The House of the Combrays | Page 2

the servant and I took the boat two days after, at Saint-Germain,
and arrived by sunset the same evening at Roule, near Aubevoye. A
gardener was waiting with a cart for us and our luggage. A few
moments later we entered the court of the château.
"Mme. de Combray received us in a large room overlooking the Seine.
She had one of her sons with her, and two intimate friends, who
welcomed my mother with the consideration due to the widow of one
who had served the good cause. Supper was served; I was drooping
with sleep, and the only remembrance I have of this meal is the voice of
my mother, passionate and excitable as ever. Next morning, after
breakfast, the gardener appeared with his cart, to take us to the house
we were to occupy; the road was so steep and rough that my mother

preferred to go on foot, leading her horse by the bridle. We were in a
thick wood, climbing all the time, and surprised at having to go so far
and so high to reach the habitation that had been offered to us near the
château. We came to a clearing in the wood, and the gardener cried,
'Here we are!' and pointed to our dwelling. 'Oh!' cried my mother, 'it is
a donjon!' It was an old round tower, surmounted by a platform and
with no opening but the door and some loop-holes that served as
windows.
"The situation itself was not displeasing. A plateau cleared in the
woods, surrounded by large trees with a vista towards the Seine, and a
fine view extending some distance. The gardener had a little hut near
by, and there was a small kitchen-garden for our use. In fact one would
have been easily satisfied with this solitude, after the misfortunes of the
Isle Saint-Louis, if the tower had been less forbidding. To enter it one
had to cross a little moat, over which were thrown two planks, which
served as a bridge. By means of a cord and pulley this could be drawn
up from the inside, against the entrance door, thus making it doubly
secure. 'And this is the drawbridge!' said my mother, mockingly.
"The ground floor consisted of a circular chamber, with a table, chairs,
a sideboard, etc. Opposite the door, in an embrasure of the wall, about
two yards in thickness, a barred window lighted this room, which was
to serve as sitting-room, kitchen and dining-room at the same time; but
lighted it so imperfectly that to see plainly even in the daytime one had
to leave the door open. On one side was the fireplace, and on the other
the wooden staircase that led to the upper floors; under the staircase
was a trap-door firmly closed by a large lock.
"'It is the cellar,' said the gardener, 'but it is dangerous, as it is full of
rubbish. I have a place where you can keep your drink.' 'And our food?'
said the servant.
"The gardener explained that he often went down to the château in his
cart and that the cook would have every facility for doing her
marketing at Aubevoye. As for my mother, Mme. de Combray,
thinking that the journey up and down hill would be too much for her,
would send a donkey which would do for her to ride when we went to

the château in the afternoon or evening. On the first floor were two
rooms separated by a partition; one for my mother and me, the other for
the servant, both lighted only by loop-holes. It was cold and sinister.
"'This is a prison!' cried my mother.
"The gardener remarked that we should only sleep there; and seeing my
mother about to go up to the next floor, he stopped her, indicating the
dilapidated condition of the stairs. 'This floor is abandoned,' he said;
'the platform above is in a very bad state, and the staircase
impracticable and dangerous. Mme. de Combray begs that you will
never go above the first landing, for fear of an accident.' After which he
went to get our luggage.
"My mother then gave way to her feelings. It was a mockery to lodge
us in this rat-hole. She talked of going straight back to Paris; but our
servant was so happy at having no longer to fear the police; I had found
so much pleasure gathering flowers in the wood and running after
butterflies; my mother herself enjoyed the great calm and silence so
much that the decision was put off till the next day. And the next day
we renounced all idea of going.
"Our life for the next two months was untroubled. We were at the
longest days of the year. Once a week we were invited to supper at