CHAPTER V. ROSE AND BLANCHE.
The orphans occupied a dilapidated chamber in one of the most remotewings of the inn, with a single window opening upon the country. A bedwithout curtains, a table, and two chairs, composed the more than modestfurniture of this retreat, which was now lighted by a lamp. On thetable, which stood near the window, was deposited the knapsack of thesoldier.
The great Siberian dog, who was lying close to the door, had alreadytwice uttered a deep growl, and turned his head towards the window--butwithout giving any further affect to this hostile manifestation.
The two sisters, half recumbent in their bed, were clad in long whitewrappers, buttoned at the neck and wrists. They wore no caps, but theirbeautiful chestnut hair was confined at the temples by a broad pieceof tape, so that it might not get tangled during the night. These whitegarments, and the white fillet that like a halo encircled their brows,gave to their fresh and blooming faces a still more candid expression.
The orphans laughed and chatted, for, in spite of some early sorrows,they still retained the ingenuous gayety of their age. The remembranceof their mother would sometimes make them sad, but this sorrow had in itnothing bitter; it was rather a sweet melancholy, to be sought insteadof shunned. For them, this adored mother was not dead--she was onlyabsent.
Almost as ignorant as Dagobert, with regard to devotional exercises, forin the desert where they had lived there was neither church nor priest,their faith, as was already said, consisted in this--that God, just andgood, had so much pity for the poor mothers whose children were lefton earth, that he allowed them to look down upon them from highestheaven--to see them always, to hear them always, and sometimes tosend fair guardian angels to protect therein. Thanks to this guilelessillusion, the orphans, persuaded that their mother incessantly watchedover them, felt, that to do wrong would be to afflict her, and toforfeit the protection of the good angels.--This was the entire theologyof Rose and Blanche--a creed sufficient for such pure and loving souls.
Now, on the evening in question, the two sisters chatted together whilstwaiting for Dagobert. Their theme interested them much, for, sincesome days, they had a secret, a great secret, which often quickened thebeatings of their innocent hearts, often agitated their budding bosoms,changed to bright scarlet the roses on their cheeks, and infused arestless and dreamy langour into the soft blue of their large eyes.
Rose, this evening, occupied the edge of the couch, with her roundedarms crossed behind her head, which was half turned towards her sister;Blanche, with her elbow resting on the bolster, looked at her smilingly,and said: "Do you think he will come again to-night?"
"Oh, yes! certainly. He promised us yesterday."
"He is so good, he would not break his promise."
"And so handsome, with his long fair curls."
"And his name--what a charming name!--How well it suits his face."
"And what a sweet smile and soft voice, when he says to us, taking us bythe hand: 'My children, bless God that he has given you one soul. Whatothers seek elsewhere, you will find in yourselves.'"
"'Since your two hearts,' he added, 'only make one.'"
"What pleasure to remember his words, sister!"
"We are so attentive! When I see you listening to him, it is as if Isaw myself, my dear little mirror!" said Rose, laughing, and kissing hersister's forehead. "Well--when he speaks, your--or rather our eyes--arewide, wide open, our lips moving as if we repeated every word after him.It is no wonder we forget nothing that he says."
"And what he says is so grand, so noble, and generous."
"Then, my sister, as he goes on talking, what good thoughts rise withinus! If we could but always keep them in mind."
"Do not be afraid! they will remain in our hearts, like little birds intheir mother's nests."
"And how lucky it is, Rose, that he loves us both at the same time!"
"He could not do otherwise, since we have but one heart between us."
"How could he love Rose, without loving Blanche?"
"What would have become of the poor, neglected one?"
"And then again he would have found it so difficult to choose."
"We are so much like one another."
"So, to save himself that trouble," said Rose, laughing, "he has chosenus both."
"And is it not the best way? He is alone to love us; we are two togetherto think of him."
"Only he must not leave us till we reach Paris."
"And in Paris, too--we must see him there also."
"Oh, above all at Paris; it will be good to have him with us--andDagobert, too--in that great city. Only think, Blanche, how beautiful itmust be."
"Paris!--it must be like a city all of gold."
"A city, where every one must be happy, since it is so beautiful."
"But ought we, poor orphans, dare so much as to enter it? How peoplewill look at us!"
"Yes--but every one there is happy, every one must be good also."
"They will love us."
"And, besides, we shall be with our friend with the fair hair and blueeyes."
"He has yet told us nothing of Paris."
"He has not thought of it; we must speak to him about it this verynight."
"If he is in the mood for talking. Often you know, he likes best to gazeon us in silence--his eyes on our eyes."
"Yes. In those moments, his look recalls to me the gaze of our dearmother."
"And, as she sees it all, how pleased she must be at what has happenedto us!"
"Because, when we are so much beloved, we must, I hope, deserve it."
"See what a vain thing it is!" said Blanche, smoothing with her slenderfingers the parting of the hair on her sister's forehead.
After a moment's reflection, Rose said to her: "Don't you think weshould relate all this to Dagobert?"
"If you think so, let us do it."
"We tell him everything, as we told everything to mother. Why should weconceal this from him?"
"Especially as it is something which gives us so much pleasure."
"Do you not find that, since we have known our friend, our hearts beatquicker and stronger?"
"Yes, they seem to be more full."
"The reason why is plain enough; our friend fills up a good space inthem."
"Well, we will do best to tell Dagobert what a lucky star ours is."
"You are right--" At this moment the dog gave another deep growl.
"Sister," said Rose, as she pressed closer to Blanche, "there is the doggrowling again. What can be the matter with him?"
"Spoil-sport, do not growl! Come hither," said Blanche, striking withher little hand on the side of the bed.
The dog rose, again growled deeply, and came to lay his great,intelligent looking head on the counterpane, still obstinately castinga sidelong glance at the window; the sisters bent over him to pathis broad forehead, in the centre of which was a remarkable bump, thecertain sign of extreme purity of race.
"What makes you growl so, Spoil-sport?" said Blanche, pulling him gentlyby the ears--"eh, my good dog?"
"Poor beast! he is always so uneasy when Dagobert is away."
"It is true; one would think he knows that he then has a double chargeover us."
"Sister, it seems to me, Dagobert is late in coming to say good-night."
"No doubt he is attending to Jovial."
"That makes me think that we did not bid good-night to dear old Jovial.
"I am sorry for it."
"Poor beast! he seems so glad when he licks our hands. One would thinkthat he thanked us for our visit."
"Luckily, Dagobert will have wished him good-night for us."
"Good Dagobert! he is always thinking of us. How he spoils us! We remainidle, and he has all the trouble."
"How can we prevent it?"
"What a pity that we are not rich, to give him a little rest."
"We rich! Alas, my sister! we shall never be anything but poor orphans."
"Oh, there's the medal!"
r /> "Doubtless, there is some hope attached to it, else we should not havemade this long journey."
"Dagobert has promised to tell us all, this evening."
She was prevented from continuing, for two of the windowpanes flew topieces with a loud crash.
The orphans, with a cry of terror, threw themselves into each other'sarms, whilst the dog rushed towards the window, barking furiously.
Pale, trembling, motionless with affright, clasping each other in aclose embrace, the two sisters held their breath; in their extreme fear,they durst not even cast their eyes in the direction of the window.The dog, with his forepaws resting on the sill, continued to bark withviolence.
"Alas! what can it be?" murmured the orphans. "And Dagobert not here!"
"Hark!" cried Rose, suddenly seizing Blanche by the arm; "hark!--someone coming up the stairs!"
"Good heaven! it does not sound like the tread of Dagobert. Do you nothear what heavy footsteps?"
"Quick! come, Spoil-sport, and defend us!" cried the two sisters atonce, in an agony of alarm.
The boards of the wooden staircase really creaked beneath the weightof unusually heavy footsteps, and a singular kind of rustling washeard along the thin partition that divided the chamber from thelanding-place. Then a ponderous mass, falling against the door of theroom, shook it violently; and the girls, at the very height of terror,looked at each other without the power of speech.
The door opened. It was Dagobert.
At the sight of him Rose and Blanche joyfully exchanged a kiss, as ifthey had just escaped from a great danger.
"What is the matter? why are you afraid?" asked the soldier in surprise.
"Oh, if you only knew!" said Rose, panting as she spoke, for both herown heart and her sister's beat with violence.
"If you knew what has just happened! We did not recognize yourfootsteps--they seemed so heavy--and then that noise behind thepartition!"
"Little frightened doves that you are! I could not run up the stairslike a boy of fifteen, seeing that I carried my bed upon my back--astraw mattress that I have just flung down before your door, to sleepthere as usual."
"Bless me! how foolish we must be, sister, not to have thought ofthat!" said Rose, looking at Blanche. And their pretty faces, which hadtogether grown pale, together resumed their natural color.
During this scene the dog, still resting against the window, did notcease barking a moment.
"What makes Spoil-sport bark in that direction, my children?" said thesoldier.
"We do not know. Two of our windowpanes have just been broken. That iswhat first frightened us so much."
Without answering a word Dagobert flew to the window, opened it quickly,pushed back the shutter, and leaned out.
He saw nothing; it was a dark night. He listened; but heard only themoaning of the wind.
"Spoil-sport," said he to his dog, pointing to the open window, "leapout, old fellow, and search!" The faithful animal took one mighty springand disappeared by the window, raised only about eight feet above theground.
Dagobert, still leaning over, encouraged his dog with voice and gesture:"Search, old fellow, search! If there is any one there, pin him--yourfangs are strong--and hold him fast till I come."
But Spoil-sport found no one. They heard him go backwards and forwards,snuffing on every side, and now and then uttering a low cry like a houndat fault.
"There is no one, my good dog, that's clear, or you would have had himby the throat ere this." Then, turning to the maidens, who listened tohis words and watched his movements with uneasiness: "My girls," saidhe, "how were these panes broken? Did you not remark?"
"No, Dagobert; we were talking together when we heard a great crash, andthen the glass fell into the room."
"It seemed to me," added Rose, "as if a shutter had struck suddenlyagainst the window."
Dagobert examined the shutter, and observed a long movable hook,designed to fasten it on the inside.
"It blows hard," said he; "the wind must have swung round the shutter,and this hook broke the window. Yes, yes; that is it. What interestcould anybody have to play such a sorry trick?" Then, speaking to Spoilsport, he asked, "Well, my good fellow, is there no one?"
The dog answered by a bark, which the soldier no doubt understood as anegative, for he continued: "Well, then, come back! Make the round--youwill find some door open--you are never at a loss."
The animal followed this advice. After growling for a few secondsbeneath the window, he set off at a gallop to make the circuit of thebuildings, and come back by the court-yard.
"Be quite easy, my children!" said the soldier, as he again drew nearthe orphans; "it was only the wind."
"We were a good deal frightened," said Rose.
"I believe you. But now I think of it, this draught is likely to giveyou cold." And seeking to remedy this inconvenience, he took from achair the reindeer pelisse, and suspended it from the spring-catchof the curtainless window, using the skirts to stop up as closely aspossible the two openings made by the breaking of the panes.
"Thanks, Dagobert, how good you are! We were very uneasy at not seeingyou."
"Yes, you were absent longer than usual. But what is the matter withyou?" added Rose, only just then perceiving that his countenance wasdisturbed and pallid, for he was still under the painful influence ofthe brawl with Morok; "how pale you are!"
"Me, my pets?--Oh, nothing."
"Yes, I assure you, your countenance is quite changed. Rose is right."
"I tell you there is nothing the matter," answered the soldier, notwithout some embarrassment, for he was little used to deceive; till,finding an excellent excuse for his emotion, he added: "If I do look atall uncomfortable, it is your fright that has made me so, for indeed itwas my fault."
"Your fault!"
"Yes; for if I had not lost so much time at supper, I should have beenhere when the window was broken, and have spared you the fright."
"Anyhow, you are here now, and we think no more of it."
"Why don't you sit down?"
"I will, my children, for we have to talk together," said Dagobert, ashe drew a chair close to the head of the bed.
"Now tell me, are you quite awake?" he added, trying to smile in orderto reassure them. "Are those large eyes properly open?"
"Look, Dagobert!" cried the two girls, smiling in their turn, andopening their blue eyes to the utmost extent.
"Well, well," said the soldier, "they are yet far enough, from shutting;besides, it is only nine o'clock."
"We also have something to tell, Dagobert," resumed Rose, afterexchanging glances with her sister.
"Indeed!"
"A secret to tell you."
"A secret?"
"Yes, to be sure."
"Ah, and a very great secret!" added Rose, quite seriously.
"A secret which concerns us both," resumed Blanche.
"Faith! I should think so. What concerns the one always concerns theother. Are you not always, as the saying goes, 'two faces under onehood?'"
"Truly, how can it be otherwise, when you put our heads under the greathood of your pelisse?" said Rose, laughing.
"There they are again, mocking-birds! One never has the last word withthem. Come, ladies, your secret, since a secret there is."
"Speak, sister," said Rose.
"No, miss, it is for you to speak. You are to-day on duty, as eldest,and such an important thing as telling a secret like that you talk ofbelongs of right to the elder sister. Come, I am listening to you,"added the soldier, as he forced a smile, the better to conceal fromthe maidens how much he still felt the unpunished affronts of the brutetamer.
It was Rose (who, as Dagobert said, was doing duty as eldest) that spokefor herself and for her sister.