a son who is the heir of two noble houses. I am a woman, I am Duchesse de Montsorel, I am a mother! We are rich, we have a virtuous priest for an adviser; right is on our side, and if I have demanded the certificate of my son's birth —
The Duke
It is only for the purpose of handing it to me.
The Duchess Since when have you ventured to enter my apartment without previously sending me word and asking my leave?
The Duke Since you broke the agreement we made. You swore to take no steps to find this – your son. This was the sole condition on which I promised to let him live.
The Duchess And is it not much more honorable to violate such an oath, than to remain faithful to all others?
The Duke
We are henceforth both of us released from our engagements.
The Duchess
Have you, up to the present day, respected yours?
The Duke
I have, madame.
The Duchess
Listen to him, aunt, and bear witness to this declaration.
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey But has it never occurred to you, my dear sir, that Louise is innocent?
The Duke Of course you think so, Mademoiselle de Vaudrey. And what would not I give to share your opinion! The duchess has had twenty years in which to prove to me her innocence.
The Duchess For twenty years you have wrung my heart without pity and without intermission.
The Duke Madame, unless you hand me this certificate, your Fernand will have serious cause for alarm. As soon as you returned to France you secured the document, and are trying to employ it as a weapon against me. You desire to obtain for your son a fortune and a name which do not belong to him; to secure his admission into a family, whose race has up to my time been kept pure by wives of stainless reputation, a family which has never formed a single mesalliance —
The Duchess
And which will be worthily represented by your son Albert.
The Duke Be careful what you say, for you waken in me terrible memories. And your last word shows me that you will not shrink from causing a scandal that will overwhelm all of us with shame. Shall we air in public courts past occurrences which will show that I am not free from reproach, while you are infamous? (He turns to Mademoiselle de Vaudrey) She cannot have told you everything, dear aunt? She was in love with Viscount Langeac; I knew it, and respected her love; I was so young! The viscount came to me; being without hope of inheriting a fortune, and the last representative of his house, he unselfishly offered to give up Louise de Vaudrey. I trusted in their mutual generosity, and accepted her as a pure woman from his hands. Ah! I would have given my life for her, and I have proved it! The wretched man performed prodigies of valor on the Tenth of August, and called down upon himself the rage of the mob; I put him under the protection of some of my people; he was, however, discovered and taken to the Abbaye. As soon as I learned his predicament, I gave into the hands of a certain Boulard all the money I had collected for our flight! I induced Boulard to join the Septembrists in order to save the viscount from death; I procured his escape! (To the duchess) He paid me back well, did he not? I was young, madly in love, impetuous, yet I never crushed the boy! You have to-day made me the same requital for my pity, as your lover made for my trust in him. Well – things remain just as they were twenty years ago excepting that the time for pity is past. And I will repeat what I said to you then: Forget your son, and he shall live.
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
And shall her sufferings during those twenty years count for nothing?
The Duke
A great crime calls for a great atonement.
The Duchess Ah – if you take my grief for a sign of remorse, I will again protest to you, I am innocent! No! Langeac never betrayed your confidence; it was not for his king alone he went to his death, and from the fatal day on which he bade me farewell and surrendered me to you, I have never seen him again.
The Duke You purchased the life of your son by making an exactly contrary declaration.
The Duchess
Can a compact dictated by terror be looked upon as an avowal of guilt?
The Duke
Do you intend to give that certificate of birth?
The Duchess
It is no longer in my possession.
The Duke
I will no longer answer then for your son's safety.
The Duchess
Have you weighed well the consequences of this threat?
The Duke
You ought to know me by this time.
The Duchess The trouble is that you do not know me. You will no longer answer for my son's safety? Indeed – but you had better look after your own son. Albert is a guarantee for the life of Fernand. If you keep watch on my proceedings, I shall set a watch on yours; if you rely upon the police of the realm, I have resources of my own, and the assistance of God. If you deal a blow at Fernand, beware of what may happen to Albert. A blow for a blow! – That is final.
The Duke You are in our own house, madame. I forgot myself. Pray pardon me. I was wrong.
The Duchess You are more a gentleman than your son; when he flies into a rage he begs no one's pardon, not he!
The Duke (aside) Has her resignation up to this time been nothing but a pretence? Has she been waiting for the present opportunity to speak? Women who are guided by the advice of bigots travel underground, like volcanic fires, and only reveal themselves when they break out. She knows my secret, I have lost sight of her son, and my defeat is imminent. (Exit.)
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
Louise, you love the child you have never seen, and hate him who is before your eyes. Ah! you must tell the reason of your hatred for
Albert, if you would retain my esteem and my affection.
The Duchess
Not a word on that subject.
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey The calm way in which your husband remarks your aversion for your son is astonishing.
The Duchess
He is accustomed to it.
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
Yet you could never show yourself a bad mother, could you?
The Duchess A bad mother? No. (She reflects.) I cannot make up my mind to forfeit your affection. (She draws her aunt to her side.) Albert is not my son.
Mademoiselle de Vaudrey Can a stranger have usurped the place, the name, the title, the property of
