Duchess's silence that she might apply the scourge with impunity to a discreet friendship which she had seen, with bitterness of soul, for a long time past.

"So you miss that melancholy personage, do you? I have heard most extraordinary things of him.Wound his feelings, he never comes back, he forgives nothing; and, if you love him, he keeps you in chains.To everything that I said of him, one of those that praise him sky-high would always answer, `He knows how to love!' People are always telling me that Montriveau would give up all for his friend; that his is a great nature.Pooh! society does not want such tremendous natures.Men of that stamp are all very well at home; let them stay there and leave us to our pleasant littlenesses.What do you say, Antoinette?"Woman of the world though she was, the Duchess seemed agitated, yet she replied in a natural voice that deceived her fair friend--"I am sorry to miss him.I took a great interest in him, and promised to myself to be his sincere friend.I like great natures, dear friend, ridiculous though you may think it.To give oneself to a fool is a clear confession, is it not, that one is governed wholly by one's senses?

Mme de Serizy's "preferences" had always been for commonplace men; her lover at the moment, the Marquis d'Aiglemont, was a fine, tall man.

After this, the Countess soon took her departure, you may be sure Mme de Langeais saw hope in Armand's withdrawal from the world;she wrote to him at once; it was a humble, gentle letter, surely it would bring him if he loved her still.She sent her footman with it next day.On the servant's return, she asked whether he had given the letter to M.de Montriveau himself, and could not restrain the movement of joy at the affirmative answer.Armand was in Paris! He stayed alone in his house; he did not go out into society! So she was loved! All day long she waited for an answer that never came.Again and again, when impatience grew unbearable, Antoinette found reasons for his delay.Armand felt embarrassed; the reply would come by post; but night came, and she could not deceive herself any longer.It was a dreadful day, a day of pain grown sweet, of intolerable heart-throbs, a day when the heart squanders the very forces of life in riot.

Next day she sent for an answer.

"M.le Marquis sent word that he would call on Mme la Duchesse," reported Julien.

She fled lest her happiness should be seen in her face, and flung herself on her couch to devour her first sensations.

"He is coming!"