CHAPTER XXVIII

ARNOLD AND BERTHA

Madame de Brévannes had frequently met M. de Hansfeld, under the name of Arnold Schneider, at Pierre Raimond's. He had saved the old engraver's life, and nothing could be more natural than his visits to see him.

Bertha having resolved on again teaching the piano, in order to supply her father's wants, used to go to his abode three times a-week, and remain there for three hours, giving her lessons in his presence.

It will not be forgotten that Bertha had made a deep impression on M. de Hansfeld the first time he saw her at the Comédie Française, and when he subsequently met her at Pierre Raimond's, whom he had snatched from certain death, he was forcibly struck at the circumstance which thus brought him into contact with Bertha, viewing it as a kind of fatality which the more augmented his love.

The charm of De Hansfeld's manner, the delicacy of his mind, his respectful attentions, which were almost filial towards Pierre, soon converted the gratitude which the old man felt for his preserver into sincere affection.

Arnold was simple-minded and good, discoursed with taste and sound knowledge as to the great masters of painting, who were objects of passionate admiration to the old man, who had devoted a portion of his life to reproducing in copper the best productions of Raphael, Vinci, and Titian. He had shewn these labours of his youth and maturity to Arnold, who had appreciated them like a connoisseur and skilful artist.

His praises did not betray complaisance or flattery; but moderated, just, and appropriate, they were the more pleasing to Pierre Raimond, who had a perfect knowledge of his art, and, like all earnest and modest artists, knew better than any one else the strong and weak points of his works. This was not all. Arnold seemed, by his political opinions, to belong to that effervescent party of Young Germany which presents so much analogy with certain shades of the republican school.

In consequence of these many points of similarity, the recent intimacy of Pierre Raimond and Arnold became every day more and more close. The latter was really in earnest,--he felt sincerely attracted towards the blunt and austere old man, who preserved the attachments and ideas of his early days in all their warmth and integrity.

M. de Hansfeld was exceedingly timid; the duties of his station so weighed upon him, that, in order to escape from them, he had affected the greatest eccentricities. His tastes, his inclinations, lead him to a life more simple and obscure, peaceably occupying himself with the arts and social theories. Thus, even in Bertha's absence, he found in the two rooms of Pierre Raimond more pleasure, happiness, and enchantment, than he had hitherto experienced in all his palaces.

If he had only desired to dissemble his attentions to Bertha under the appearance of deceitful attentions to the engraver, the latter had too much instinct for the truth not to have perceived it, and too much stern pride not to have closed his door against Arnold.

Pierre Raimond was not blind to the fact that his young friend found Bertha charming, and that he equally admired her talent as an artist, the ingenuousness of her character, and the graces of her mind.

In his paternal pride, so far from being alarmed, Pierre Raimond was delighted at this admiration, for he had the blindest confidence in Bertha's principles. And did he not owe his life to Arnold? How could he suppose that this young man, with so noble a heart, ideas so generous, would infamously abuse those relations which gratitude had established between himself and the man whose life he had saved?

In Pierre Raimond's eyes that would have been still more infamous than to have dishonoured the daughter of his benefactor. Then, too, Arnold had told him he was one of the people, and, in the exaggeration of his peculiar ideas, Pierre Raimond accorded to him a confidence which he could never have lavished on the Prince de Hansfeld.

Bertha, at first attracted towards Arnold by gratitude, had gradually felt the influence of his goodness and attraction. He was frequently present with the old engraver at Bertha's music lessons, was himself an excellent musician, and Bertha often listened to him with as much interest as pleasure when he discoursed, with evident skill, of an art which she adored, referred to the lives of the great composers of Germany, and displayed, as it were, the poetry of their works, whilst he developed their innumerable beauties.

How enchanting were the hours thus passed by Bertha, Arnold, and Pierre Raimond! The latter knew nothing of music, but his young friend translated--explained to him, as we may say--the musical thoughts of the great masters, analysing them phrase by phrase, and doing for the works of Mozart, Beethoven, and Gluck, what Hoffman has done so wonderfully for _Don Juan_.

Bertha, sensibly touched by Arnold's attentions to Pierre Raimond, attributed to that alone the lively sympathy which every day drew her into closer communion with the prince, who was the more dangerous as he was so utterly unaffected and sincere. Nothing in his language or his manners could startle Madame de Brévannes of the peril she was incurring.

Arnold's conduct was one continual avowal, he had no need to say one word of love. If by chance he was alone for a moment with Bertha, his look, his tone were the same as those he maintained in the engraver's presence, and when the latter returned Arnold could always conclude the sentence he had begun.

How, then, could Madame de Brévannes mistrust an intimacy so pure, so tranquil? Arnold had never said to her, "I love you!" She had never for a moment believed he could love her, and yet both were already under the irresistible charm of love.

We repeat, that, by a singular chance, these three persons, sincere in their affections, without mistrust or concealed thought, loved each other. Arnold tenderly loved the old man and his daughter, and they returned his affection ardently. In truth, all three found themselves so happy, that, by a sort of instinct that was preservative of happiness, they had never thought of analysing their felicity, but enjoyed it without considering its source or its tendency.

The only thing that could enlighten Bertha as to the sentiment to which her heart was daily expanding, was the sort of indifference with which she bore the brutalities of her husband; she was now but vaguely astonished at them, feeling quite regardless of injuries that had formerly been so deeply wounding.

When her father, extremely irritated with M. dc Brévannes, had seriously and almost severely questioned her as to Do Brévannes' conduct, she had uttered no falsehood in replying that for some time past he had ceased to annoy her.

The old man had had the more faith in Bertha's answer, inasmuch as, by degrees, she became calm and smiling, and her countenance, formerly so sorrowful, now revealed the most perfect tranquillity. Perhaps Pierre Raimond's blind confidence may be blamed, but it was one of the illustrations of his character.

These facts stated, we will now lead the reader to Pierre Raimond's modest retreat, the day after that on which M. de Hansfeld had commanded his wife to quit Paris in three days.