Vendetta | Page 5

"But I can shut my eyes," continued Bonaparte. "The tradition of the
Vendetta will long prevent the reign of law in Corsica," he added, as if
speaking to himself. "But it MUST be destroyed, at any cost."
Bonaparte was silent for a few moments, and Lucien made a sign to
Piombo not to speak. The Corsican was swaying his head from right to
left in deep disapproval.
"Live here, in Paris," resumed the First Consul, addressing Bartolomeo;
"we will know nothing of this affair. I will cause your property in
Corsica to be bought, to give you enough to live on for the present.
Later, before long, we will think of you. But, remember, no more
vendetta! There are no woods here to fly to. If you play with daggers,
you must expect no mercy. Here, the law protects all citizens; and no
one is allowed to do justice for himself."
"He has made himself the head of a singular nation," said Bartolomeo,
taking Lucien's hand and pressing it. "But you have both recognized me
in misfortune, and I am yours, henceforth, for life or death. You may
dispose as you will of the Piombos."

With these words his Corsican brow unbent, and he looked about him
in satisfaction.
"You are not badly off here," he said, smiling, as if he meant to lodge
there himself. "You are all in red, like a cardinal."
"Your success depends upon yourself; you can have a palace, also,"
said Bonaparte, watching his compatriot with a keen eye. "It will often
happen that I shall need some faithful friend in whom I can confide."
A sigh of joy heaved the vast chest of the Corsican, who held out his
hand to the First Consul, saying:--
"The Corsican is in you still."
Bonaparte smiled. He looked in silence at the man who brought, as it
were, a waft of air from his own land,--from that isle where he had
been so miraculously saved from the hatred of the "English party"; the
land he was never to see again. He made a sign to his brother, who then
took Piombo away. Lucien inquired with interest as to the financial
condition of the former protector of their family. Piombo took him to a
window and showed him his wife and Ginevra, seated on a heap of
stones.
"We came from Fontainebleau on foot; we have not a single penny," he
said.
Lucien gave his purse to his compatriot, telling him to come to him the
next day, that arrangements might be made to secure the comfort of the
family. The value of Piombo's property in Corsica, if sold, would
scarcely maintain him honorably in Paris.
Fifteen years elapsed between the time of Piombo's arrival with his
family in Paris and the following event, which would be scarcely
intelligible to the reader without this narrative of the foregoing
circumstances.

CHAPTER II
THE STUDIO
Servin, one of our most distinguished artists, was the first to conceive
of the idea of opening a studio for young girls who wished to take
lessons in painting.
About forty years of age, a man of the purest morals, entirely given up
to his art, he had married from inclination the dowerless daughter of a
general. At first the mothers of his pupils bought their daughters
themselves to the studio; then they were satisfied to send them alone,
after knowing the master's principles and the pains he took to deserve
their confidence.
It was the artist's intention to take no pupils but young ladies belonging
to rich families of good position, in order to meet with no complaints as
to the composition of his classes. He even refused to take girls who
wished to become artists; for to them he would have been obliged to
give certain instructions without which no talent could advance in the
profession. Little by little his prudence and the ability with which he
initiated his pupils into his art, the certainty each mother felt that her
daughter was in company with none but well- bred young girls, and the
fact of the artist's marriage, gave him an excellent reputation as a
teacher in society. When a young girl wished to learn to draw, and her
mother asked advice of her friends, the answer was, invariably: "Send
her to Servin's."
Servin became, therefore, for feminine art, a specialty; like Herbault for
bonnets, Leroy for gowns, and Chevet for eatables. It was recognized
that a young woman who had taken lessons from Servin was capable of
judging the paintings of the Musee conclusively, of making a striking
portrait, copying an ancient master, or painting a genre picture. The
artist thus sufficed for the educational needs of the aristocracy. But in
spite of these relations with the best families in Paris, he was
independent