Alas! I shall carry my wretched secret with me to the grave."
"Your vow imposes this sacrifice upon you, madame. It is a sacred obligation," said the priest, severely. "To break your vow, to thus perjure yourself, would be sacrilege."
"I have never thought of perjuring myself, my father," replied Madame de Beaumesnil, despondently; "but God is punishing me cruelly. I am dying, and yet I am forced to treat as a stranger my own child,--who is there--only a few feet from me, kneeling among my people, and who must never know that I am her mother."
"Your sin was great, madame. The expiation must be correspondingly great."
"But how long it has lasted for me, my father. Faithful to my vow, I never even tried to discover what had become of my unfortunate child.
Alas! but for the chance which brought her to my notice a few days ago, I should have died without having seen her for seventeen years."
"These thoughts are very sinful, my daughter," said the priest, sternly.
"They caused you to take a most imprudent step yesterday."
"Have no fears, my father. It is impossible that the woman I sent for yesterday, openly, in order to avert any suspicion, should suspect my motive in asking for information which she alone could give."
"And this information?"
"Confirmed--as I anticipated--in the most irrefutable manner--what I already knew--that Herminie is my daughter."
"But why do you feel so sure of this woman's discretion?"
"Because she lost all trace of my daughter after their separation sixteen years ago."
"But are you sure this woman did not recognise you?"
"I confessed to you, my father, that I had a mask on my face when I brought Herminie into the world with this woman's aid, and yesterday, in my interview with her, I found it easy to convince her that the mother of the child I was inquiring about had been dead for several years."
"It is necessary that I should grant you absolution for this act of deception," answered Abbe Ledoux, with great severity. "You can see now the fatal consequences of your criminal solicitude for a person who, after your vow, should always have remained a stranger to you."
"Ah, that oath which remorse and gratitude for the most generous forgiveness extorted from me! I have often cursed it,--but I have always kept it, my father."
"And yet, my sister, even at such an hour as this, your every thought is given to that young girl."
"No, not my every thought, my father, for I have another child. But alas! I cannot prevent my heart from throbbing faster at the approach of Herminie, who is also my daughter. Can I prevent my heart from going out to her? I may have courage to control my lips, to guard my eyes, and to conceal my feelings when Herminie is with me, but I cannot prevent myself from feeling a mother's tenderness for her."
"Then you must forbid the girl the house," said the priest, sternly.
"You can easily invent a plausible pretext for that, I am sure. Thank her for her services, and--"
"No, no, I should never have the courage to do that," said the countess, quickly. "Is it not hard enough for me that my other daughter, whose affection would have been so consoling in this trying hour, is in a foreign land, mourning the loss of the father of whom she was so suddenly bereft? And who knows, perhaps Ernestine, too, is dying as I am. Poor child! She was so weak and frail when she went away! Oh, was there ever a mother as much to be pitied as I am?"
And two burning tears fell from Madame de Beaumesnil's eyes.
"Calm yourself, my sister," said the abbe, soothingly; "do not grieve so. Put your trust in Heaven. Our Saviour's mercy is great. He has sustained you through this solemn ceremony, which was, as I told you, merely a precaution, for, God be praised! your condition, though alarming, is by no means hopeless."
Madame de Beaumesnil shook her head sadly, as she replied:
"I am growing weaker fast, my father, but now that my last duties are performed I feel much calmer. Ah, if I did not have my children to think of, I could die in peace."
"I understand you, my sister," said the priest, soothingly. Then watching Madame de Beaumesnil's face closely all the while, he continued:
"I understand you, my sister. The future of your child, your legitimate child,--I cannot and must not speak of the other,--her future excites your liveliest apprehensions--and you are right--an orphan--and so young, poor child!"
"Alas! yes, a mother's place can never be filled."
"Then why do you hesitate, my sister?" said the abbe, slowly and impressively, "why do you hesitate to assure this beloved daughter's future happiness? Why have you never permitted me--though I have long desired the favour--to introduce to you that good and devout young man, that model of wisdom and virtue, of whom I have so often spoken. Your mother's heart would long since have appreciated this paragon of Christian virtues; and sure, in advance, of your daughter's obedience to your last wishes, you could have recommended him to her by a few lines, which I myself would have delivered to the poor child. You could easily have advised her to take for her husband M. Celestin de Macreuse. Your daughter would then be sure of a most estimable and devout husband, for--"
"My father," interrupted Madame de Beaumesnil, without making any effort to conceal the painful feelings that this conversation was awakening. "I have told you that I do not doubt the great worth of this gentleman you have so often mentioned to me, but my daughter Ernestine is not sixteen yet, and I am not willing to insist upon her marrying a man she does not even know, for the dear child has so much affection for me that she would be quite capable of sacrificing herself to please me."
"We will say no more about it, then, my dear sister," said the abbe, with a contrite air. "In calling your attention to M. Celestin de Macreuse, I had but one object in view. That was to save you from the slightest anxiety concerning your dear Ernestine's future. You speak of sacrifices, my sister, but permit me to say that the great danger is that your poor child will be sacrificed some day to some man who is unworthy of her,--to some irreligious, dissipated spendthrift. You are unwilling to influence your daughter in her choice of a husband, you say. But alas! who will guide her in her choice if she has the misfortune to lose you? Will it be her selfish, worldly relatives, or will your too artless and credulous child blindly yield to the promptings of her heart. Ah, my sister, think of the dangers and the deception to which she will inevitably be exposed! Think of the crowd of suitors which her immense fortune is sure to attract! Ah, believe me, my sister, it would be wiser to save her from these perils in advance by a prudent and sensible choice."
"Forgive me, my father," said Madame de Beaumesnil, greatly agitated, and evidently desirous of putting an end to this painful conversation; "but I am feeling very weak and tired. I appreciate and am truly grateful for the interest you take in my daughter. I shall do my duty faithfully by her so long as I am spared. Your words will not be forgotten, I assure you, my father, and may Heaven give me the strength and the time to act."
Too shrewd and crafty to press the claims of his protege further, Abbe Ledoux said, benignly:
"May Heaven inspire you, my sister. I doubt not that our gracious Lord will make your duty as a mother clear to you. Courage, my sister, courage. And now farewell until to-morrow."
"The morrow belongs to God."
"I can at least implore him to prolong your days, my sister," answered the priest, bowing low.
He left the room.
The door had scarcely closed behind him before the countess rang for one of her attendants.
"Is Mlle. Herminie here?" she asked.
"Yes, madame la comtesse."
"Ask her to come in. I wish to see her."
"Yes, madame la comtesse," replied the maid, hastening off to fulfil her employer's instructions.
A few minutes afterwards, Herminie, pale and sad, though apparently calm, entered Madame de Beaumesnil's chamber, with her music books in her hand.
"I was told that madame la comtesse wished to see me," she said, with marked deference.
"Yes, mademoiselle. I have--I have a favour to ask of you," replied Madame de Beaumesnil, who was racking her brain to devise some way of bringing her daughter closer to her.
"I am entirely at madame's service," Herminie answered, promptly but quietly.
"I have a letter to write, mademoiselle,--only a few lines, but I am not sure that I shall have the strength to write it. There is no one here that I can ask to do it in my stead. Should it be necessary, would you be willing to act as my secretary?"
"With the greatest pleasure, madame," was the ready response.
"I thank you for your willingness to oblige me."
"Does madame la comtesse wish me to get the necessary writing materials for her?"