Part 1 Chapter 14
The English ScissorsA girl of sixteen had a rosy complexion, and put on rouge.
POLIDORIAs for Julien, Fouque's offer had indeed destroyed all his happiness;he could not decide upon any course.
'Alas! Perhaps I am wanting in character, I should have made Napoleon a bad soldier. Anyhow,' he went on, 'my little intrigue with the ladyof the house is going to distract me for the moment.'
Fortunately for him, even in this minor incident, his inward feelingsbore no relation to his cavalier language. He was afraid of Madame deRenal because of her pretty gown. This gown was in his eyes the advance guard of Paris. His pride was determined to leave nothing tochance and to the inspiration of the moment. Drawing upon Fouque'sconfessions and the little he had read about love in the Bible, he prepared a plan of campaign in great detail. Since, though he did not admitit to himself, he was extremely anxious, he committed this plan towriting.
The following morning, in the drawing-room, Madame de Renal wasalone with him for a moment.
'Have you no other name besides Julien?' she asked him.
Our hero did not know what answer to give to so flattering a question.
No provision had been made in his plan for such an event. But for thestupid mistake of making a plan, Julien's quick mind would soon havecome to his rescue, his surprise would only have added to the keennessof his perceptions.
He was awkward and exaggerated his own awkwardness. Madame deRenal soon forgave him that. She saw in it the effect of a charming candour. And the one thing lacking, to her mind, in this man, who was considered so brilliant, was an air of candour.
'I don't at all trust your little tutor,' Madame Derville said to her onseveral occasions. 'He seems to me to be always thinking and to act onlyfrom motives of policy. He's crafty.'
Julien remained deeply humiliated by the disaster of not havingknown what answer to make to Madame de Renal.
'A man of my sort owes it to himself to make up for this check'; and,seizing the moment at which she passed from one room to another, hedid what he considered his duty by giving Madame de Renal a kiss.
Nothing could have been less appropriate, less agreeable either to himself or to her, nor could anything have been more imprudent. Theybarely escaped being caught. Madame de Renal thought him mad. Shewas frightened and even more shocked. This stupidity reminded her ofM. Valenod.
'What would happen to me,' she asked herself, 'if I were left alone withhim?' All her virtue returned, for her love was in eclipse.
She arranged matters so that there should always be one of her children with her.
The day passed slowly for Julien, he spent the whole of it in clumsilycarrying out his plan of seduction. He never once looked at Madame deRenal without embodying a question in his look; he was not, however,such a fool as not to see that he was failing completely to be agreeable,let alone seductive.
Madame de Renal could not get over her astonishment at finding himso awkward and at the same time so bold. 'It is the timidity of love in aman of parts!' she said to herself at length, with an inexpressible joy. 'Canit be possible that he has never been loved by my rival!'
After luncheon, Madame de Renal returned to the drawing-room toentertain M. Charcot de Maugiron, the Sub-Prefect of Bray. She wasworking at a little tapestry frame on a tall stand. Madame Derville wasby her side. It was in this position, and in the full light of day, that ourhero thought fit to thrust forward his boot and press the pretty foot ofMadame de Renal, whose open-work stocking and smart Parisian shoewere evidently attracting the gaze of the gallant Sub-Prefect.
Madame de Renal was extremely alarmed; she let fall her scissors, herball of wool, her needles, and Julien's movement could thus pass for aclumsy attempt to prevent the fall of the scissors, which he had seen slipping down. Fortunately these little scissors of English steel broke, and Madame de Renal could not sufficiently express her regret that Julienhad not been nearer at hand.
'You saw them falling before I did, you might have caught them; yourzeal has only succeeded in giving me a violent kick.'
All this play-acting took in the Sub-Prefect, but not Madame Derville.
'This pretty youth has very bad manners!' she thought; the worldly-wisdom of a provincial capital can never pardon mistakes of this sort. Madame de Renal found an opportunity of saying to Julien:
'Be careful, I order you.'
Julien realised his own clumsiness, and was annoyed. For a long timehe debated within himself whether he ought to take offence at the words:
'I order you.' He was foolish enough to think: 'She might say to me "I order you" if it was something to do with the children's education; but inresponding to my love, she assumes equality. One cannot love withoutequality'; and he lost himself in composing commonplaces on the subjectof equality. He repeated angrily to himself the verse of Corneille whichMadame Derville had taught him a few days earlier:
Love creates equalities, it does not seek them.
Julien, insisting upon playing the part of a Don Juan, he who had never had a mistress in his life, was deadly dull for the rest of the day. Hehad only one sensible idea; bored with himself and with Madame deRenal, he saw with alarm the evening approach when he would beseated in the garden, by her side and in the dark. He told M. de Renalthat he was going to Verrieres to see the cure; he set off after dinner, anddid not return until late at night.
At Verrieres, Julien found M. Chelan engaged in packing up; he had atlast been deprived of his benefice; the vicar Maslon was to succeed him.
Julien helped the good cure, and it occurred to him to write to Fouquethat the irresistible vocation which he felt for the sacred ministry hadprevented him at first from accepting his friend's obliging offer, but thathe had just witnessed such an example of injustice, that perhaps it wouldbe more advantageous to his welfare were he not to take holy orders.
Julien applauded his own deftness in making use of the deprivation ofthe cure of Verrieres to leave a door open for himself and so return tocommerce, should the sad voice of prudence prevail, in his mind, overheroism.