Mysteries of Paris, V3 by Eugene Sue

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At this thought the poor child believed herself guilty of the blackest
ingratitude toward me. She had not strength to go on--she was silent, and
held down her head from exhaustion.

"Yes once again, my dear daughter," resumed the abbess, "your modesty
deceives you; the unanimity of your sisters' choice proves to you how
worthy you are to take my place. If you have taken part in the pleasures of
the world, your renouncing these pleasures is but the more meritorious. It
is not her Royal 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 been, on the contrary, pure and
praiseworthy, that the angelic virtues of which you have given us the
example since your abode here would expiate and redeem, in the eyes of the
Lord, any past life, however guilty it may have been. After this, my
daughter, judge if your modesty ought not to be assured."

These words of the abbess were the more precious to Fleur-de-Marie,
inasmuch as she believed the past ineffaceable. Unfortunately, this scene
had deeply distressed her, and, though she affected calmness and firmness,
it seemed to me that her countenance changed in an alarming manner. Twice
she groaned as she passed her poor emaciated hand over her forehead.

"I think I have convinced you, my dear daughter," resumed the Princess
Juliana, "and you would not cause your sisters a severe pain by refusing
this mark of their conndence and their affection."

"No, holy mother," said she, with an expression which struck me, and with a
voice becoming weaker and weaker, "I _now_ think I may except it. But,
as I feel greatly fatigued and somewhat ill, if you will permit it, holy
mother, the ceremony of my consecration shall not take place for a few
days."

"It shall be as you desire, my dear daughter; but while we wait till your
office shall be blessed and consecrated, take this ring: come to your
place; our dear sisters will render you their homage, according to the
rules."

I saw at every moment her emotion increasing, her countenance changing
more and more; finally, this scene was beyond her strength; she fainted
before the procession of the sisters was finished. Judge of my terror;
we carried her into the apartment of the abbess. David had not left the
convent; he hastened and bestowed the first caress 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 frightful paleness, did not betray any suffering;
when she recovered her consciousness, I was even struck with the serenity
which shone on her forehead. It seems to me that she was concealing the
secret hope of an approaching deliverance. The superior having returned to
the chapter to close the session, I remained alone with my daughter.

"My good father, can you forget my ingratitude? Can you forget that, at the
moment I was about to make this painful confession, you asked me to spare
you!"

"Oh! do not speak of it, I supplicate you."

"And I had not dreamed," continued she, with bitterness, "that in saying,
in the face of all, from what an abyss of degradation you 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--of a dissimulation to which you had
resigned yourself only to secure to me a brilliant and honored existence.
Oh! can you pardon me?"

Instead of answering her, I pressed my lips upon her forehead; she felt my
tears flow. After having kissed my hands several times, 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 wish to make some dispositions in favor of
several persons; but as all I posses is yours, will you authorize me, my
good father?"

"Can you doubt it? but I beseech you," said I to her, "do not indulge these
sad thoughts; by and by you shall employ yourself in this duty: you have
time enough."

"Undoubtedly, my good father, I have yet much time to live," added she,
with an accent that, I know not why, made me shudder. I looked at her most
attentively; but no change in her features justified my uneasiness. "Yes, I
have yet much time to live," resumed she, "but I must not occupy myself
longer with terrestrial things, for to-day I renounce all which attached me
to the world. I beseech you, do not refuse me."

"Direct me: I will do anything you wish."

"I should wish that my tender mother would always keep in the little back
parlor, where she usually sits, my embroidery frame, with the tapestry I
have begun in it."

"Your wishes shall be fulfilled, my child; your room has remained exactly
as it was the day you left the palace; for everything belonging to you is
an object of religious worships to us. Clemence will be deeply touched at
your remembrance of her."

"As to you, my good father, take, I beg you, my large ebony chair, in which
I have thought and dreamed so much."

"It shall be placed by the side of mine in my working cabinet, and I shall
see you in it every day, seated beside me, as you so often used to sit."
Could I tell her this, and restrain my tears?

"Now I should wish to leave some memorials of me to those who took so much
interest in me when I was unfortunate. To Madame George I should like to
give 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 began to teach me to write. As to the venerable curate of Bouqueval,
who instructed me in religion, I destine for him the beautiful Christ in my
oratory."

"Good, my child."

"I should like to send my bandeau of pearls to good little Rigolette. It is
a simple ornament that she can wear on her beautiful black hair; and then,
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 life,
should have my enameled cross. These different pledges of remembrance, my
good father, I should wish to have sent to them _from Fleure-de Marie._"

"I will execute your wishes; have you forgotten none?"

"I believe not, my good father."

"Think carefully: among those who love you, is there not some one very
unhappy--as unhappy as your mother and myself; some one finally who regrets
as deeply as we do your entrance into the convent?"

The poor child understood me she pressed my hand; a slight blush colored
for a moment her pale face.

Anticipating a question which she feared, undoubtedly, to ask me, I said to
her, "He is better; they no longer fear for his life."

"And his father?"

"He feels the improvement in the health of his son--he, too, is better. And
to Henry, what will you give? A remembrance from you will be such a dear,
such a precious consolation to him."

"My father, offer him my praying-desk. Alas! I have often watered it with
my tears, in begging of Heaven strength to forget Henry, since I was not
worthy of his love."

"How happy he will be to see that you had a thought for him!"

"The Asylum for Orphans and young women abandoned by their relations, I
should desire, my good father--"

Here Rudolph's letter was interrupted by the following words which were
almost illegible: "Clemence, Murphy will finish this letter: I have no
longer any mind--I am distracted. Oh, the thirteenth of January!!!"

The conclusion of this letter is the handwriting of Murphy, was thus
conceived:

YOUR HIGHNESS,--In obedience to the orders of his royal highness, I
complete this sad recital. The two letters of my lord must have prepared
your royal highness for the overwhelming news which it remains to me to
acquaint 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
I saw the Princess Juliana enter with an air of consternation. "Where is
his royal highness?" said she to me, with a voice filled with emotion.
"Princess, my lord is writing to the grand duchess the news of the day."

"Sir Walter, you must inform my lord--a terrible event. You are his friend,
be so kind as to inform him; from you the blow will be less terrible."

I understood everything; I thought it more prudent to take this sad
revelation upon myself, the superior having added that the Princess 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 take any
precautions. I entered the saloon; his royal highness perceived my
paleness. "You have come to acquaint me of some misfortune."

"An irreparable misfortune, my lord--courage."

"Ah, my presentiments!" cried he, and, without adding a word, he ran to the
cloister. I followed him.

From the apartment of the superior, the Princess Amelia had been
transported into her cell after her last interview with my lord. One of the
sisters was watching by her; at the end of an hour she perceived that the
voice of the Princess Amelia, who spoke to her at intervals, was becoming
weaker, 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 the strength of the Princess Amelia; there remained no hope of
saving her. It was then that my lord arrived. Princess Amelia had just
received the last sacrament; a ray of intelligence still lingered about
her; in one of her hands, crossed on her bosom, was the _remains of her
little rose-bush._

My lord fell on his knees by her pillow: he sobbed. "My daughter, my
beloved child," cried he in a heart-rending tone.

The Princess Amelia heard him, turned her head gently toward him, opened
her eyes, endeavored to smile, and said, with a feeble voice:

"My good father, pardon--Henry also--my good mother--forgive."

Such were her last words! After an hour of silent agony, she gave up her
spirit to God.

When his daughter had yielded up her last sigh, my lord did not say a word;
his calmness was frightful; he closed the eyes of the princess, kissed her
forehead again and again, took piously the remains of the little rose-bush,
and left the cell.

"I followed him; he returned to the house without the cloister, and showing
me the letter that he had begun to write to your royal highness, and to
which he in vain attempted to add some words, for his hand trembled
convulsively, he said to me:

"It is impossible for me to write. I am distraught, my mind is gone. Write
to the grand duchess that I no longer have a daughter!"

I have executed the orders of my lord. Permit me, as his oldest servant, to
beseech your royal highness to hasten your return as soon as the health of
the Count d'Orbigny will permit it. The presence 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 sad task, madame; be so kind as to excuse
the incoherence of this letter, and accept the expression of respectful
devotion with which I have the honor to be your loyal highness's very
obedient servant,

WALTER MURPHY.

The night before the funeral service of the Princess Amelia, Clemence
arrived at Gerolstein with her father. Rudolph was not alone the day of the
funeral of Fleur-de-Marie.

THE END.

[Transcriber's Note: The following appeared in our print copy. Some
are rare words or variant spellings; others are typographical errors.
We have left these as in the print copy.

"Countes" in chapter 1 (elsewhere "Countess");
"Ruldoph" and "Ruldolph" ("Rudolph") in chapter 5;
"amoment's" ("a moment's") in chapter 7;
"ell" (probably for "cell") in chapter 8;
"th" ("the") in chapter 8;
"trangress" ("transgress") in chapter 8;
"blackhole" ("black hole"; i.e., "prison cell") 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;
"corypheus" in chapter 22;
"Rohefort" ("Rochefort") in chapter 25;
"charcter" ("character") in chapter 29;
"KAMINETN" and "KAMINETZ" both appear in the Epilogue;
"timidily" in chapter 4 of the Epilogue;
"Fraeulien" (for "Fraeulein") in chapter 4 of the Epilogue;
"conndence" in chapter 7 of the Epilogue.]

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