The Bath Keepers Volume Ii Part 44

"What is the matter, in heaven's name," asked Bathilde, half rising, "that you are here so early, dear Ambroisine? You must have something of great importance to tell me?"

"I have not left the house since yesterday; that is to say, I left it for a moment, but returned at once and pa.s.sed the night here."

"Speak, Ambroisine, explain yourself; one would say that you dared not.--Oh! I will be brave enough, if necessary. Besides, my daughter is with me; and when I fear nothing for her, I am very strong, I a.s.sure you!"

Thereupon Ambroisine told her friend of the events of the previous night, taking pains, however, not to make the count's wound appear so serious as the surgeon had declared it to be.

But Bathilde did not give her time to finish her story; she had already risen and was dressing in great haste, saying, in a voice broken by the emotion that choked her utterance:

"He is here, mon Dieu! here--so near me--since last night--and I was not told! And you left me in ignorance of his suffering!--Oh! that was wrong--very wrong! is it not my duty to be with my husband when he needs care?"

"Our duty was to follow the orders of the surgeon; he said that the slightest excitement would be fatal to monsieur le comte."

"Mon Dieu! then he is very ill!"

"Remember that he does not know as yet where he has been taken; and if he sees you by his side, if he recognizes you, do you think that it will not excite him?"

"Very well! I will hide myself, I will keep out of sight, he shall not see me!--But I shall see him, I shall know what his condition is, and I shall be able to add my care to that which you give him.--Come, Ambroisine, come!"

But before leaving the room Bathilde stopped to press her lips to her daughter's brow; then, after bidding the faithful Marie to stay with Blanche, she hurried to her husband's apartment.

Leodgard was still in the same condition; the ghastly pallor of his face and his closed eyes gave him the aspect of a dead man; but a faint breath that came from his lips proved that life had not abandoned him.

Bathilde gazed long at the sad spectacle, then fell on her knees beside the bed, and implored heaven to preserve Leodgard's life.

XLVIII

THE SWEETEST LOVE

For twenty days, Leodgard hovered between life and death; a horrible delirium succeeded the prostration which immediately followed his wound; but during that time the most touchingly devoted care was lavished on him.

Bathilde, Ambroisine, and the Sire de Jarnonville were almost constantly at the patient's bedside; at first the young wife pa.s.sed whole nights in attendance on her husband; in order to induce her to be more reasonable, to force her to take some rest, it was necessary to tell her that her child was asking for her, that she refused to go to sleep unless her mother was with her.

During those long nights, when the violence of the count's fever often caused him to talk aloud in his dreams, or rather in his delirium, his watchers had observed with amazement that the same person was constantly in his thoughts, that he was almost invariably tormented by the same memories; in short, that his lips many and many a time uttered a certain name; and that name was Giovanni.

"Did you hear him?" Bathilde would ask her friend; "it is most extraordinary that Leodgard, in his delirium, is always thinking of that famous robber. One would say that he was afraid of the man--that he was fighting with him!"

"Yes; only yesterday I heard monsieur le comte cry out: 'Avaunt, wretched man! do not pursue me so!'--And a moment later, he said: 'But, no, it is not he, it is I whom they mean to arrest! They have recognized me! I am Giovanni, I! the other is dead!'"

"Poor love! what ghastly delirium!--Oh! when will he be calmer and recover his reason?"

And one evening, Bathilde said to the Sire de Jarnonville, who seemed lost in thought as he listened to the sick man's wanderings:

"Chevalier, as my husband is always thinking of this Giovanni, do not you believe that, instead of having fought a duel, as you thought at first, he was attacked by that terrible robber and received this dangerous wound from him?"

"I haven't the least doubt about it, myself," said Ambroisine; "monsieur le comte has that last encounter ever present in his mind, and so in his delirium he believes he still sees this Giovanni."

Jarnonville seemed to reflect before he replied; at last he said to the friends:

"Your conjectures may be well founded; yes, it may well be that, instead of a duel, the count was the victim of an ambuscade."

"Besides, you have made inquiries, chevalier, have you not? you have seen a number of gentlemen who are friends of Leodgard, and no one of them knows of his having fought a duel?"

"No, madame; nor has anyone heard even of a possible quarrel. But, in truth, since the cardinal issued such a severe edict against duellists, there is little inclination to boast of such affairs; on the contrary, whoever has one on hand tries to keep it entirely secret. For that reason, whatever the cause of the count's wound, it is prudent to attribute it to a nocturnal attack."

"Especially as it is probably the truth; otherwise, would my husband think so constantly of that Giovanni?"

On the twenty-first day, the surgeon, having paid an early visit to his patient, because he expected a crisis which would be decisive of his fate, sent the ladies away, allowing no one to remain with him save the Sire de Jarnonville; then he waited to see what Providence rather than his skill would do for the count.

He had been in a violent fever since the night before, but the delirium had ceased. Toward morning the fever subsided and was ere long succeeded by a peaceful sleep.

Then the surgeon went to Bathilde, who was in an adjoining room, on her knees, with her daughter kneeling beside her. Both were praying; and they were such pure and spotless creatures that their prayers were granted.

"Saved! I will answer for him now!" said the surgeon, as he approached the countess.

She seized the doctor's hands, pressed them to her heart, and would have kissed them if he had not prevented her.--Is not he who restores to us a person whom we love a G.o.d in our eyes? and do we not always feel that words are powerless to express our grat.i.tude?

"But," continued the surgeon, "the greatest caution is necessary still--no great excitement! The convalescence will be long--very long.

In order to heal perfectly, the wound needs prolonged rest; but, unless something unforeseen happens, I repeat--monsieur le comte is saved.--When he wakes, he will feel better, and he will question you, no doubt. Urge him to think of nothing but getting well, and tell him that I have forbidden you to allow him to talk."

Then, having written a new prescription, the doctor went away, carrying with him the benedictions of those whom he had made happy.

"When he wakes," said Jarnonville, "the count will recognize this apartment, as it is the one he occupied when he lived with his father."

"After all," said Ambroisine, "he must know it at some time. Where could he be taken better care of than in his own house, with his wife and child?"

"Oh! do not mention his wife to him!" cried Bathilde; "that might make him angry, and you know what the doctor ordered!"

"Will you trust me?" said the chevalier; "I am sure that I can arrange matters so that your husband will have an agreeable awakening, attended by pleasant sensations.--Pray, madame, intrust your daughter to me."

"Blanche!"

"Yes; the sight of that little angel cannot fail to produce a happy result."

"But he knows that she is his daughter."

"And that knowledge did not prevent him from embracing her!"

"But he fled when he noticed that someone saw him kissing his child!"

"He has just escaped death; and that circ.u.mstance sometimes induces salutary reflections--when one has seen the grave so near at hand!"

"Well! I place myself in your hands, chevalier; take my dear Blanche--I will remain here, and unless the count asks for me I will not venture to show myself to him; but I shall be happy once more, if, from this room, I hear my husband kiss his child."