juana-第7章

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interrupting　him。　〃If　you　please　the　Signorina　Juana　di　Mancini；　you

can　marry　her　and　be　happy　together。Juana；〃　she　continued　in　a　grave

tone；　〃in　becoming　the　wife　of　a　brave　and　worthy　man　remember　that

you　will　also　be　a　mother。　I　have　sworn　that　you　shall　kiss　your

children　without　a　blush　upon　your　face〃　（her　voice　faltered

slightly）。　〃I　have　sworn　that　you　shall　live　a　virtuous　life；　expect；

therefore；　many　troubles。　But；　whatever　happens；　continue　pure；　and　be

faithful　to　your　husband。　Sacrifice　all　things　to　him；　for　he　will　be

the　father　of　your　childrenthe　father　of　your　children！　If　you　take

a　lover；　I；　your　mother；　will　stand　between　you　and　him。　Do　you　see

that　dagger？　It　is　in　your　'dot；'〃　she　continued；　throwing　the　weapon

on　Juana's　bed。　〃I　leave　it　there　as　the　guarantee　of　your　honor　so

long　as　my　eyes　are　open　and　my　arm　free。　Farewell；〃　she　said；

restraining　her　tears。　〃God　grant　that　we　may　never　meet　again。〃



At　that　idea；　her　tears　began　to　flow。



〃Poor　child！〃　she　added；　〃you　have　been　happier　than　you　knew　in　this

dull　home。Do　not　allow　her　to　regret　it；〃　she　said；　turning　to

Diard。



The　foregoing　rapid　narrative　is　not　the　principal　subject　of　this

Study；　for　the　understanding　of　which　it　was　necessary　to　explain　how

it　happened　that　the　quartermaster　Diard　married　Juana　di　Mancini；

that　Montefiore　and　Diard　were　intimately　known　to　each　other；　and　to

show　plainly　what　blood　and　what　passions　were　in　Madame　Diard。







CHAPTER　III



THE　HISTORY　OF　MADAME　DIARD



By　the　time　that　the　quartermaster　had　fulfilled　all　the　long　and

dilatory　formalities　without　which　no　French　soldier　can　be　married；

he　was　passionately　in　love　with　Juana　di　Mancini；　and　Juana　had　had

time　to　think　of　her　coming　destiny。



An　awful　destiny！　Juana；　who　felt　neither　esteem　nor　love　for　Diard；

was　bound　to　him　forever；　by　a　rash　but　necessary　promise。　The　man　was

neither　handsome　nor　well…made。　His　manners；　devoid　of　all

distinction；　were　a　mixture　of　the　worst　army　tone；　the　habits　of　his

province；　and　his　own　insufficient　education。　How　could　she　love

Diard；　she；　a　young　girl　all　grace　and　elegance；　born　with　an

invincible　instinct　for　luxury　and　good　taste；　her　very　nature　tending

toward　the　sphere　of　the　higher　social　classes？　As　for　esteeming　him；

she　rejected　the　very　thought　precisely　because　he　had　married　her。

This　repulsion　was　natural。　Woman　is　a　saintly　and　noble　creature；　but

almost　always　misunderstood；　and　nearly　always　misjudged　because　she

is　misunderstood。　If　Juana　had　loved　Diard　she　would　have　esteemed

him。　Love　creates　in　a　wife　a　new　woman；　the　woman　of　the　day　before

no　longer　exists　on　the　morrow。　Putting　on　the　nuptial　robe　of　a

passion　in　which　life　itself　is　concerned；　the　woman　wraps　herself　in

purity　and　whiteness。　Reborn　into　virtue　and　chastity；　there　is　no

past　for　her；　she　is　all　future；　and　should　forget　the　things　behind

her　to　relearn　life。　In　this　sense　the　famous　words　which　a　modern

poet　has　put　into　the　lips　of　Marion　Delorme　is　infused　with　truth；



〃And　Love　remade　me　virgin。〃



That　line　seems　like　a　reminiscence　of　a　tragedy　of　Corneille；　so

truly　does　it　recall　the　energetic　diction　of　the　father　of　our　modern

theatre。　Yet　the　poet　was　forced　to　sacrifice　it　to　the　essentially

vaudevillist　spirit　of　the　pit。



So　Juana　loveless　was　doomed　to　be　Juana　humiliated；　degraded；

hopeless。　She　could　not　honor　the　man　who　took　her　thus。　She　felt；　in

all　the　conscientious　purity　of　her　youth；　that　distinction；　subtle　in

appearance　but　sacredly　true；　legal　with　the　heart's　legality；　which

women　apply　instinctively　to　all　their　feelings；　even　the　least

reflective。　Juana　became　profoundly　sad　as　she　saw　the　nature　and　the

extent　of　the　life　before　her。　Often　she　turned　her　eyes；　brimming

with　tears　proudly　repressed；　upon　Perez　and　Dona　Lagounia；　who　fully

comprehended；　both　of　them；　the　bitter　thoughts　those　tears　contained。

But　they　were　silent：　of　what　good　were　reproaches　now；　why　look　for

consolations？　The　deeper　they　were；　the　more　they　enlarged　the　wound。



One　evening；　Juana；　stupid　with　grief；　heard　through　the　open　door　of

her　little　room；　which　the　old　couple　had　thought　shut；　a　pitying　moan

from　her　adopted　mother。



〃The　child　will　die　of　grief。〃



〃Yes；〃　said　Perez；　in　a　shaking　voice；　〃but　what　can　we　do？　I　cannot

now　boast　of　her　beauty　and　her　chastity　to　Comte　d'Arcos；　to　whom　I

hoped　to　marry　her。〃



〃But　a　single　fault　is　not　vice；〃　said　the　old　woman；　pitying　as　the

angels。



〃Her　mother　gave　her　to　this　man；〃　said　Perez。



〃Yes；　in　a　moment；　without　consulting　the　poor　child！〃　cried　Dona

Lagounia。



〃She　knew　what　she　was　doing。〃



〃But　oh！　into　what　hands　our　pearl　is　going！〃



〃Say　no　more；　or　I　shall　seek　a　quarrel　with　that　Diard。〃



〃And　that　would　only　lead　to　other　miseries。〃



Hearing　these　dreadful　words　Juana　saw　the　happy　future　she　had　lost

by　her　own　wrongdoing。　The　pure　and　simple　years　of　her　quiet　life

would　have　been　rewarded　by　a　brilliant　existence　such　as　she　had

fondly　dreamed；dreams　which　had　caused　her　ruin。　To　fall　from　the

height　of　Greatness　to　Monsieur　Diard！　She　wept。　At　times　she　went

nearly　mad。　She　floated　for　a　while　between　vice　and　religion。　Vice

was　a　speedy　solution；　religion　a　lifetime　of　suffering。　The

meditation　was　stormy　and　solemn。　The　next　day　was　the　fatal　day；　the

day　for　the　marriage。　But　Juana　could　still　remain　free。　Free；　she

knew　how　far　her　misery　would　go；　married；　she　was　ignorant　of　where

it　went　or　what　it　might　bring　her。



Religion　triumphed。　Dona　Lagounia　stayed　beside　her　child　and　prayed

and　watched　as　she　would　have　prayed　and　watched　beside　the　dying。



〃God　wills　it；〃　she　said　to　Juana。



Nature　gives　to　woman　alternately　a　strength　which　enables　her　to

suffer　and　a　weakness　which　leads　her　to　resignation。　Juana　resigned

herself；　and　without　restriction。　She　determined　to　obey　her　mother's

prayer；　and　cross　the　desert　of　life　to　reach　God's　heaven；　knowing

well　that　no　flowers　grew　for　her　along　the　way　of　that　painful

journey。



She　married　Diard。　As　for　the　quartermaster；　though　he　had　no　grace　in

Juana's　eyes；　we　may　well　absolve　him。　He　loved　her　distractedly。　The

Marana；　so　keen　to　know　the　signs　of　love；　had　recognized　in　that　man

the　accents　of　passion　and　the　brusque　nature；　the　generous　impulses；

that　are　common　to　Southerners。　In　the　paroxysm　of　her　anger　and　her

distress　she　had　thought　such　qualities　enough　for　her　daughter's

happiness。



The　first　days　of　this　marriage　were　apparently　happy；　or；　to　express

one　of　those　latent　facts；　the　miseries　of　which　are　buried　by　women

in　the　depths　of　their　souls；　Juana　would　not　cast　down　her　husband's

joy；a　double　role；　dreadful　to　play；　but　to　which；　sooner　or　later；

all　women　unhappily　married　come。　This　is　a　history　impossible　to

recount　in　its　full　truth。　Juana；　struggling　hourly　against　her

nature；　a　nature　both　Spanish　and　Italian；　having　dried　up　the　source

of　her　tears　by　dint　of　weeping；　was　a　human　type；　destined　to

represent　woman's　misery　in　its　utmost　expression；　namely；　sorrow

undyingly　active；　the　description　of　which　would　need　such　minute

observations　that　to　persons　eager　for　dramatic　emotions　they　would

seem　insipid。　This　analysis；　in　which　every　wife　would　find　some　one

of　her　own　sufferings；　would　require　a　volume　to　express　them　all；　a

fruitless；　hopeless　volume　by　its　very　nature；　the　merit　of　which

would　consist　in　faintest　tints　and　delicate　shadings　which　critics

would　declare　to　be　effeminate　and　diffuse。　Besides；　what　man　could

rightly　approach；　unless　he　bore　another　heart　within　his　heart；　those

solemn　and　touching　elegies　which　certain　women　carry　with　them　to

their　tomb；　melancholies；　misunderstood　even　by　those　who　cause　them；

sighs　unheeded；　devotions　unrewarded；on　earth　at　least；splendid

silences　misconstrued；　vengeances　withheld；　disdained；　generosities

perpetually　bestowed　and　wasted；　pleasures　longed　for　and　denied；

angelic　charities　secretly　accomplished；in　short；　all　the　religions

of　womanhood　and　its　inextinguishable　love。



Juana　knew　that　life；　fate　spared　her　nought。　She　was　wholly　a　wife；

but　a　sorrowful　and　suffering　wife；　a　wife　incessantly　wounded；　yet

forgiving　always；　a　wife　pure　as　a　flawless　diamond；she　who　had　the

beauty　and　the　glow　of　the　diamond；　and　in　that　beauty；　that　glow；　a

vengeance　in　her　hand；　for　she　was　certainly　not　a　woman　to　fear　the

dagger　added　to　her　〃dot。〃



At　first；　inspired　by　a　real　love；　by　one　of　those　passions　which　for

the　time　being　change　even　odious　characters　and　bring　to　light　all

that　may　be　noble　in　a　soul；　Diard　behaved　like　a　man　of　honor。　He

forced　Montefiore　to　leave　the　regiment　and　even　the　army　corps；　so

that　his　wife　might　never　meet　him　during　the　time　they　remained　in

Spain。　Next；　he　petitioned　for　his　own　removal；　and　succeeded　in

entering　the　Imperial　Guard。　He　desired　at　any　price　to　obtain　a

title；　honors；　and　consideration　in　keeping　with　his　present　wealth。

With　this　idea　in　his　mind；　he　behaved　courageously　in　one　of　the　most

bloody　battles　in　Germany；　but；　unfortunately；　he　was　too　severely

wounded　to　remain　in　the　service。　Threatened　with　the　loss　of　a　leg；

he　was　forced　to　retire　on　a　pension；　without　the　title　of　baron；

without　those　rewards　he　hoped　to　win；　and　would　have　won　had　he　not

been　Diard。



This　event；　this　wound；　and　his　thwarted　hopes　contributed　to　change

his　character。　His　Provencal　energy；　roused　for　a　time；　sank　down。　At

first　he　was　sustained　by　his　wife；　in　whom　his　efforts；　his　courage；

his　ambition　had　induced　some　belief　in　his　nature；　and　who　showed

herself；　what　women　are；　tender　and　consoling　in　the　troubles　of　life。

Inspired　by　a　few　words　from　Juana；　the　retired　soldier　came　to　Paris；

resolved　to　win　in　an　administrative　career　a　position　to　command

respect；　bury　in　oblivion　the　quartermaster　of　the　6th　of　the　line；

and　secure　for　Madame　Diard　a　noble　title。　His　passion　for　that

seductive　creature　enabled　him　to　divine　her　most　secret　wishes。　Juana

expressed　nothing；　but　he　understood　her。　He　was　not　loved　as　a　lover

dreams　of　being　loved；　he　knew　this；　and　he　strove　to　make　himself

respected；　loved；　and　cherished。　He　foresaw　a　coming　happiness；　poor

man；　in　the　patience　and　gentleness　shown　on　all　occasions　by　his

wife；　but　that　patience；　that　gentleness；　were　only　the　outward　signs

of　the　resignation　which　had　made　her　his　wife。　Resignation；　religion；

were　they　love？　Often　Diard　wished　for　refusal　where　he　met　with

chaste　obedience；　often　he　would　have　given　his　eternal　life　that

Juana　might　have　wept　upon　his　bosom　and　not　disguised　her　secret

thoughts　behind　a　smiling　face　which　lied　to　him　nobly。　Many　young　men

for　after　a　certain　age　men　no　longer　strugglepersist　in　t