Mysteries of Paris -- Volume 03

h to C

are losing her forever! All is over-all! Listen to the story! It is in

ughter is dead to us-dead: do you hear, Clémence, from this day you must begin to wear mourning for her in your heart-in your heart, so filled with maternal affection for her. Is our child buried under the marble of a tomb or under the vaults of a cloister-for us, what is the difference? From this day, do you understand, Cléme

for her, why vegetate in suffering in the gloomy tranquillity of this cloister! Of what importance that she lives, if she is lost to us-she might have loved life so much-what a fatality has attended her! What I am saying is horrible! there is a barbarous

ecret satisfaction. Clémence, I say to you, perhaps soon we shall need all our courage-much courage-I feel so to speak, within me that our child is struck with death! After all, her life would be so unhappy. Here is the second time that, in thinking the death of my daughter possible, I have said that death would put an end to her cruel existence. This idea is a horrible symptom; but if sorrow must strike us, it is better to be prepared, is it not, Clémence? To prepare one's self for such a misfortune, to taste little by little beforehand that slow anguish, it is an unheard-of refinement of grief. It is a thousand times more dreadful than to have the blow fall unexpectedly; at least the stupor, the annihilation would spare one a part of this cutting anguish. But the customs of compassion prescribe to us a preparation. Probably I should never act otherwise myself, my poor friend, if I had to acquaint you with the sad event of which I speak to you. Thus be alarmed, if you observe tha

wer;" and she showed her cross. "I am authorized to do it by a bull of our holy father. I will present, then, to the benediction of my Lord Archbishop of Oppenheim, and to the approbation of his royal highness the grand duke, our sovereign, and

hosen; her elevation had been only confided to me by the abbess. The grand-prioress took a register and read: "Each of our dear sisters having been, according to rule, invited, eight days since, to place their votes in the hands of our holy mother, and mutually to keep secret their choice until

s were fixed upon my daughter, with an expression of tender sympathy. Notwithstanding my all engrossing anxieties, I was

e stall. The abbess Spoke again with a very clear but grave voice: "My dear daughters, is it indeed Sister Amelia whom you consider most worthy and m

voluntarily and freely chosen, and I do choose

my daughter, to take her by the hand and lead her to the seat of the abbess. My dear, my love, I have interrupted myself a moment, I must take courage and finish the relation of this heart-rending scene. "Rise, my dear daughter,"

the middle of the hall of the chapel, she stopped and said, w

other, I would spe

s abbess," said the princess; "it is from th

be mine," replied Fleur-de-Mari

say, my dea

ty is not made for

of your sisters

confession; my sisters will see, and you also, holy mother,

unfortunate child was yielding to a feeling of exaggerated modesty; but I, I divined those confessions which

directly, she had understood me-yes, she had understood that I should partake in the shame of this horrible revelation; she understood that,

he blackest ingratitude toward me. She had not strength to

yal Highness Princess Amelia who is chosen-it is Sister Amelia. For us, your life began when you entered this house of the Lord, and it is this example and holy life which we recompense. I say to you, moreover, my dear daughter, that if before entering this retreat your life had been as guilty as it has

ortunately, this scene had deeply distressed her, and, though she affected calmness and firmness, it seemed to me that

incess Juliana, "and you would not cause your sisters a severe p

and weaker, "I now think I may except it. But, as I feel greatly fatigued and somewhat ill, if you

office shall be blessed and consecrated, take this ring: come to your plac

ress upon her. Oh, that he may not have deceived me: he assures me that this new accident was caused only by extreme weakness occasioned by the fastings, the fatigues, and the privation of sleep which my daughter has imposed upon herself during her novitiate. I believe him, because, in fact, her angelic features, though of a frigh

you forget that, at the moment I was about to make

eak of it, I s

u had drawn me, I was revealing a secret that you had kept out of tenderness to me; it was to accuse you publicly-you, my father-o

s, she said to me, "Now I feel better, my good father, now that I am, as our rules says, here, and dead to the world. I should w

"do not indulge these sad thoughts; by and by you shal

er most attentively; but no change in her features justified my uneasiness. "Yes, I have yet much time to live," resumed she, "but I must n

will do anyt

in the little back parlor, where she usually sits, my e

s the day you left the palace; for everything belonging to you is an object of rel

r, take, I beg you, my la

ht and dream

nd I shall see you in it every day, seated beside me, as you so

ve my writing-desk, of which I have lately made use. This gift will be appropriate," added she, with a sweet smile, "for it was she at the farm who be

, my

hen, if it were possible, since you know where Martial and La Louve are, in Algiers, I should wish that the courageous woman, who once saved my li

ur wishes; have yo

not, my g

very unhappy-as unhappy as your mother and myself; some one fina

pressed my hand; a slight blush c

ndoubtedly, to ask me, I said to her, "He i

his f

s better. And to Henry, what will you give? A remembrance fro

en watered it with my tears, in begging of Heaven stren

e to see that you ha

women abandoned by their relations

re almost illegible: "Clémence, Murphy will finish this letter: I hav

ter is the handwriting of

int you with. It was three o'clock; my lord was employed in writing to your royal highness; I was waiting in a neighboring apartment until he should give me the letter, to forward it immediately by a courier. Suddenly

event. You are his friend, be so kind as to info

Amelia was slowly sinking away, and that my lord must hasten to receive the last sighs of his daughter. I unfortunately had not time to

misfortune, my

and, without adding a word, he r

ker, and that she was more distressed. The sister hastened to inform the superior; Dr. David was called; he hoped to remedy this new loss of strength by a cordial, but it was in vain; the pulse was scarcely perceptible; he saw, with despair, that reiterated emotions had probably exhausted th

: he sobbed. "My daughter, my beloved c

ad gently toward him, opened her eyes, endea

rdon-Henry also-my

er an hour of silent agony, s

almness was frightful; he closed the eyes of the princess, kissed her forehead ag

e letter that he had begun to write to your royal highness, and to which he in va

traught, my mind is gone. Write to the gran

of your royal highness alone can calm the despair of the prince. He wishes to watch every night by his daughter till the day when she shall be buried in the grand ducal chapel. I have accomplished my

ER M

ia, Clémence arrived at Gerolstein with her father. Rudol

E

py. Some are rare words or variant spellings; others are ty

in chapter 9; "magsman" (Slang for "swindler") in chapter 9; "bootlining" ("boot lining") in chapter 10; "surprise" in "more and more surprise" ("surprised") in chapter 11; "burk" in the poetic quotation in chapter 12; "intead" ("instead") in chapter 12; "kindnss" ("kindness") in chapter 21; "cor