"I dared not tell you," he said, "that between me and the Unconditioned, the Absolute, scarcely a hair's breadth intervenes.To gasify metals, I only need to find the means of submitting them to intense heat in some centre where the pressure of the atmosphere is nil,--in short, in a vacuum."Madame Claes could not endure the egotism of this reply.She expected a passionate acknowledgment of her sacrifices--she received a problem in chemistry! The poor woman left her husband abruptly and returned to the parlor, where she fell into a chair between her frightened daughters, and burst into tears.Marguerite and Felicie took her hands, kneeling one on each side of her, not knowing the cause of her grief, and asking at intervals, "Mother, what is it?""My poor children, I am dying; I feel it."The answer struck home to Marguerite's heart; she saw, for the first time on her mother's face, the signs of that peculiar pallor which only comes on olive-tinted skins.
"Martha, Martha!" cried Felicie, "come quickly; mamma wants you."The old duenna ran in from the kitchen, and as soon as she saw the livid hue of the dusky skin usually high-colored, she cried out in Spanish,--"Body of Christ! madame is dying!"
Then she rushed precipitately back, told Josette to heat water for a footbath, and returned to the parlor.
"Don't alarm Monsieur Claes; say nothing to him, Martha," said her mistress."My poor dear girls," she added, pressing Marguerite and Felicie to her heart with a despairing action; "I wish I could live long enough to see you married and happy.Martha," she continued, "tell Lemulquinier to go to Monsieur de Solis and ask him in my name to come here."The shock of this attack extended to the kitchen.Josette and Martha, both devoted to Madame Claes and her daughters, felt the blow in their own affections.Martha's dreadful announcement,--"Madame is dying;monsieur must have killed her; get ready a mustard-bath,"--forced certain exclamations from Josette, which she launched at Lemulquinier.
He, cold and impassive, went on eating at the corner of a table before one of the windows of the kitchen, where all was kept as clean as the boudoir of a fine lady.
"I knew how it would end," said Josette, glancing at the valet and mounting a stool to take down a copper kettle that shone like gold.
"There's no mother could stand quietly by and see a father amusing himself by chopping up a fortune like his into sausage-meat."Josette, whose head was covered by a round cap with crimped borders, which made it look like a German nut-cracker, cast a sour look at Lemulquinier, which the greenish tinge of her prominent little eyes made almost venomous.The old valet shrugged his shoulders with a motion worthy of Mirobeau when irritated; then he filled his large mouth with bread and butter sprinkled with chopped onion.
"Instead of thwarting monsieur, madame ought to give him more money,"he said; "and then we should soon be rich enough to swim in gold.
There's not the thickness of a farthing between us and--""Well, you've got twenty thousand francs laid by; why don't you give 'em to monsieur? he's your master, and if you are so sure of his doings--""You don't know anything about them, Josette.Mind your pots and pans, and heat the water," remarked the old Fleming, interrupting the cook.
"I know enough to know there used to be several thousand ounces of silver-ware about this house which you and your master have melted up;and if you are allowed to have your way, you'll make ducks and drakes of everything till there's nothing left.""And monsieur," added Martha, entering the kitchen, "will kill madame, just to get rid of a woman who restrains him and won't let him swallow up everything he's got.He's possessed by the devil; anybody can see that.You don't risk your soul in helping him, Mulquinier, because you haven't got any; look at you! sitting there like a bit of ice when we are all in such distress; the young ladies are crying like two Magdalens.Go and fetch Monsieur l'Abbe de Solis.""I've got something to do for monsieur.He told me to put the laboratory in order," said the valet."Besides, it's too far--go yourself.""Just hear the brute!" cried Martha."Pray who is to give madame her foot-bath? do you want her to die? she has got a rush of blood to the head.""Mulquinier," said Marguerite, coming into the servants' hall, which adjoined the kitchen, "on your way back from Monsieur de Solis, call at Dr.Pierquin's house and ask him to come here at once.""Ha! you've got to go now," said Josette.
"Mademoiselle, monsieur told me to put the laboratory in order," said Lemulquinier, facing the two women and looking them down, with a despotic air.
"Father," said Marguerite, to Monsieur Claes who was just then descending the stairs, "can you let Mulquinier do an errand for us in town?""Now you're forced to go, you old barbarian!" cried Martha, as she heard Monsieur Claes put Mulquinier at his daughter's bidding.
The lack of good-will and devotion shown by the old valet for the family whom he served was a fruitful cause of quarrel between the two women and Lemulquinier, whose cold-heartedness had the effect of increasing the loyal attachment of Josette and the old duenna.
This dispute, apparently so paltry, was destined to influence the future of the Claes family when, at a later period, they needed succor in misfortune.