"Gone!" cried Adrienne; "gone without me!--Gracious heaven! what can be the meaning of all this?" Then, after a moment's reflection, she resumed, "Please to fetch me a coach."
The two women looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders."I entreat you, madame," continued Adrienne, with forced calmness in her voice, "to fetch me a coach since M.Baleinier is gone without me.I wish to leave this place."
"Come, come, madame," said the tall woman, who was called "Tomboy,"
without appearing to listen to what Adrienne asked, "it is time for you to go to bed."
"To go to bed!" cried Mdlle.Cardoville, in alarm."This is really enough to drive one mad." Then, addressing the two women, she added:
"What is this house? where am I? answer!"
"You are in a house," said Tomboy, in a rough voice, "where you must not make a row from the window, as you did just now."
"And where you must not put out the lamp as you have done," added the other woman, who was called Gervaise, "or else we shall have a crow to pick with you."
Adrienne, unable to utter a word, and trembling with fear, looked in a kind of stupor from one to the other of these horrible women; her reason strove in vain to comprehend what was passing around her.Suddenly she thought she had guessed it, and exclaimed: "I see there is a mistake here.I do not understand how, but there is a mistake.You take me for some one else.Do you know who I am? My name is Adrienne de Cardoville You see, therefore, that I am at liberty to leave this house; no one in the world has the right to detain me.I command you, then, to fetch me a coach immediately.If there are none in this quarter, let me have some one to accompany me home to the Rue de Babylone, Saint-Dizier House.I will reward such a person liberally, and you also."
"Well, have you finished?" said Tomboy."What is the use of telling us all this rubbish?"
"Take care," resumed Adrienne, who wished to try every means; "if you detain me here by force, it will be very serious.You do not know to what you expose yourselves."
"Will you come to bed; yes or no?" said Gervaise, in a tone of harsh impatience.
"Listen to me, madame," resumed Adrienne, precipitately, "let me out this place, and I will give each of you two thousand francs.It is not enough? I will give you ten--twenty--whatever you ask.I am rich--only let me out for heaven's sake, let me out!--I cannot remain here--I am afraid." As she said this, the tone of the poor girl's voice was heartrending.
"Twenty thousand francs!--that's the usual figure, ain't it, Tomboy?"
"Let be, Gervaise! they all sing the same song."
"Well, then? since reasons, prayers, and menaces are all in vain," said Adrienne gathering energy from her desperate position, "I declare to you that I will go out and that instantly.We will see if you are bold enough to employ force against me."
So saying, Adrienne advanced resolutely towards the door.But, at this moment, the wild hoarse cries, which had preceded the noise of the struggle that had so frightened her, again resounded; only, this time they were not accompanied by the movement of feet.
"Oh! what screams!" said Adrienne, stopping short, and in her terror drawing nigh to the two women."Do you not hear those cries? What, then, is this house, in which one hears such things? And over there, too," added she almost beside herself, as she pointed to the other wing where the lighted windows shone through the darkness, and the white figure continued to pass and repass before it; "over there! do you see?
What is it?"
"Oh! that 'un," said Tomboy; "one of the folks who, like you, have not behaved well."
"What do you say?" cried Mdlle.de Cardoville, clasping her hands in terror."Heavens! what is this house? What do they do to them?"
"What will be done to you, if you are naughty, and refuse to come to bed," answered Gervaise.
"They put this on them," said Tomboy, showing the garment that she had held under her arm, "they clap 'em into the strait-waistcoast."
"Oh!" cried Adrienne, hiding her face in her hands with horror.A
terrible discovery had flashed suddenly upon her.She understood it all.
Capping the violent emotions of the day, the effect of this last blow was dreadful.The young girl felt her strength give way.Her hands fell powerless, her face became fearfully pale, all her limbs trembled, and sinking upon her knees, and casting a terrified glance at the strait-
waistcoat she was just able to falter in a feeble voice, "Oh, no:--not that--for pity's sake, madame.I will do--whatever you wish." And, her strength quite failing, she would have fallen upon the ground if the two women had not run towards her, and received her fainting into their arms.
"A fainting fit," said Tomboy; "that's not dangerous.Let us carry her to bed.We can undress her, and this will be all nothing."
"Carry her, then," said Gervaise."I will take the lamp."
The tall and robust Tomboy took up Mdlle.de Cardoville as if she had been a sleeping child, carried her in her arms, and followed her companion into the chamber through which M.Baleinier had made his exit.