Madame Firmiani | Page 9

of esteeming, the being to whom she belongs. I
have never conceived of love otherwise than as a fire in which all noble
feelings are purified still more,--a fire which develops them.
"'I have but one thing else to say: come to me poor, and my love shall
be redoubled. If not, renounce it. Should I see you no more, I shall
know what it means.
"'But I do not wish, understand me, that you should make restitution
because I urge it. Consult your own conscience. An act of justice such
as that ought not to be a sacrifice made to love. I am your wife and not
your mistress, and it is less a question of pleasing me than of inspiring
in my soul a true respect.
"'If I am mistaken, if you have ill-explained your father's action, if, in
short, you still think your right to the property equitable (oh! how I
long to persuade myself that you are blameless), consider and decide by
listening to the voice of your conscience; act wholly and solely from
yourself. A man who loves a woman sincerely, as you love me, respects
the sanctity of her trust in him too deeply to dishonor himself.
"'I blame myself now for what I have written; a word might have
sufficed, and I have preached to you! Scold me; I wish to be
scolded,--but not much, only a little. Dear, between us two the power is
yours--you alone should perceive your own faults.'"
"Well, uncle?" said Octave, whose eyes were full of tears.
"There's more in the letter; finish it."
"Oh, the rest is only to be read by a lover," answered Octave, smiling.
"Yes, right, my boy," said the old man, gently. "I have had many affairs
in my day, but I beg you to believe that I too have loved, 'et ego in
Arcardia.' But I don't understand yet why you give lessons in
mathematics."
"My dear uncle, I am your nephew; isn't that as good as saying that I
had dipped into the capital left me by my father? After I had read this
letter a sort of revolution took place within me. I paid my whole
arrearage of remorse in one day. I cannot describe to you the state I was
in. As I drove in the Bois a voice called to me, 'That horse is not yours';
when I ate my dinner it was saying, 'You have stolen this food.' I was
ashamed. The fresher my honesty, the more intense it was. I rushed to

Madame Firmiani. Uncle! that day I had pleasures of the heart,
enjoyments of the soul, that were far beyond millions. Together we
made out the account of what was due to the Bourgneufs, and I
condemned myself, against Madame Firmiani's advice, to pay three per
cent interest. But all I had did not suffice to cover the full amount. We
were lovers enough for her to offer, and me to accept, her savings--"
"What! besides her other virtues does that adorable woman lay by
money?" cried his uncle.
"Don't laugh at her, uncle; her position has obliged her to be very
careful. Her husband went to Greece in 1820 and died there three years
later. It has been impossible, up to the present time, to get legal proofs
of his death, or obtain the will which he made leaving his whole
property to his wife. These papers were either lost or stolen, or have
gone astray during the troubles in Greece,--a country where registers
are not kept as they are in France, and where we have no consul.
Uncertain whether she might not be forced to give up her fortune, she
has lived with the utmost prudence. As for me, I wish to acquire
property which shall be mine, so as to provide for my wife in case she
is forced to lose hers."
"But why didn't you tell me all this? My dear nephew, you might have
known that I love you enough to pay all your good debts, the debts of a
gentleman. I'll play the traditional uncle now, and revenge myself!"
"Ah! uncle, I know your vengeance! but let me get rich by my own
industry. If you want to do me a real service, make me an allowance of
two or three thousand francs a year, till I see my way to an enterprise
for which I shall want capital. At this moment I am so happy that all I
desire is just the means of living. I give lessons so that I may not live at
the cost of any one. If you only knew the happiness I had in making
that restitution! I found the Bourgneufs, after a good deal of trouble,
living miserably and in need of everything.