La Mere Bauche | Page 8

give
some little "dot," the affair, the capitaine thought, would be more easily
arranged.
All these things took months to say, during which period Marie went
on with her work in melancholy listlessness. One comfort she had.
Adolphe, before he went, had promised to her, holding in his hand as
he did so a little cross which she had given him, that no earthly
consideration should sever them;--that sooner or later he would
certainly be her husband. Marie felt that her limbs could not work nor
her tongue speak were it not for this one drop of water in her cup.
And then, deeply meditating, La Mere Bauche hit upon a plan, and
herself communicated it to the capitaine over a second cup of coffee
into which she poured a full teaspoonful more than the usual allowance
of cognac. Why should not he, the capitaine himself, be the man to
marry Marie Clavert?
It was a very startling proposal, the idea of matrimony for himself
never having as yet entered into the capitaine's head at any period of his
life; but La Mere Bauche did contrive to make it not altogether
unacceptable. As to that matter of dowry she was prepared to be more
than generous. She did love Marie well, and could find it in her heart to
give her anything--any thing except her son, her own Adolphe. What
she proposed was this. Adolphe, himself, would never keep the baths.
If the capitaine would take Marie for his wife, Marie, Madame Bauche
declared, should be the mistress after her death; subject of course to
certain settlements as to Adolphe's pecuniary interests.
The plan was discussed a thousand times, and at last so far brought to
bear that Marie was made acquainted with it--having been called in to
sit in presence with La Mere Bauche and her future proposed husband.
The poor girl manifested no disgust to the stiff ungainly lover whom
they assigned to her,--who through his whole frame was in appearance
almost as wooden as his own leg. On the whole, indeed, Marie liked the
capitaine, and felt that he was her friend; and in her country such
marriages were not uncommon. The capitaine was perhaps a little

beyond the age at which a man might usually be thought justified in
demanding the services of a young girl as his nurse and wife, but then
Marie of herself had so little to give-- except her youth, and beauty, and
goodness.
But yet she could not absolutely consent; for was she not absolutely
pledged to her own Adolphe? And therefore, when the great pecuniary
advantages were, one by one, displayed before her, and when La Mere
Bauche, as a last argument, informed her that as wife of the capitaine
she would be regarded as second mistress in the establishment and not
as a servant, she could only burst out into tears, and say that she did not
know.
"I will be very kind to you," said the capitaine; "as kind as a man can
be."
Marie took his hard withered hand and kissed it; and then looked up
into his face with beseeching eyes which were not without avail upon
his heart.
"We will not press her now," said the capitaine. "There is time
enough."
But let his heart be touched ever so much, one thing was certain. It
could not be permitted that she should marry Adolphe. To that view of
the matter he had given in his unrestricted adhesion; nor could he by
any means withdraw it without losing altogether his position in the
establishment of Madame Bauche. Nor indeed did his conscience tell
him that such a marriage should be permitted. That would be too much.
If every pretty girl were allowed to marry the first young man that
might fall in love with her, what would the world come to?
And it soon appeared that there was not time enough--that the time was
growing very scant. In three months Adolphe would be back. And if
everything was not arranged by that time, matters might still go astray.
And then Madame Bauche asked her final question: "You do not think,
do you, that you can ever marry Adolphe?" And as she asked it the
accustomed terror of her green spectacles magnified itself tenfold.
Marie could only answer by another burst of tears.
The affair was at last settled among them. Marie said that she would
consent to marry the capitaine when she should hear from Adolphe's
own mouth that he, Adolphe, loved her no longer. She declared with
many tears that her vows and pledges prevented her from promising

more than this. It was not her fault, at any rate not now, that she loved
her lover. It was not her fault--not now at least--that she was bound