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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 1/416 P u b l
i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
The Quest of the Absolute and other stories / H. de Balzac ; translated
by Ellen Marriage ; with a preface by George Saintsbury.
Balzac, Honore de, 1799-1850.Philadelphia : The Gebbie Publishing Co., Ltd., 1897.
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t16m35156
Public Domain
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 2/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S I T
R N I A
B A R A
Y
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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A R Y
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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s s
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 7/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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C
H U MA I N E
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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s s
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S I T T N G N A A R G A S Y C H A I R B Y O N E
D OW S .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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C
E A B S O L U T
R C H E D ' A B S O L U )
TO R I E S
DB Y
R I A G
A C E B Y
N T B U R Y
I A
PU B L I S H I N GC o. td
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T i
N MA S T R P E C E
223
N E E S C A U L T 244
L A N D R S 255
O N C I L E D 276
S E 331
A N D TH E D E D 33 5
L E R E TR I B U T O N 3 59
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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s s
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U S T R A T O N S .
S I T T N G N A A R G A S Y -C H A I R B Y O N E O F
S rontispiece
MM . C L A E S A T O N C E N H I S A R M . . .A N D
E TA I R C A S E 5 5
D W I T H A W A N - I K E M O V E M N TO F H E R T H R O A T
N C E MOR E A T MMAN U E L ....104
A N ... N OC K E DTH R I C E A TTH E DOO R .225
A W A MA N TA N D N GA TTH E I TT E GR A T D
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dedition ofthe C omedieH umaine "
eQ uestof theA bsolute " together
d TheMaranas c ontainsthe
ac asastory -teller andthef irste -
thefiery heatandglowofthe
tsprincipalc onstituent thetitle
forano elby itself . Thechiefof the
eUnknownMasterpiec e " hasseemed
erpieceof theauthor. J esus-C hrist
o me o t he r s of B a l a c s s h or t s to r ie s i n ti -
f emulatingthecontesfantasti ues
omantic half-V oltairianandhalf-
so m u ch i n f a o r i n 1 3 0 . t i s t h in k
anditshowsitsauthor sgreatmanner
u t u s t as a t t he e n d of ' l i i r
antthetouchofH of fmannratherthan
herewef indsomethingthatisnot uite
otherhand. v enasitis wewouldnot
butweha ethesensethatthesame
mightha ebeene enbetter. Mel-
nferiorthinginitself hasinthesame
d entitiousinterest.
a d mi r e T h e R e d H o u s e u i te s o
rc ontentsof the olume. thas
eobser edthat asindicatingtheorigin
itc onnec tsitselfw iththegeneralsc heme
asfewoftheothersdo. B utitisanat-
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ot h er s o f B a l a c s a t a s ty l e e r y po p ul a r
mbinationofhumorandterror of terne
chisalittledoubtfulinitself which
onewell andforwhic hhehimselfwas
uipped.
th e A b s o lu t e i s a s h as b e en s a id a
inorpointsonly itisamasterpiece.
allelism probablyunconscious be-
altha arC laesasunc onsc iouslyk ills
ichMonsieurGrandetkillshis is
hebook fortherepetition if itis
showgeniuscanrepeat. ndeed
rationcontainedinthe samebooks
edi ersemartyrdomsofMadame
Marguerite fatalintheformerc ase
tter. nnobook isB al ac sfac ulty
rasscenesanddetailsgo morebril-
aretheminorcharactersfromthe
e w ithhisfatalbelief inhismaster s
better whileMargueriteC laesandher
guerite arebycommonconsenttobe
sgreatesttriumphsinportray ing
ughtheyillustratethegeneralprinciple
t centralinterestandfigurewill
restonits surroundings wouldcon-
tletothe effectofthebookifit were
absolutehimself.N owhere per-
tyrannyof thef i edidea theferoc ious
absorptioninthepursuitofac ra e been
esamepowerashere. A ndweknow
thef ire theperfec tionof thehand-
thatB al ac afewgenerationsearlier
Philosopher s tonew iththesamedes-
a ar. Probablynothingbuthisprior
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l
kpre entedhimfromdoingsome-
ually asitwas hekepthimself in
erydifferentpersistenceinthecor-
oble gameofspec ulation.
hatthetyrannyof theidealhasnowhere
ortrayedthanin TheQ uestof the
tthereisperhapsonee c eption anditis
rpiec e whichshouldbec arefully
ction.Theattractionofthiswon-
rall whoha eanythingtodowith
whetherinthewayofcriticismor in
nhardlybee aggerated. remember
halfane eningindisc ussing ina
itsmeritsw iththelateMr. te en-
knowsthec omplimentwhichadistin-
rhaspaiditby attemptingasortof
Thesameinterestis presenthere
butitisalittlec omplic ated alittle
oo thereisthesorc eryof theideal
attainmentandperfection.B uthere
mostas closelyconnectedwith
ualityasthegeneralscheme. Weknowthat
touc hing ofaddingstrokes wasa
thedidac tually indulgeinittoan
icialtohispecuniary interest andperhaps
ustotheef fectofhiswork thoughthe
posedtoanysuchabsolutelyhope-
aseas istheartistin lineand
sis itc annotinitslimitedspace and
atedinterest iewiththeampli-
h e d i gn i ty o f T h e Q u es t . B a l a c mi g ht
g:hewasnotalwaysproofagainstthat
asin ugenieGrandet " w ithwhic h
pred hehashitthee ac tmeanbe-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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.
ongno el hasnotsinnedbydigres-
hardlysinnedbyundueindulgencein
psremoterfromthe general
anthatof E ugenie andoneortwo
w ithe ualmastery andtheeffec t
.
t h at a k n ow l ed g e of B a l a c s o w n pe c u-
esense oftheartisticeminence
ouldbe clearifweknewnothing
erpartof thematter. B utitc annot
ngthatweshould thusknowthe
noblergust ofsympathyanden-
writer consciouslyorunconsciously
esetwogreatand inhisownwork
gs.
b s o lu t e a p pe a re d i n 1 3 4 w i th s e e n
a S c en e d e la i e p ri e e w a s pu b -
byCharpentier andtook itsf inal
o m d i e i n 1 4 5 .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T .
Delannoy neeDoumerc.
ntthatthis mybook mayli e
enthegratitudewhic h oweto
pew ille ualyouralmostmaternal
astbeyondthelimitsprescribed
ublimepri ilegeofpro-
tsforatime bythelifeof
nduswouldbe ifwec ould
atlast arewardindeed
enbythosewhoaspireto
tagain sayMayGod
intheR uedeParis ahousethatmay
hersinthec ity forine eryre-
pearance initsinteriorarrangements
tisaperfec te ampleofanold lemish
esallthec haracteristic sofa uaint
turethoroughlyinkeepingwiththe
egoodfolk inthe owCountries.
odesc ribethehouse itmaynotbe
toenter onbehalfofauthors apro-
acticpreliminariesforwhichthe
derhassostrong adislike.There
ensations yetha enotpatienc eto
hichproducethem whowouldfain
eseed thec hildw ithoutgestation.
istoac complishwhatnaturec annot.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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O F TH E A B S O L U T .
anlifeinallitsaspec ts w ideor
connectedwitharchitecture that
bser ationwecanusuallyrecon-
mtheremainsof itspublicmonu-
ouseholdstuf f wec animagineits
asthey li ed. A rc haeology infac t
whatascomparati eanatomyisto
completesocialsystemismadeclear
ustasawholepastorderof things
ofanichthyosaurus.B eholding
eef fec t e enasweproc eedfromthe
edeductionfollowinganotheruntila
mplete untilthemanofsc ienc eraises
f romthedead anddisc o ersforus
hepast bute enthewartsupon
theprodigiousinterestwhichpeopletake
turesolongas thewriterkeepshis
hete tanddoesnot obscurethe
wn fore eryone byasimple
ancallupthepast forhimselfashe
enc e ariessolittlethatthepastseems
andwhenwelearnwhathasbeen
we alsobeholdplainlywhatshall
ofac t wec anseldomseeapic ture
e whereinthecurrentofhuman
utbeingputin mindofourown
ourbrokenresolutions orourblossom-
ntrastbetweenthepresent inwhich
e r g i e n t o us a n d th e f ut u re w h en
e isanine haustiblesourc eof
musings. How isitthat lemish
lemishlife makesanalmostirre-
gswhene erthelittledetails are
rhapsthesecretofthecharmlies in
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F TH E A B S O L U T .3
uncertaintyandperple ityinthis
nyother. uchartcouldhardly
tcomfortwhichcomesofaprosperity
tdepictsane istenc epeacefultothe
ithallitscomplicatedfamilytiesand
utitisnolessthee pressionofatran-
nous ofaprosperitywhichfrankly
dulgence whichhasnothingleft
tse erydesireisgratif iedassoonasitis
atetemperaments thatmeasurethe
ofthesoul cannotseetheseplacid
ed itisonlyshallowpeoplewho
sebeatsso steadilytheheartiscold.
sitselfina suddenand iolent
eatereffectonthepopular imagi-
rc ee ertedslow lyandpersistently .
rthetimenor thepatiencetoestimate
hisuniformlye erted theydonot
theyarebornetooswiftlyalongthe
eforeonlytranscendentpassionthat
onthem andthegreatartist ismost
eedsthelimitsofperfec tion:Mic hel
appello MademoiselledelaV alliere B ee-
umaypasstheirnamesinre iew . tis
erwhichknowsthattheremustbe
imitline thatsetsinthef irstplac e
y thatc ompletenesswhic hstampsa
profoundreposewhichhasso
hoare capableofrecogni ingit.
hispracticalpeopleisinall respects
enasc onc ei edofbythelower
oisparadiseinwhichnothingislacking
felicity.
lismisthedistinguishingcharacter-
reissomethingdull dreary and
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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O F TH E A B S O L U T .
n g li s h c o mf o rt b u t a l e mi s h in t e-
isadelighttotheeyes andthere
he homelinessof lemishlife
f toilisnottoohea ily felt andthe
the lemingsha egraspedandapplied
of farniente whileatran uilappre-
theirsurroundingsisnoless
perof thepeople indeed therearetwo
tionsforthe culti ationofart:
acityfortakingpainswhichisnecessary
oli e thesearepre-eminently
atientandpainstaking leming.
hesubtlebeautyofpoetry areattain-
nceandconscientiousness you
andersmustbeasmonotonously le el
nd andasdrearyastheirc louded
ngof thek ind. Thepowerofc i ili a-
bearine erydirec tione enthe
ebeenmodified.
enc esbetweentheproduc tsof arious
rprisesyouatf irstthatthepre ailing
onesshouldbegraysandtawny-
antcolorsareconfinedtotropical
happliesno lesstohabitsof life.
hernaturallybrownandsoberhues has
enaturallyfoggyand sullenatmos-
nyapolitic alre olution. romher
urgundy shepassedtothe ings
shehasbeenforcedtoseekalliesin
y and lemishlifebearsw itnessto
retracesof panishdominionin
et of lustroussatins inthebold
intheirdroopingfeathersandman-
lyandc eremoniousc ustoms. rom
efortheirlinenandlac es theyrecei ed
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T .5
min whichthewineseemstoglow
mA ustriatheyrec ei edthetradition
ratediplomac ywhic h to uotethe
adethreestepsin abushelbasket.
ieshasbroughtthemin abundance
ionsofChinaandthemar elsof apan.
i eness theirpowerofabsorbing
ngoutnothing andofpatientlyenduring
ouldhardlyberegardedasanythingbut
shop amerec onfusionofnationalities
baccoinauguratedanewera.Then
sfusedandformedoutof allthese
ndthefeaturesof thef irst leming
e worldthroughacloudof
sincethattimenomatterfortheir
idedpiec emealthereisno ues-
e lemings theyareonenation
he tobacco-pipe.
tsprac tic alturn hasc onstantlyassimi-
materialwealthofits mastersand
untry originallysodrearyandunro-
eon amodelofits ownchoosing
dmannersbestsuitedtothe lemish
parentlylosingitsownindi iduality
of landers forinstanc e didnot
itwasc ontenttoreproducethereal
eproduc edbefore. tisuselesstoask
alpoetry forthe er eofc omedy
rmusic algenius forthebolderf lights
tsbentisratherfore perimental
putations forworkthatdemandstime
elamp.A lltheirresearchesareof
stconducetophysicalwell-being.
nothingbeyondthem thought
esubser ienttotheneedsof life it
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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O F TH E A B S O L U T .
alities andne ersoarabo eor
onceptionofanationalcareerwas
theirforceininsurrectionwasthe
esiretoha esufficientelbow-room
easebeneaththeea esof their
mfort togetherw iththeindependent
resultofprosperity thatledthem
rlibertywhic h lateron wastoset
Moreo er thereisadoggedtena-
daf i ityof ideawhic hmakeshim
enceofhis rights.Theyarea
whetheritisa uestionofarc hitecture
ragricultureorinsurrec tion they
es. Noonec anapproac hthemin
estodo.Themanufactureof
epatientc ulti ationof fla andthestill
orker togetherwiththeindustry
ha ebeenthesourc esof theirwealth
other.
tability inc arnate perhapsyou
ke somegoodburgomasterofthe
del amannotlac k inginheroism
nseen readytodieinhisc iti enfashion
hts ofhisH ausa.
yof thispatriarchale istenc eis
escriptionofone ofthelastremain-
etimewhenthis storybeginsstill
andthe characteristicsofthatlifein
rtmentof theNord Douai alas )
moderni edmostrapidly mod-
ngingaboutare olutionthere. O ld
daybyday old-worldwaysare
espread ealforsocialprogress.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T .7
itswaysof life anditsfashions
therew illsoonbelittlelef tof theold
eitsassiduousandcordial hospitality
yof pain theopulenc eandc leanli-
brick-builthousesarebeingreplaced
efac ings. ubstantialB ata ianc om-
ewayfor elegantfri olityimported
entstookplace whicharetobe
his story wasalmosthalf-waydown
dhasborneinDouai formorethantwo
meofthe MaisonC laes.
merlybeenamongthemostcelebrated
nwhofoundedthecommercial
ands. ormanygenerationsC laes
Deanofthe greatandpowerfulGuild
W h en C h a r l es V . e n d e a o r e d t o de p ri e
andGhentroseinre olt thewealth-
mselfsodeeplycompromisedthat
leendandthefatereser edforhimand
entawayhisw ifeandc hildrenand alu-
c ort beforethec itywasin estedby
v entspro edthatthefearsof the
ttoowellfounded.W henthe
dsomefewfellow-c iti ensweree c epted
amnesty andthedefenderofthe
Ghentwashangedas arebelagainst
fC laesandhisc ompanionsbore
cometheseuselesscrueltieswereto
nthebestpartof theN etherlands. O f
thebloodofthemartyrsis thesurest
soonestuponthesowing.
sitedthesinsof re oltedGhentuponits
ndruledDouaiw itharodof iron the
fortuneswereunimpaired c onnec tedthem-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
he elderbranchofthenoblehouse
whichrepairedthefortunesofthat
nabledthemtopurchasebacktheir
andsofN ourho inthek ingdomof
ortanemptytitle. A f terthis thec ourse
sufficientlyune entfuluntilthe
hcentury whenthefamilyofC laes
of it wasrepresentedintheper-
l a e s- M ol i na C o u n t o f N o u rh o w h o
simplyB altha arC laes. O fallthe
edbyhisancestorswhohadkeptso
ndsetinmotionso manywheelsof
inedtoB altha araninc omeofabout
deri edf romlandedproperty inand
eintheRuedeParis anditsfurniture
ortune. A sfortheestatesin eon
betweenMolinaof landersand
olinasof eongainedtheday and
untsofNourho althoughintruthit
c h the lemishC laes butbour-
lgianhouserosesuperiortoCastilian
ormaldesignationswereregistered B al-
heragsof panishnobility toshinew ith
tfromciti ensofGhent.The
ostrongin thee iledfamiliesthat
eighteenthc enturytheC laesremained
manners andcustoms.They
ststric tlybourgeoisfamilies re uiring
men burgomasters orthelikeci ic
estorsofthebride-electbefore
em. NowandthenaC laeswould
Ghent orasfarawayas iege or
atsotheolddomestic traditionsmightbe
megraduallymoreandmore
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T , 9
stheendofthe lastcenturyitwaslimited
tfamiliesofmunicipalnobility wearers
ga-likec loaks whoc ombinedthedigni-
stratew iththatof the panishgrandee
ndhabits wereinharmonywiththeir
fC laeswaslookedonbythe rest
dof awethatwasalmostsupersti-
oyalty thespotlessintegrityof the
heirstaid impressi edemeanorunderall
enrisetoasortof legendof theC laes
es wasasmuc haninstitutioninthe
ynt. Thespiritofold landersseemed
uedeParis inwhichlo ersof
ldf indaperfecte ampleof theun-
hewealthyburghersoftheMiddle
estodwellin.
fthehousefrontwasthe great
a esofoak studdedw ithlarge
psof fi e inthec entretheC laeshad
ms twospindlescon oined. The
ndstone andwassurmountedbya
ne ie ew ithherspindle setina
sabo eit. Thedelic atec ar ing
oorwayhadgrownsomewhatdarker
utsoc arefullyhaditbeenkeptbythe
ate erydetailwas isibleatapassing
ftsinthe amsoneithersidethe
theirdarkgraycolor andshoneasif
ished.Thewindowswereall
edbyarichly -car edbracket the
estoneandin theformofa cross
wasdi idedintofourune ualparts
early twicethesi eoftheupper.
sionswassurmountedbyanarc h
ghtofthe centralmullion.These
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
erowofbric ks eac hrow utting
athitbywayofornament thebricks
er alternatelypro ec tedandreceded
formasortofc hec uerpattern. The
anesweresetine c eedinglyslender
werepaintedred.
trengthacourseofwhitestonewas
hebric kwalls whichwere ointedw ith
ornersofthehousewereconstructed
nthegroundfloor oneoneither
nthef irststory andbutthreeinthe
mmediatelybeneaththeroofwas
rw indow di idedintof i ec om-
withsandstone.Thiswindowwasset
likearosew indowo erthearched
dgeoftheroof wasaspindle
osidesof thegreatgablerosestep-
firststory andatthisdeparting
yleoneitherside dischargedtherain-
llaroundthebaseof thehousethere
ofsandstonelikeastep. inally on
ewindowandthedoor layatrap-door
gedw ithironsc roll-work arelic of the
hadbeenbuiltthef ronthadbeen
year notaparticleofmortar
wasimmediatelyreplaced.The
renot keptsocleanandso free
-bars sills andoutsidestoneworkof
hewholehousefrontwasinperfect
ofthesurfaceofthe brickmightbe
me butitwasas carefullykeptasan
-o er sc herishedfoliotreasures
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .11
oldwereitnotfortheno iousgases
re whichnolessthreatentheli es
edsk iesof landers thedamp-
eabsenceoflightorair causedbythe
soondimmedthegloriesofthis pe-
ness and moreo er ga ethehouse
ok.A poetwouldha ewelcomed
eopenworkofthelittle shrine and
aceof thesandstone hemightha e
khereandthereinthosetoo orderly
swallowmightfind aplaceinwhich
theredtriplearchesof the
eneatnessandsmoothnessaboutthe
repeatedscourings anairofsedate
pec tabilitywhic hwouldha edri en
oppositehouseifhehad beenso
phisabodethere. Thisairofpropriety
plyfataltothespirit ofromance.
lledthewrought- ironbellhandle
hedoor andamaidser antf rom
nedthehea yfolding-doors
angthatechoedupinto thelofty
allery anddiedawayinremotemur-
ouwouldha ethoughtthatthe
ron e. romthegallery whichwas
llspaintedtoresemblemarble and
wthf inesand youenteredalarge
edw ithgla edtilesofagreenishc olor.
s laundry andser ants hall to
e thec oal-c ellars and ariousof f ices.
orwasornamentedw ithc ar ing which
spotlessandfreef romdust. Thewhole
edwallsstripedwithbars ofwhite
htwhichpenetratedintoit seemedin
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
redtint whichwasreflectedby
eamysteriousc harmandstrangeunfa-
tdetail.
scourtyardstoodthatportionof
mily li ed the uartierdederriere
es abuildinge ac tlysimilartothe
rst roomonthegroundfloor
urwindows twolookedoutupon
ouponagarden aspac eofground
whichthehousewasbuilt.A ccess
ourtyardwasgi enbytwoopposite
c upiedthesamerelati epositionasthe
ssoonasastrangerenteredthewhole
swellasadistant istaof thegreenery
ardenbeyondit.
dinthatportionof thehousewhic h
andstrangerswerelodgedin
story butthoughtheseroomscon-
tlyfurniture therewasnothing
laeshimself c ouldbec omparedw ith
theroomswhichhadbeenthe
turies andadiscerningtastewould
dgment. Thehistorianshouldnotomit
hodiedforthe causeoffreedomin
umulatednearly fortythousandsil er
manufactureofsail-clothsfortheall-
c e. The lemishc raf tsmanwasaman
forhisfriendthecelebratedwood-
um ofB ruges. Manytimestheartisthad
spurse. WhenGhentroseinre olt
nhimselfawealthyman hadsecretly
dapiec eofpanelingofmassi eebony
thestoryofV anA rte elde the
ileruledo er landers. Thispiec e
si typanels andc ontainedabout
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .13
itwasc onsideredtobeV anH uy-
deuphismindtoc elebratehisentry
himbirthbyhangingtwenty-si of
timswerec onsignedtothec ustodyofa
assaid hadof feredtoc onni eatC laes
panelsofV anHuysium s butthe
lysenttheminto rance.
heR uedePariswaswainscoted
. V anH uysium outof respec tfor
hadcomehimselftosetthem in
paintedw ithultramarine andc o -
sothatthisis themostcomplete
oseleastfragmentsarenow worth
sportraitofC laesintherobes
f theTribunaldesParchonslooked
ece hestillseemedtobe thehead
edhimwith enerationasitsgreat
itselforiginallyplainstone had
temarbleduringtheeighteenth
timepiecestoodupontheledgebe-
edc andle-sconc es tortuous elaborate
taste butallofmassi esil er. The
withcrimsonbrocadeddamask
hadark f loweredpattern andlinedw ith
rehadbeenre-c o eredw iththesame
ouisX I V . Thepolishedf loorwas
s uaresofwhitewood w ithslipsof
m butthec eilingyetpreser edthe
tchoak.Perhapsithad beenre-
uysiumhadc ar edthemasksonthe
scrollswhichadornedit.
ersof theparlorstoodashort
branc hedsil ersc onc euponit likethose
andaroundtableoccupiedthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U 7 E .
eralc ard-tableswererangedalong
on andonthewhitemarbleslabs
sstood atthetimewhenthisstory
esfullofwater inwhichgoldandsil er
eabedofsandandshells.
andyetaglowwithcolor.The
dtoabsorbthelight andtogi e
om. f thesunlightpouringin
kedoutintothe gardenscintillated
bonyf igureontheoppositewall the
urtyardwasalwayssofaint that
ontheothersidelookeddiminthe
tallthegloriesof theplace but
uesweresubduedandsof t and likethe
fautumnforests theytookbrighter
sunnecessarytodescribethe
furtherlength. Manyof thesc enesin
ll ofc ourse takeplac einother
twillbe sufficientforthepresentto
eneralarrangement.
ontowardstheendofA ugust inthe
wassittinginalargeeasy-chairbyone
outon thegarden. twasafter
eraysofsunlightfallingontheside
sthe roominbroadbeams played
eoppositewall anddiedaway
figuresofthepanels butthe
adowcast bythedamaskcurtain.
reabilityc ouldnotha efailedtomake
faithfullyportrayedafacewithso
ession.Thewomanwassittingwith
reherin alistlessattitude appar-
ciousnessofherphysicale istence
ghthadcompletepossessionofher
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .15
eemedtoopenupthe pathsofthe
unlightpiercingthroughtheclouds
onthehori onof thesea. H er
msof thec hair herhead asthough
oohea y hadfallenbackagainst
ealoosec ambric gown erysimply
hershoulderswascarelesslyknottedon
nes ofherfigurewerealmostconcealed.
dtocallattentiontoher facerather
itwasafac ewhic h e enif ithad
ongreliefbythelight wouldha e
attentionofanybeholder foritse -
pelessmiserywouldha estruck themost
smoreterribleto witnessthansuch
oseldomgi eswaytoit theburning
otimeseemedlikethefiery la aflood
htadyingmotherweepwhoisc om-
reninthe lowestdepthsofwretched-
nprotector.
ut fortyyearsofage. hewasmore
shehade erbeeninher girlhood.
ghterof theland. H erhairwasthic k
urlso erhershouldersandabouther
s eryprominent narrowatthetemples
blackeyesflashedfirefrombeneathher
hedarkpallorof thetypical paniard.
ceattracteda secondglance the
addestroyedthedelicac yof itsoutlines
ciousnessanddignity attimesit
powertorestoreto itallits pristine
ofbirthwasre ealedinthethick
rewasalsonaturalkindlinessandgra-
ession butthefeaturewhic hga emost
ypeoffacewasan a uilinenose.
hattoostronglymarked theresult
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
eriordefect buttherewasasubtle
inthethinseptumandfinetranspa-
nthelightw ithabrightred. he
ormightnot bec onsideredbeauti-
altonoticethe igorousyetfeminine
e anddeformed shehadmarriedlater
andthispartlybecauseit wasinsisted
wasstupidity yetmorethanone
nsofardent passionandofine -
rface andhadfallencompletely
mthatwasdifficulttoreconcilewith
reinmanywaysa strongresemblance
herancestor theDukeofCasa-Real.
armwhichromanticnatureshad
us thepowerofafascinationthat
butispowerlesstoruletheirdestinies had
reaterthannow whenitwaswasted
yspace. heseemedtobewatc hingthe
reher butintruthhereyessaw
dthemfromtimetotime asif implor-
itwouldseemthatsuc htroubleashers
one.
entsa eforthechirpingof the
rillnotesof afewcicadascamein
mthelittle garden whichwaslike
sun. romaneighboringroom
unds sil erorc hinarattled or
stheser antslaidthec lothfordinner.
edandseemedtolisten shetook
dhereyes andendea oredtosmile so
ealltracesofsorrow thatfromher
a ebeenthoughtthatshe had
etyorac areinherlife. twasthe
stepthathadwroughtthec hange. t
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .17
built o erthekitchensandtheser-
whichunitedthef rontpartof thehousew ith
thefamily li ed. Whetheritwas
solongconfinedherto thehouse
etheleastnoiseinitatonce or
ttemperamente eronthewatchcan
erceptibletoordinaryears orbe-
ensationforsomanyphysicaldisad an-
iftof sense-perceptionseldomaccorded
lymorehappilyconstituted this
rmallyacuteinher.The soundof
randnearer.A ndsoon notonlyfor
ashers whichcanannilhilatetime
tmayf inditsotherself butforany
eponthestairc asewhic hledtotheparlor
esoundof thatfootstepwhich
mostc arelessmortal itwasimpossible
e. Wearee c itedbythemere
whenamanspringsupandraises
hisfeetareatleastaselo uentashis
ssionlef tbyaslow measuredtreadis
. Thedeliberate hea y laggingfoot-
odoubtha eirritatedimpatient
usperson oranobser erofhuman
lyha ehearditwithoutfeelingathrillof
ad. Wasthereany lifeinthosefeet
ic al l y t w as a d u ll h e a y s o u n d a s
enstruckbyaniron weight.The
lledup isionsofamanbendingunder
thinkerwalkingma esticallybeneath
manreachedthelowest stair
ementslow lyandirresolutely . n
oramoment.A passageledthence
arters adoorc onc ealedinthewainscot
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
parlor andthroughasecondparallel
g-room.
edbyasensationlikeanelectricshock
e womanintheeasy-chair buta
erlips herfacelightedupwith
ndgrewfairandradiantlikethefaceof
hesummonedallherstrength and
osomeinner depth thenshe
sthedoorset inthepanelsin the
ewopenso suddenlythatthestart-
ff ic ienttoac countforandtoc o erher
earedandmadese eralpacesforward
ewomaninthelowchair orifhe
ithunseeingeyes. H estoodupright
r hisheadslightlybent andsup-
Thesmilefadedfromthewoman s
erc edbyahorriblepang feltnonethe
cometobe apartofher daily
kbrowsc ontractedw ithpain deepening
bythef re uente pressionofstrong
lledw ithtears whichshehastily
okedc tB altha ar.
ceedinglyimpressi eaboutthehead
nhisyoungerdayshehadbornea
heroicmartyrwhohadthreatened
eldeanddef iedthe mperor
thepresentmomentthemanof f iftyor
beensi tyyearsofageandmore
a prematureoldage thelikeness
torhadceased.H istallfigurewas
ehadcontractedthehabit bystoop-
rperhapsthec ur aturewasduetothe
hea yforthespine. Hewasbroad-
ouldered hislowere tremities though
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .19
youc ouldnothelpc astingaboutfor
ispu z lingsingularity inaf ramewhich
nperfectlyproportioned.H isthick
erhisshouldersin theGerman
hichwas uiteinkeepingwitha
essandgeneralneglect.H isforehead
heprominenceoftheregiontowhich
was erystronglymarked.The
eemedtoha eapowerofkeenan d
rac teristic oftennotedinstudentsofoc cult
nosehaddoubtlessoncebeen
ong thenostrilshadapparentlygrown
nsionofthemusclesinthe continual
mell.The hollowsinafacewhich
medallthe deeperbyforceofcon-
bones thic klyc o eredw ithshort
ciousoutlines seemed asit
betweenthenoseandashort sharply
oha eafanc yfordisc erninganimal
ountenances wouldha eseeninthe
a l f a ce o f B a l t ha a r C l a e s a li k en e ss t o
ewasnosoftnessorroundness
sk inwastightlydrawno erthebones
escorchinginfluenceofafire
ereweremomentswhentheeyes
seekingforthereali ationofhis
sthis firethatconsumedhimseemed
hichseemtobe li ingforcesof
mbodiment somesuchthought
pressedinthepalefac ew ithitsdeeply -
a esc oredthefurrowsonabrow like
ofc ares andtoshineforthmost
es thefireinthem seemedtobe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
hichis theresultofthetyrannous
andbythefires ofamightyintelli-
setandsurroundedbydarkcircles
g igilsandofterribleprostration
reiterateddisappointments ofhopes
ytobeblighted ofwearandtearof
sc ienc eare ealousdi inities their
el esbyunmistakablesigns. Therewas
essandaloofnessinB altha arC laes
hwas uiteinkeepingwiththe
nginhuman uality . Hislarge
hair weresoiled therewere et-blac k
finger-nails.Therewasanair of
asterofthe housewhichwouldnot
nyof itsotherinmates.
c leaned orthelaceswerebrokenor
breecheswereco eredwithstains
swaistc oat hisc ra atwasaskew
enishtint hereandtheretheseams
erythingabouthim downtothesmallest
uceanuncoutheffect whichinanother
helowestdepthsofoutc astmisery but
twastheneglec tofgenius.
outresults sosimilarthatordinary
them.W hatisgeniusbut aform
mestimeandmoneyandhealthand
enshorterroadtothehospitalthanthe
moreo er appeartopaymore
enius fortheydec linetogi eit
ouldseemthatgeniusconcernsitself
thatsocietyisshyofcastingaccounts
c hpo ertyandwretchednessare
oc ietypreferstoha enothingtodo
tswhenitwouldha ebeenhard
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .21
altha arC laesmomentswhen in
nessandmysteriouspreoccupation
his fellows andthefaceofthe
kindlythoughte pressedinthe
themdisappeared andhelooked
sotospeak tolifeanditsrealities
nattrac ti ebeauty inhisfac e a
fromit.A nyonewhosawhim
ha manshouldleadthelife ofa
hemustha ebeen eryhandsomein
r e rr o r. B a l t h a a r C l a e s ha d n e e r
hanatthismoment. a ater
udiedthenoblehead ha erec og-
atienc e thestainlesscharacter the
leming thegreatandmagnanimous
assionthatseemedcalmbecauseitwas
oldha ebeenac onstantandde-
alswouldha ebeenpure hisword
alitiesshouldha ebeendedic atedtothe
tohisowncirc leof friends andto
w illof themanwhic hhadgi enthem
ndtheciti en theresponsibleheadof
ofalargefortune whoshouldha e
drentowardsafairfuture li ed
inc on ersew ithafamiliarspirit
sandaffectionscountedfornothing.
eeninhimamaninspiredbyGod an
dhimasagreatmaster anenthusiast
orsomeseeraf terthepatternof
dow hisragged disordered and
nstrangecontrastwiththegraceful
whowatchedhimso sadly.A
stinguishespersonsofmentalability
ufferfrom bodilydeformity.They
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
autyisthe beautyofmindand
odresssimply ortheydisc o erhow
heirphysicaldefectsbya studied
. A ndthewomaninthelowc hair
oul butshelo edB altha arC laes
tionwhichisa foretasteoftheintel-
adbeenbroughtupinoneof the
um sothate enifhertastehadnot
d ha e b e en a c u i re d a n d t u to r ed
opleasetheeyesofthe manshe
edtodressherselfadmirably andtoadopt
effectofher deformity.Moreo er
scertainlylargerthantheother
n herfigure. heglancedthrough
yard andthenintothegarden as
ewaswithinhearing turned
andspokeinthelowtonesthat lemish
ebetweenthesetwohadlongsinc e
ride.
y de e p in y ou r w or k B a l t h a a r T h is
aysinc eyouha ebeentomassor
sw ifebowedherhead c lasped
watchinghimthewhile. heknew
ther tocontemptnortoindiffer-
nyofanall-absorbingthought. nthe
esensiti edelicacyofyouthlingers
ated andB altha arC laeswouldha e
houghtthatmightwound howe er
owasalwaysoppressedwiththepainful
icaldeformity.And thisdreadwas
eunderstood asfewmendo how
asthepowerto effacethehappiness
thatsuchwordsha eamorec ruel
eyareutterlyat arianc ew iththec onstant
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .23
forwearesomade thatourhappiness
esiti etopain whilesorrowhasno
gatransitorygleamof oy. A f tera
a a r r ou s ed h i ms e lf g a e a u i ck g l an c e
V e s p e rs A h t h e ch i ld r en h a e
windowandlookedoutinto the
ipsbla edinalltheirglory . Thenhe
hehad comeintocollisionwithawall
hyshouldtheynotc ombineinagi en
d " histerrif iedwifeaskedherself .
estandtheinterestof thisscene and
arose itwillbe necessaryto
oushistoryofB altha arC laesandof the
eofC asa-R eal.
r 17 3 M.B altha arC lacs-
entwenty-twoyearsofage mightha e
tleman " aswesay in rance. He had
cationinParis hismannershadbeen
Mme. d E gmont asetc omposedof
originallyofB elgianfamilies orof
itherbybirthor byfortune.Great
ehighestfashion suc hastheC ount
fA remberg the panishA mbassador
mongtheB elgianresidentsinParis.
ationsandfriendsthere whointro-
orld ustasthegreatworldwas
but likemanyyoungmen hewas
nd byknowledgeratherthanby
ntedthesocietyof learnedmen wa ed
andbecameanardentdiscipleof
thenbetterknownforthe astfortunehe
rgeneralof ta esthanforthesc ientif ic
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
omakethenameof thegreatchemist
er-generalwasforgotten.
andashandsomeasHel etius and
sonly instruc tor. Underthetuitionof
arnedtodistilthemore olatile
nry andalthoughhehadpre iously
dieswith anenthusiasmthathad
ofhismaster hedeserted a oisier s
ssonsinsa oir- i rc undertheguid-
oodmannersand goodtaste the
tywhichformsa sortoffamilyall
msofsuccessdidnotlast long
arC laesbreathedtheairofParisfora
olongtime heturnedhisbackonthe
eempty life whichhadnothinginitto
affectionatenature. tseemedto
nessof family life a isioncalledup
nati e landers wasthelifebest
to theaspirationsofhisheart.The
adnot effacedoldmemoriesofthe
arlorin theoldhouseinDouai of
hehappydaysofhischildhood.
linParis shouldha enotiesof
sis thechosencityofthecosmo-
oareweddedtosoc ialambition by
orpolitic alpower theygainaholdon
errela .
entbacktothehousein Douaias
onflewhometoitsnest. twastheday
dtearsc ameintohiseyesatthesight
the uc kof thecity theembodi-
lemishtraditions hadbeenintro-
amilyhad beendri entotake
laeswasemptyandsilent his
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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F TH E A B S O L U T .25
dduring hisabsence andforsome
redhispresencethere.
hislosshis thoughtsturnedto
ies whichboundhimtohishome
rthhadreawakenedastrongdesire
py e istenceofwhichhehad
edtodoashis forefathershaddone
ruges andtoA ntwerpinsearchofa
ideasofhisownastomarriage for
himfromhisearliestyouththat he
ebeatentrac k ordoasotherpeople
aywhileona isittooneofhis
heardofayounglady inB russels
sdifferedconsiderably. omecon-
ck sbeautywas uitespoiledbyher
insistedthatshewasperfection.
altha arC laes somewhatelderly
eststhat beautifulorno Mile. Tem-
ldha einducedhimtomarryher
wife.A ndwiththathe toldhow
rc laimsonthefamilyestatesothat
makeamarriagebefittinghis rank
ghishappinessbeforeherown and
foritwasscarc elytobee pec ted
marrynowthatshehadno fortune
s past whennosuitorhadpresented
ergirlhood.
a arC laeshadobtainedanintroduc -
nowawomantwenty- fi eyearsof
eply inlo ew ithher. osephinede
thisasa passingfancy andrefused
buttheinfluenceofpassionis ery
eforherinamanwhohadyouthand
well-knitframe therewassomething
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
lameanddeformedgirlthatshe
suf f icetotellthestoryof thelo e
rl sheart Theworldhadpro-
andshehadmeeklyac uiescedin
thoughshewasofpossessingthe irre-
sforthtrueandlastinglo e. A nd
ppiness whatf ierc e ealousyawoke
ec tsof engeanc eifari alstolea
sandfearssuchasseldomfall tothelot
otbutlosebybeingpassedo erina
nalysismustbeminute. Doubt the
e wouldbethekeynoteofastory in
findoncemorethepoetryof those
longsincelostbutnotforgotten.
ofthe heartwhichthefacene er
beingunderstood andtheunspeakable
themisgi ingswhic hleadthesoul
hemomentswhen asifdrawnforth
thesoulre ealsitself intheeyesby
wildthoughtsofsuicidethatarise ata
orestbyatoneina oic ewhose ibra-
eddepthsoffeeling tremulousglances
sw ift passionatelongingstospeak
bytheir ery ehemenc e c ommun-
mmonplacephraseswhichoweall
alteringof the oic e mysteriouswork -
etionandmodestyofsoulwhichis
andf indse q uisitedelightinsac rific es
og n i e d y o ut h fu l l o e i n s ho r t w i th
gth.
ninckwasac o uettethroughlof ti-
nsciousnessofherdeformity
bleandhardtopleaseas theprettiest
thatadaywould comewhenher
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .27
reforher andthethoughtawakened
rconfidenceinherself.W ith
kedawayinherinmostheart thefirst
ichotherwomenlo etodeck
of theworld. Themorelo edrewher
t h e le s s sh e d ar e d to g i e e p r es s io n t o
e st u re a u e st i on o r a r es p on s e fr o m a
ebeenf latteringtoaman butfor
anc eahumiliatingspeculation A
elf peoplelooklenientlyonher
asingleglancehas powertostopthe
plainwoman sfeatures tomakeher
andawkward. Doesshenotknowthat
dno blunders thatnoindulgence
r n a y t h at n o o ne w i ll g i e h e r an y
em hemustalwaysbefaultless
nd disheartenherwhilethecon-
rpowers uc hawomanc anonly
ofdi ineindulgence andwherec anthe
dulgenceis notpoisonedbya
ationmorepainfultosensiti e
eunk indness foritaggra atestheir
ygi ingthemprominence.The
wasintolerabletoMile deTem-
selfintoself-repression forcedback
most beautifulthoughtsthatrosein
geinanic yreser eofmannerand
tolo einsec ret andwaselo uent
e. hewasplainandinsignificant
tshewouldha ebeenabeautifulwoman
dbyc andlelight. N otseldomshehad
altha ar slo e risk ingherwhole
rof it disdainingtheaidofdressand
eeffectofdeformitycouldbesoftened
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
paniard seyesgrewfullofw itc hery
nthusshewasbeautifulforB altha ar
mentswhenshe enturedtogi eher-
inglo edwereembitteredbydistrust
ebeganto askherselfwhetherC laes
hemightha eadoc ilesla e whether
ichmadehim contenttoweda
ubtsandan ietieswhichcon-
ethosehoursunspeakablyprecious
tthiswasatrueandlastinglo e
endsforallthe slightsoftheworld.
ionsonthedelicatesub ec tofherown
onitande aggeratingitthatshemight
er snature andc ameinthiswayby
ering yetshelo edhimforthe
und himselfwhenshehadledhim
smostbelo edforabeautifulsoul
ic hmakesthedaysof lifef lowonin
thataf terafewyearsofmarriageaw ifemay
nonearthortheplainest itmakesno
nsupportofthis theoryhehad
uhasliesin ariousparado ic alasser-
ery littlec onse uence tillhesuddenly
aciousnessofhisarguments.A ll
as re ealedbythetactand delicacy
angedhisgroundandmadeMile.
hat forhimshewasperfect.
de otionisthehighestheightof
otwantinginthisgirlwhodidnot
ouldnotfail. hefeltattrac tedby
n whichsentimentwastotriumph
wassomethinggreat shethought in
w ithnoblindfaiththatlo ewouldlast
ess briefasitmightpro e mustc ost
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .29
dnotrefusetotasteit. These ues-
glesga eallthec harm allthe
ontothise altednature andinspired
hatwasalmostc hi alrous.
thebeginningof theyear1795.
ospend thefirstweeksoftheir
ralhomeoftheC laes.Thehouse-
eenincreased.Mile deTemninck
alf inepaintingsbyMurilloandV elas-
sdiamonds andthesplendidweddingpres-
whohadsuc c eededtothetitle and
eal. ewwomenwereashappyas
ottheslightestcloudin thehappi-
eyears ahappinessthat likeabright
enthemosttri ia ldetailsofdaily life.
eine ualitiesofc harac terwhic hc ause
smallweaknessesthatleadtobicker-
ofdomestic lifeisspoiled andthefair
maybeconscientiousandhardwork-
stern anotherisgood-natured but
o ehisw ifesinc erely buthene er
whileafourthissoabsorbedinhisam-
fectionasadebttobe discharged
anitiesof fortunehetakesall oyout
sby its erynatureinc omplete
nandcommissionarenotheinous.
ngeableasthebarometer geniusalone
thappinessisaccordinglyonlytobe
of theintellec tualsc ale thereisa
ramentinthegood-naturedidiotand
risingintheone casefromweakness
ngthofcharacter.B otharecapable
temper whichsoftenstherough-
eits sourceisaneasygood-natured
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
theritspringsf romindulgenc e a
er istheinterpreterofasublimethought
s wholelifeintoconformitywith
simpleandtransparent theone
s theotherbyreasonof itsdepth.
erefore aresuff ic ientlyreadytotakeadunc e
amanofgenius.
nessofc harac tershoweditself f romthe
etailsof life. C on ugallo ewasa
yes hedeterminedtode elopall
allpowerfulc harac ters hec ouldnot
anyfallingshortinattainment.H is
riedthecalmmonotonyofhappiness
didborethestampofanoblenature.
ghhewasinsympathyw iththephilo-
heeighteenthc entury heinstalleda
niltheyear1 01 astepwhic hlaid
penaltiesof theR e olutionarycode ,
atholicismwhichhis panishwifehad
smilk . A f tertheRomanC atholic
rance hewentw ithhere ery un-
uittedtheformsofpassion. He
ectingpowerthatwomenlo esowell
wifeitwouldha eseemedlikepity.
mostingeniousformof flattery he
andwouldbreak intoplayfulrebellion
asamanwillsometimespermithimself
ywomanatdefiance.A smileof
reduponhislips andhistoneswere
hineforhersakeandforhisownwith
chisa constanttributetothe
w ife. idelity of tentheresultof
nterestedconsiderations seemedinhis
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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F TH E A B S O L U T .31
andwasalwaysac c ompaniedbythe
gtimeoflo e.Dutywasthesole
chwasunknowntothesetwoe ually
a l th a a r C l a e s fo u nd i n o s ep h in e d e
completereali ationofhishopes.
tisf iedtothefull hewasalwayshappy
happiness. A smightha ebeene -
hterof thehouseofC asa-Real w ith
ossessedthesec retofan inf inite ariety "
ity foralimitlessde otion anda
de otion asallherbeautyc onsistsin
blindfanatic ism atasignf romhim
oyfully toherdeath. B altha ar sdeli-
e womanlygenerosityofhernature
morethansherec ei ed. Thismutual
sswhic heachinturnla isheduponthe
erlifewithouther andf illedher
dac tionsw ithalo ethatonlygrew
lsidesgratitudeenrichedand
eart ustasthec ertaintythateac hli ed
eness impossible andtheleast
easedtobe tri ialities.
ecreationare thereanyhappier
dwifewhoisnot crookedforthe
amewomanwhenherhusbandwouldnot
eis andthew ifegrownoldandgray
H umanpassionc angonofurther
nisadoredfor whatisusually
snotthishergreatestglory tiseasy
fascinationthatawomandoesnot
ensheislo edbec ausesheislame itis
mity . nthee angelofwomen
psbewritten B lessedaretheim-
ek ingdomof lo e. A ndofatruth
nefora woman fortheflowerof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ncountsfor somuchinthefeeling
enotlo edforherbeautyasanheiress
B utawomanwithoutthisperishable
thec hildrenofA damseeksoeagerly
o eindeed theinmostmysteryof
ulwith soul.Thedayofdisillusion
. Herc harmisnotrec ogni edbythe
legiance andisfairforonealone
glorythatherdefectsshouldbe
butsucceedinheraim.
t- lo edwomeninhistoryha ebeenby
fulforordinaryeyes Cleopatra
DianaofPoitiers Mile delaV alliere
ndnearlyallwomenfamousthrough-
ewhichtheyonceinspired ha ehad
mings whileothersofwhomit is
of law intheirlo elinessha eo er
eendinpiteoustragedy. Doman-
ratherbysentimentthanbypleasure
thecharmofmerephysicalbeauty
oulisinf inite snotthisthe
ormsasettingtothe A rabian
r y V I I I . h ad f o un d a h ar d -f e at u re d w if e
thea eandretainedthewandering
ated ac uriousc ircumstanc e but
hedaughterofa panishgrandee.
e butuntilherparentstookherf rom
girlhoodwasspent thatistosay until
shehadreadnothing buttheworks
herentranceintosociety andfora
adbeentooeagerforamusementto
olousartsof thetoilet and
eeplymortifiedby herignorancethat
otakeanypartinc on ersation andwas
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .33
ceasanunintelligentgirl. B utone
mysticaleducationhadbeenthat
houghtandfeelinghadbeen
ewasas plainanduninterestingas
usbandshe grewbeautifuland
eattempt itistrue intheearlyyears
is wife sothatshemightnot feel
sway butdoubtlesshewastoolate
memorysa ethatof theheart. he
hatheletfallc oncerningthemsel es
eirhappy lifewasf reshinhermind
onwasforgotten. Thisin inc ible
oughtaboutseriousdiscordsbetween
e butMme. C laes lo eforher
ion andtheintuitionofpassionate
r eherhappinesshadmadeher uic k-
edmattersthatshealwaysappearedto
noranc ewas eryseldomtooapparent.
ntwolo eeac hothersowellthate ery
rstdayof theirlo e suc h ital
ouspoweroftransformingthewhole
ot becomelikechildhood care-
snotlo eor oyandlaughter
anditsf iresburnf ierc ely welet
setoursel estomeasurethemeansor
Mme. C laesunderstoodherposition
daughterof v e. Herc harac ter
ionof panishpridew iththesub-
amandewhichmakesthedomestic hearth
sdignif ied shec ouldc ommandrespect
aledac onsc iousnessofherown alue
butbeforeC laesshetrembled. he
nhigh soneartoGod thatthe
ayor thinkcontrolledhere ery
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
erlo ehadc ometoha eatingeof
hehadmadeitapointofhonor
mishbourgeoistraditionsofthe
erselfonthe plentyandcomfortof
hec lassic c leanlinessofe erydetail
hebest e erydishatdinnermustbe
dser ed. hesoruledthingsinher
erlife wasinharmonywiththe
ogirls. Theoldestchild agirl
sbornin1796 theyoungest athree-
c alled eanB altha ar. Motherly lo e
me.C laesasheraffectionforher
especially inthelastyearsofherlife
betweenlo eforherhusbandand
whentwoc laimsuponherheartso
einsomesort antagonistic.Thiswas
nawayinthesleepyold house and
storyopenshertearsandthe
ausedbya fearthatshehadsacri-
sband.
e s b r ot h er h a d di e d l e a i n g n o c hi l dr e n.
to panishlaw c ouldnotinheritthe
w iththetitletotheheir-at-law but
boutsi ty thousandducats andthe
ngerbranchof thehousedidnot
oughtof interesthade ermingled
osephinefoundac ertainsatisfac tionin
enowe ualedthatofherhus-
in herturnshebroughtsomethingto
engenerouslycontenttorecei e
n ce d t ha t B a l t ha a r s m a rr i ag e w h ic h
mned turnedouttobea good
tof iew .
cultproblemtoknowwhatto do
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
uc c essions whichdi idestheestate
hec hildren eac hchild ssharewould
dthetreasuresstoredforsolonginthe
eonedaybeendispersed. Withhis
altha arin estedMme. C laes fortunein
retoeachoftheirchildrena position
eyhadbeenbroughtup andthe
eptup ontheoldfooting.They
ufferedsomewhatintherecent
years time w ithduec are werelikely
alue.
laesmo edconsistedofthe
isw ife snoble ualitiesandc har-
ppreciated thatbyasort oftacit
lationssostringentlyenforcedin
somewhatrela edinher case.
whichwerealwaysspentinDouai
e andwent ery littleintosociety
erec ei ede eryWednesday and
partiese erymonth. twasgenerally
laesfeltmoreateaseinherown
fwaslittleinclinedtolea eit herlo e
hildren whomshewasbringingup
herathome.
erewasnoc hangeinthewaysof the
egedtoformane c eptiontoac cepted
e twobeings withitshidden
y f lowedontoallappearanc elikeother
a e s p a ss i on f o r hi s w if e w h ic h s he h a d
emed ashehimselfsaid toha edeter-
sinnateperse erancewasemployedin
ness ashehadc ulti atedtulipsinhis
mfromthenecessity foramaniatradi-
ttheend oftheyearachange
r itc ameaboutsoimperc eptibly thatat
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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F TH E A B S O L U T .37
hink itnecessarytoaskthereason
nee eningheseemedpreoccupied
dsheconscientiouslyrespectedhis
ac tandhabitsofsubmissionhad
altha ar sc onf idence shefeltfar
ogi ewayto ealousy . etthough
rywouldmeetwithapromptanswer
y lifehadgi enheraninstinc ti e
usband smoralmaladywentthrough
byslowdegreesdid itassumeanacute
lerably iolentthatatlastthehappi-
wasdestroyed.H owe erengross-
ughtsmightbe hewasreadyformany
etotalkw ithher andtherewasno
hisf re uentsilentmoodswerethe
ngethatwasbeing wroughtinhis
. C laesga eupthehopethather
thesub ecthimselfandtellherabout
tions. ometimesshethoughtthat
hould besome practicalresultof
k indofprideinsomanymenwhic h
attlesaloneandtoappearonlyas
otriumphthelightofhappinesswould
forbeingwithdrawnforawhile
ewouldf illupalltheblankspacesinthe
whichhisheartwasnot toblame.
bandwellenoughtoknowthathe
imself ifhedisco eredthathisPc pita s
erc astforsomanymonths. oshe
ak indof oytosuf ferthroughhim
passiontherewasatrac eof thepiety
chc anne erdistinguishbetweenreligion
tunderstandalo ew ithoutsuf fering.
ofaf fec tion say ingtoherselfe ery
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
s u re l y co m e to - mo r ro w a s i f lo e w er e
gallthesesecrettroublesshe was
child.Therehadbeenahorrible
dfuture. v erythingseemedtodraw
ande eninhislo ehewaspreoc c u-
ide woundedforthef irsttime
mysteriousgulfwhichseparated
heirearlymarriedlife. romthat
ndworse. C laes whobutlatelyhad
appiness whoplayedwithhis
getheratrompinggameson the
orinthegardenwalks whoseemedas
eaththedarkeyesofhisPepita did
ndition forgottoshareinthefamily
gethisowne istenc e.
elayedtoaskthereasonof his
ehercouragefailedher.H erblood
ught andher oic ediedinher
on inc edthatherhusbandhad
andgrewseriouslyalarmed.This
shebroodedo erittillherhourswere
gsandfe erishe c itement andshe
ustifiedB altha aratherowne pense
old andugly.Thenitseemed
erousmoti e humiliatingthoughit
nhisabsorptioninhiswork itwasa
ness shedeterminedtogi ehim
ybringingaboutasec retdi orc e that
nessofnot afewhouseholds. et
dlife shemadeanefforttoread
ndfounditshut.
ar byslowdegrees bec ameindifferent
onc ebeendeartohim hec aredno
wer heseemedtoha eforgottenthe
c hildren. C learly thispassionwasone
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .39
hepaleof theheart saf fections but
nthink dryupthespringsofaffec -
uthadnotf led. Thiswassomec omfort
mainedasheretofore andhope
iuationslikethese prolongedthe
sthepoorw ife sdespairhadgrownto
gatheredcourageto uestionher
beabrief inter alofhappiness and
eitc leartoherthatthoughhemightbe
bolicalthought itwasathought
obe himselfagainattimes. n
henherskygrewbrighter shewastoo
mofhappiness tooaf raidtoloseany
toask forane planation and ust
ospeak hewouldesc apeher. While
s B altha arwouldsuddenly lea e
deepmusingsfromwhichnothing
esetinareac tionof thementalonthe
ha oc thuswroughtwassc arc ely
e t o t he e y es o f a l o i n g wo ma n w ho
husband sinmostthoughtsintheir
hecouldoftenscarcelykeepback
inghimselfdownafterdinnerinto
de andsittherew ithhiseyesf i ed
gloomy abstrac ted utterlyheed-
bouthim. hewatched too w ith
lchangesforthe worseintheface
limeforher itseemedasif thelifeof
ithdrawingitselfandlea ingan
ttimeshiseyesgrewglassy asif the
adbeenc on ertedtoapowerof
echildrenhadgonetobed af terlong
andsolitarybrooding poorPepita
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
Doyoufeelill dear ometimes
nsweratall orhec ametohimselfw ith
yawakenedfromsleep andsaid
s e pu l ch r al t o ne s w h ic h fe l l he a i l y on h i s
ea r t.
keepthisanomalousstateof
secretfromtheouterworld but
sible. B altha ar sbeha iorwasknown
co t er i e i n e e r y sa l on a n d a s f re -
towns certaincircleswerebetter
s af fairsthanMme. C laesherself.
brokethroughthesilenceprescribedby
dsomuchsolicitudeonheraccount
plainherhusband ssingularc onduc t.
s h e sa i d w as e n ga g ed o n a g re a t wo r k.
ndenergies butif itsucc eeded it
andhisnati etownwouldha e
.
highinDouai youwouldbe
wnmoreeagerfordistinc tion the
ify ingtoloc al anity therewasa
nds andM. C laes proceedingswere
ly.
erenotso eryfarf romthetruth.
loyedforsometimepastinthe garret
ments whitherB altha arwente ery
andmore ofhistimeupthere now
egarretallday long andhisw ifeand
withthe newwaysbydegrees.
yettolearn toherunspeakablean-
wasalwaysbuyingscientificapparatus
mac hines andc ostlymaterialsofall
him andthathewasbentondis-
er sstone. A llthisshemusthear
nessoffriendswhoweresurprised
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .41
fherhusband sdoings. twasa
iendsproceededtosaythatshe
renandofherownfuture andthat
ywrongifshedidnotuseherinflu-
urn himfromthepathsof error
Mme.C laesmightsummona
oheraid/and silencethisabsurdtalk
edherinspiteofherc onf identtone
hewouldno longereffaceherself.
round andspeaktoherhusbandon
so feelinglesstremulous she entured
hec auseof thec hangeinhimandthe
usion.The lemingfrownedas
notunderstanditintheleast.
adbeggedhardtoknowthissec ret
ewhosharedhislife mightnot
a b ou t i t so m u ch B a l t h a a r a n-
eonherknees w illtellyou. am
hesaid strokingherblac khair and
nintheworld.
n whichM.C laesbeganhis
usewasnolongerthesame. Perhapsthe
wayshadgi enof fenc e perhapshis
msel estobeintheway oritmay
ietiesofwhic hMme. C laesne erspoke
eoplefoundherlesscharmingthan
thec ausemightbe sheonlyrec ei ed
matef riends andB altha arwentno-
upinhislaboratoryallday and
sfamilyne ersawhime c eptat
yearthewinterand summerwere
sw ifehadnodesiretolea eB altha ar
ntryhouse.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
longsolitarywalks sometimesonly
day.Thosewerelongnights of
isw ife. nDouai asinmostfortif ied
c itywereshutataf i edhour when
nthewallshadbeenmadein ain
ote enthesupportofe pec tation
andmustwaittillmorningasbest
orningB altha arwouldreturnasif
e hadsimply forgotton inhisab-
hic hthegateswerec losed andhadno
chhehad inflictedonhisfamily.
earlyas perilousforMme.C laesas
been. hemadenoc omment she
iswanderings. O nc eshehadbegun
dshehadnotforgottenthetoneof
eanswered
t ak e a wa l k
cei ed.Mme.C laes ownmis-
he truthofthereportswhichshe had
cted. hehadsufferedsomuchfrom
pathyinheryouththatshe hadno
secondtime. hethereforeimmured
e erinherhome herac uaintanc es
wremainingfriendssoonfollowed
dtoherdisc omfiture andga eher
worriment.
enlyattirewasbynomeanstheleastofher
omethingdegradinginneglectof
belongstotheupperc lasses andshe
bec auseshehadbeenusedtoa
eanliness. Withthehelpof emul-
s alet osephinetriedforawhileto
htbythesepursuits butthenewgar-
houtC laes knowledge shereplac edthe
inedc lothing werelittlebetterthanrags
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .43
andshega euptheattemptin
ppiness itseemedtothew ife who
gof ealousy thatshecountedfor
she hadreignedbutlately andthe
woke. c ienc ewasherri al. c ience
heartf romher andlo erenewedits
ealousythatconsumedherheart.
Whatresistanc ec ouldshemake
gtyrannouspowerthatne errela ed
alwhoc ouldnotbeslain A
edbynature howc ansheengagein
withtheinfinitedelightsofthought
srenewed Whatcouldsheattempt
triesofideaswhichtakenewforms
ulties whichbeckontotheseeker
mtheworld thathegrowsforgetful
umanlo eandhumantiesareas
e inspiteofstric tordersf romB al-
terminedthatatleastinbodilypresenc eshe
ealsowouldli einthegarretwherehe
dmeetherri althereonherownground
shewouldbew ithherhusbandduring
ishedontheterriblemistresswho
er. hemeanttostealintothe
ndtoearntheright ofremaining
edane plosionofwrath andfeared
shewaitedforaday whenherhusband
emak ingheref forttosharew ith emul-
y intothelaboratory . orsome
eman sc omingsandgoings andal-
otintolerablethattheser ant
ged tolearn allthatherhusband
hedidnotdaretoask tseemedto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ewasmorepri ileged andstoodhigher
ationthanshe hisownwife.
ret trembling yetalmosthappy and
ewasmadetofeelB altha ar sanger.
dthedoor whenherushedforward
pushedheroutontothestaircaseso
escapedaheadlongfall.
o u a re s t il l a li e c r ie d B a l t ha a r
glass maskfellaboutMme.
pandsawherhusband sfac e white hag-
nottoc omehere " hegasped sink ing
sstrengthhadlef thim. The
urlife. wonderhow itc hanc edthatmy
door ustthen. We wereallbut
en e r y ha p py t o d ie s o " s h e sa i d.
t er l y ru i ne d B a l t h a a r w en t o n.
eanyoneelseforc ausingmesucha
nt itistoopainful. nanothermo-
ha edec omposednitrogen There
rs " andB altha arreturnedtohis
a edec omposednitrogen " thepoor
shewentbac k toherownroom and
totears.
omeaningtoher.Men whose
ertainreadinesstodeal withnew
wpainfulitistoawomantolac k the
oughtsofthe manshelo es.
remoreindulgentthanweare they
iltofindresponseto thelanguage
rinkfrommakingusfeelthesuperiority
sembletheirpain oyfully andare
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .45
hatwe donotenterinto.B utthey
ethanweare theymustdomore
rt theymustsharehisthoughtsaswell.
nd ssc ientif ic pursuitsga eMme.
eheartachethanari al sbeautycould
anwholo esthemostisatleastc on-
eo erherri al butsuc hneglec tas
w ithherutterhelplessness itwasa
oalltheaffectionsthathelpus to
utshedidnotknow andherwantof
fromherhusband.B utbesidesthis
elayalaste tremityof torture hewas
ath itseemed underthesameroof
ewasrisk inghislifew ithouther
whichshemightnotshare. twaslike
omwhichtherewasno wayof
wasnohopeleft. Mme. C laesdeter-
ewouldlearninwhatthe attractions
andpri atelysetherself toread
thehousebecamelikeacon ent.
hadpassedthroughallthesesucces-
bythetimethatthisstorycommenc eswas
rld.
plicated. ikeallimpassioned
ne erthoughtofherself andthosewho
thatwhereaf fectionisc onc ernedmoney is
nterestandaffectionarealmostincom-
wthoutac ruelpangthat osephine
ortgageof threehundredthousand
sestates.Thereweredocuments
ndadoubt andga eoc c asionfor
ectureinthetown.Mme.C laes
c ompelled proudthoughshewas tomake
d snotary toc onf ideheran ietiesto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
oguessthem andwasforc edtohear
businessthehumiliatingin uiry
sasyetsaidanythingtoyouabout
r snotarywasalmostarelation. M.
admarriedoneof thePier uinsofA nt-
ilyasthePier uinsofDouai ande er
erbranch thoughscarcelyac-
es hadlookeduponthemasc ousins.
ma n o f si - a nd - tw e nt y h a d u s t su c-
osition healone inhis ualityof
dtherightof entrytothehouse.
eshadli edformanymonthsinsuc h
hewasobligedtogoto himfor
hichwasalreadyknowntoe ery
allprobabilitylargesums were
ppliedher husbandwithchemicals.
n uiries hade ecutedallM.C laes
andlethimha eunlimitedc redit.
nedPier uintoaskthemfor anaccount
erhusband.Twomonthslater MM.
lle manfac turingc hemists sentinastate-
thata hundredthousandfrancs
uinstudiedthedoc umentw ithama e-
achfreshitem.A mongenigmatical
pressions andundec ipherablesc ientif ic
ethemashoc k tof indmentionofdiamonds
beitinsmall uantities andofmyste-
rentlysodifficulttoprocureorto pro-
mously aluable. The astnumber
ec ostofc arriageandofpac k ing aluable
delicatelyad ustedmachineryfor
eofalltheapparatus togetherw iththe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .47
icalcompoundshadbeenspecially
directions ac countedsuf f ic iently for
total.
ousin thenotarymadein uiries
andChif f re ille andtheacc ounts
emcon inc edhimthattheyhadbeen
ealingsw ithM. C laes indeed they
t theyhadgoneoutof theirway
e disco eriesofParisianchemists
pense.
Per uintokeepthesingularnature
ret. ftheywereknowninthe
yat oncethatherhusbandwasmad.
hatthiswasimpossible thathehad
already andthatasthe billsfor
eenformallynoted thesecretwas
idbarethewholee tentof the
usinthatifshec ouldnotc ontri eto
oms uanderinghismoney inthis
lyestateswouldbemortgagedupto
si months. A s tomakinganyeffort
he P ier uin hadspokentohisc ousin
duedeferenc e morethanonce andthat
ss. B altha arhadansweredonc efor
eshisob ec twastomakeafortune
sfamily . oinadditiontothe
edat osephine sheartforthepast
torture inwhiche erysadorhappy
to thepainofthepresent she
easingdreadof worsetofollow
mentsareof tenmar elouslyc orrec t.
arsofaroftenerthantheyhope inall
resentlife. Whydotheyreser eall
iefsinafutureworld H ow isit
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
odiscerncomingtroubleoranyturn-
Perhapsthe eryc losenessof the
themanshelo esmakesheran
scapacityandw iththeinstinc tof lo e
andknowshistastes hispassions
ualities. heisalwaysstudyingthese
andw iththeintimateknow ledgeof
giftof foreseeingtheireffectsunder
ons. Womenderi etheirinsightinto
sightednessinsuchthingsas they
dtheaccuracyoftheirforecastsisdue
ner ousorgani ation whichenables
etthe slightestsignofthoughtor
tstormsthat shakeanothersoul
m ibratesinharmony. Theyfeelor
aes thoughestrangedfromherhus-
thatthelossof theirfortunewasim-
assionatepersistenc eshehadseentheref lec -
m. f itweretruethathewastry ing
fmak inggold hewouldc ertainly
adintothecruciblewithperfect
washeseek ingtodisc o er
husbandandc hildrenwithoutattempt-
sof eitheruponherheart.B al-
c hildrenasshedid thec hildrenhad
em. N ow allatonceshedisco ered
eamotherthana wife asheretofore
erthanamother. etshefeltthat
ttosacrif iceherself herfortune and
eof themanwhohadlo edand
themanforwhomshewasstill the
andthencameremorsethatshe
nsolittle anddespairatbeing
ousalternati es.H erheartsuffered
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .49
hesuf feredinherc hildren andasa
oritall. hesaidnothingof the
. A f terall herhusbandwasthe
hewasthemasterwhomustshape
saccountabletoGodandto noneother.
himwithputtingher fortunetosuch
estednesswhichhadbeensoamply
tenyearsof theirmarriedlife Was
gns A ndyetherconscienc easserted
epingwithalllawswrittenand
possesstheirfortunenotfor themsel es
ndha enorighttoalienatetheworldly
rust forthem.
nherself tosol etheseintric ate
sentoshuthereyestothem likea
ipice whowillnotlookintothe
hheknowsthathemust sooneror
nthsherhusbandhadallowedhernoth-
penses.Themagnificentdiamonds
entoheronthedayofhermarriage
aris andshehadput thewhole
onomicalfooting. hehaddis-
o e r ne s s a n d e e n l it t le e a n s n u r s e.
ofac arriagehadbeen uiteunknown
ghers wholi edsosimplyandheld
herehadbeennopro isioninthe
hismoderninno ation andB altha ar
ehisstablesand coach-houseonthe
incehehadbeenabsorbedin
osuperintendthatpartof themenage
inc e andMme. C laesputdownthe
uc hofarec lusethatthee pensewas
y andthiswouldha ebeenreason
rretrenchments butshedidnot
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T ,
othembyanyprete ts. Hithertofacts
words andnowsilencebec ameher
moreo er werealmostine c usable
yonewholi esuptohisincomeis
nlyasheroldestgirl Marguerite
nyearsold osephinewouldw ishher
itwasthought andtoestablishherin
ttingthedaughterofthehouseof
twasw iththeMolinas theV anO strom-
asa-R eals.Themoneyreali edbythe
een e haustedsomefewdays
of thisstory . O nthat eryaf ter-
hadmetPier uinonherwayto espers
dturnedandwalkedwiththemas far
tP ierre talk ingc onfidentially thewhile.
hof thef riendshipwhic hattac hesme
aid if weretoattempttoc onceal
erisksyouarerunning. mustimplore
r husband.Who elsehasinfluence
he brinkoftheprecipice our
ortgagedthattheywillscarcelypay
owed. A tthismomentyouha eno
youoncec utdownthewoods your
wllbegone. C ousinB altha arowes
rote andChif f re ille inParis
H o w a r e yo u g oi n g to l i e A n d
laeskeepsonbuyingacidsand
and oltaic batteries andsuchlike
urfortunehasf lownoff ingasandsmuts
ehouseandthefurniturelef t. A
assometalk ofmortgagingthe
oyouthinkC laessaid The
f irstsignofsensehehasshownthesethree
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .51
essc lutc hedPier uin sarm.
sheentreated raisinghereyesto
thunderbolt. hesat uietly
hildren soo erc omethatshec ould
ok layopenonherknee butshe
herpainfulthoughtswereasall-absorb-
usings.Thesoundsofthe organfell
nishprideand lemishintegritysent
soul.Theruin ofherchildren
ouldnolongerhesitatebetweentheir
shonor.Theimmediateprospectof
ppalledher hewassogreatinher
her thatthebareideaofhisangerwas
hethoughtofthe wrathofGod.
sode outlysubmissi e ac hangehad
rherc hildren ssakeshemustthwart
whomshe idoli ed.
ongthefar-offheightsof science
owntotheproblemsofe ery-day
ak inuponhisdreamsofafairfuture and
entin itsmostprosaicaspect with
ngtoartistsandgreatmen. orhis
aeswasagiantintellect amanwhosegreat-
edayrec ogni e hec ouldonlyha e
plendidhopes andthenhewasso
eing shehadheardhimspeaksowell
thatshefeltnodoubtthathespokethe
sresearchesweretobringfameand
slo eforhisw ifeandc hildrenwas
oundless howc ouldsuchlo ec ome
twasstrongeranddeeperthane er
wasc hanged andshewhowasso
generousandsensiti e mustc on-
money inthegreatman sears
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
erty initsugliestshape andtherattle
ssmustbreakinonthe sweet oices
ha ar saf fectionforhershouldgrow
dhadnoc hildren howbra elyandgladly
echangehehadwroughtin herdes-
ebeenbroughtupamidwealthysur-
ptinessofthe lifethatlu urymay
l itpallsonthem buttheirheartsare
onc etheyha edisc o eredforthem-
tlies inaconstantinterchangeof
t whentheyarecertainofbeing
rink f romanarrowmonotonouse istenc e
theonebestsuitedtothebeingwho
ownideasandpleasuresaresubordinated
hat lifewithouttheirown and
readforthemthedreadof separa-
tthat herchildrenstoodbetween
sc ienc ehadseparatedB altha arC laes
urnedfrom espersshef lungherself
dismissedthechildrenwithacaution
senttoaskherhusbandtocometo
spiteof theinsistenceof theoldman-
e r B a l t h a a r h ad n o t st i rr e d fr o m hi s l ab o -
imetothinko erherposition and
gs forgetfulofthehourand the
owedthirtythousandfrancs
ousedpainfulmemories allthe
up tomeetthetroublesof the
hewaso erwhelmedbytheprob-
oohea yforher andshega ewayto
meatlast helookedmoreabstrac ted
edistraughtthanshehade erseenhim
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .53
oanswer shesatforawhilelikeone
ntunseeingga e theremorseless
ropsof sweatfromhisbrow
lo erheralso. Withthef irstshoc k
ightdie. B utthesc ientif ic in uiry
srousedher courage ustasher
shewouldgrapplewiththishideous
c hhadrobbedherofherlo er her
andthe familyof theirwealth had
appiness and eopardi edthefairname
etshec ouldnothelptrembling
throughher wasitnot themost
a momentthatheldallherfuture
llherpast
ak-mindedpeople timidsouls orthose
ture arepronetoe aggeratelittletrials
s pi t e of t h em s el e s f e el a n e r o u s
eforethearbitersof theirfate may
htsthatcrowdedupin hermind.
dherheartgrewhea yw ithpent-up
husbandgo slowlytowardsthegar-
a enotknownthemiseryofsuch
sothate enthosewhoseheartsha e
o erac onfessionofe tra agance or
er w illha esomefaintideaofhow
enlife isatstake.A prettywoman
sband sfeet thegracefulattitudesof
her butMme. C laeswaspainfully
y andthisaddedto herfears.
arabouttolea eher herf irstimpulse
de butacruelthoughtrestrained
andstandbeforehim hewould
esof amanwhohadlost theold
nowwouldseeherasshewas. R ather
power osephinewouldha elost
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ewoulda oidallpossiblee ilinf lu-
ofher oic eandc oughed. Then
ontohiswife heturnedinthe
l s uarespittoonswhichareplaced
ainsc otinallDutc hand lemish
habitand associationwassostrongin
owashardlyconsc iousof thee istenc e
alwayscarefulofthefurniture.This
f intolerablepaintopoor
dnotunderstandit atthismomentshe
self andheragonyofminddrewfrom
ng ane c lamationinwhic hallher
pression.
sp e ak i ng t o y ou
y a n sw e re d B a l t ha a r t u rn i ng
inghisw ifea uic kglanc e. The
nderbolt.
a r s h e s a id w i th a w hi t e fa c e. h e
andheldoutherhandtohim but
sted.
shesaid ina oic ebrokenbysobs.
are ulsioninB altha ar asin
ple itwasasif asuddenlighthad
mysteryofthiscrisis.H etook
nhisarms openedadoorwhic hled
er andsprangupthestaircaseso
ressc aughtononeof thec ar ed
alusters therewasasharpsound and
way.H ekickedopenthedoorof
eirapartmentsopened andfound
sroomwasloc ked. He set osephine
ar say ingtohimself Good
he k e y
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 78/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 79/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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MM . C L A E S A T O N C E N H I S A R M
E TA I R C A S E .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 81/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .55
s a id M me . C l a e s a s s he o p en e d he r
i le s i nc e h a e f e lt s o n ea r t o yo u r
c r ie d C l a e s. W h e r e is t h e ke y
totake thekeywhichhungsus-
erside. B altha aropenedthedoor
nthesofa thenhewentouttobid
emaindownstairs orderedthemtoser e
rriedbacktohiswife.
eart heasked seatinghimselfbeside
andk issedit.
s h e sa i d t h e pa i n is o e r n ow o n l y
spower andc ouldpourallthegold
e a sk e d a s h e d r ew h i s wi f e to h i m h e ld
andkissedheragainon theforehead.
younotgi emethegreatestofallwealth
r w h ys h ou l d yo u n ot p u t an e n d to a l l
your oic e ustnowdispelledthetrouble
notchangedatall seethatnow "
h a t d o yo u m ea n d e ar e st
e ar .
ch o ed . H e b e g an t o s mi l e a n d fo n dl y
yin his.W henhespokeagain
edtendernessinhis oice.
wemayf indoursel espossessedof
esterday whiletry ingtodisc o erfar
nk foundouthowtocrystalli ec arbon
mond. O h dearw ife inafew
forgi emeformywanderingw its for
times itseems. spokehastily
t B u t y o u w il l m ak e a ll o wa n ce s f or m e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
yspresentwithme andrayworkis
shesaid wew illsaynomorenow
illtalko eritall. Mytrouble
ouldbear andnow oyisalmosttoo
seetheoldtendere pressioninhis
tletonesagaininhis oic e torec o er
adlost.
s a id . e t u s ta l k it o e r t hi s e e n in g .
orbedinsomethingelse remindmeof
ketoforgetmycalculationsthis
roundmyselfw ithfamilyhappiness w ith
t for needthem Pepita amlong-
whatyouaretry ingtodisc o er
o t un d er s ta n d it a l l if d i d p o or
k B utforthesefourmonthspast
aboutc hemistry dear sothat c ould
h a e r e ad o u rc r oy a o i si e r
o u el l e B e r th o ll e t G a y- u s sa c p a ll a n a n i
a n i V o l t a - al l t he b o ok s i n f ac t a b ou t t hi s
ome youcantellmeyour secrets
g el c r ie d B a l t ha a r f a l l in g o n hi s
andsheddingtearsthatmadeher
derstandeac hotherine erything
wouldflingmyself intoyourfurnac e
omyou toseeyouasyouarenow.
r sfootstepsinthene troom and
erite sheaskedofhereldestgirl.
m ot h er d e ar . o u f or g ot t o g i e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .57
ning andifhestays todinner
hofsmall keysfromherpocket
daughter indicatingasshedidsothe
dswhichlinedtheante-chamber.
dorgelinen " shesaid onthe
a arofmineistocomeback tome
toha ehimallc omplete " shesaid
h mischie oussweetnessinher
g o t o yo u r ro o m a n d d o me a f a o r
er uinishere. ustc hangethoseragged
okatthestains A ndisitmuri-
hhasburnedthose holeswiththe
f reshenyourselfupalittle assoon
ydress w illsendMul uiniertoyou.
sintohisroombythedoorwhich
ngthatitwaslockedonthe otherside.
tthroughtheante-chamber.
e d Mm e .C l a e s l e a e t h e li n en o n t he
omeandhelpmetodress would
handonMarguerite sshoulder and
sayingmerrily
tt l e on e o u a re e r y ch a rm i ng t o -d a y
e-coloredsash.
shandinhis andk issedherfore-
hegirl asshewentintohermother s
me ustnow andhelookedsopleased
erygreatman dearc hild hehasbeen
this familymayberichandillus-
efeelssurethathehasreac hedtheendof
dbe agreatdayforus all.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
e i n ou r o y m a mm a d ea r a l l th e
oo toseehimlooksogloomyO h
mpandfaded.
m u st b e u i ck . m u st g o d ow n an d
e r e is h e
isplay ingw ith ean.
nd e l ic i e
esoutinthegarden.
ustrunawaydownstairsandseeafterthem
s yourfatherhasnote enseen
perhapshewouldliketogooutand
ndtellMul uiniertotake
wantsuptohisroom.
ether Mme. C laeswenttothe
erchildrenplayingbelow inthe
edinwatchingoneofthosegleam-
gold-bespangledwingsthatarepopu-
eetles.
ings " shesaid throw ingupthew indow
othe room.Thenshetapped
enedintoherhusband sapartment
notlostoncemorein awaking
andwhenshesawthathewasdressing
metoentertainPier uinallbymyself
ouw illc omedownassoonasyou
pedawaydownstairssolightly thata
tepswouldnotha ethoughtthat
downthestaircaseshemetMul-
riedmadameupstairs " saidtheman
yoneof thebalusters notthatthe
al butthedragon sheadisbroken
stomendit. t uitespoilsthe
somepiec eofcar ingasitwastoo "
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .59
e r d o n ot h a e i t m en d ed i t i s no t a
s a id M u l u i ni e r to h i ms e lf . H o w
pp e ne d C a n t h e m as t er h a e d i sc o -
u i n " s a id M me . C l a e s a s s he o p en e d
erhisarm tohiscousin butshe
therhusband s andthankedhimbya
Perhapsyouha ec omeforthethirty
h e n r e ac he d h om e f o un d a m em o -
andChif f re ille whoha edrawn
e t h ou s an d f ra n cs o n M . C l a es .
eanswered saynothingto-dayabout
yanddinew ithus andifheshould
ec alled pleasein entsome
meha etheletter willtellhim
tw illbeallright " shewenton
onishment ina eryfewmonthsmy
backallthe moneywhichhehas
nin alow oice.Thenotary
laes whowascomingfromthe
abrieland elicie.
eenMile. Margueritelooksoc harming "
herlowc hair w ithlittle eanonher
ndlookedfromher daughtertothe
essness.
hortnortall stoutnorthin hewas
nplaceway withadiscontented
e pression itwasnotathoughtful
edreaminess. Hehadthenameofbeing
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
hadane c ellentappetite andwastoo
worldtostand eryfaraloof f rom
ingintospac e anattitudeof indif -
ti atedtalentforsilence whichseemed
hsofc haracter butwhic h asa
dtoc oncealtheshallownessandinsig-
ewholemindwasentirelyabsorbed
ewasstillsufficientlyyoungto be
theprospectofmarryingintothe
ebeen uiteenoughtoc allforthall
ehadhadnoulteriormoti eintheshapeof
otpreparedtoac tagenerouspartuntil
ac tly. WhenC laesseemedtobeina
thenotarygrewstif f c urt andun-
arymanofbusiness butassoon
thingafterall mightcomeofhis
oncebec ameaf fectionate ac c ommodating
yethene ersoundedhisownmoti es
sofmanner. ometimeshelookedon
aprincess towhosehandapoor
sometimesshewasonlyapenniless
herself luc ky ifPier uinc ondescended
wasathoroughpro inc ialanda
oharminhim buthistransparent
hisbetter ualities ashispersonal
yhisabsurdaffectations.
atthenotaryshe rememberedthe
spokenthatday intheporchof t.
dnotic edthec hangeinhismannerwrought
n ersation. hereadthethoughtsinthe
ndga eakeenglanc eatherdaughter
nothoughtofhercousininthegirl s
erespentindiscussingtowntalk
ehousecamedownfromhisroom.
mo ingaboutintheroomabo ew ith
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .61
hisstepwasso uic kandlightthat
nyouthfulagain andawaitedhis
essthatinspiteofherselfa ui er
erashecamedownthe staircase.
a arentered dressedinac ostumeof
reachingalmosttotheknee were
topswereturneddown lea ingwhite
eworebluekerseymerebreeches
s awhite-floweredwaistcoat anda
sha edhimselfandc ombedand
nailshadbeenpared andhishands
thatanyone whohadseenhiman
ha erec ogni edhimagain. nstead
sdotage hisw ifeandc hildren
n offorty withanirresistibleair
y . Hisfac ewasthinandworn but
ssofoutline whichtoldatale of
abor ga eac ertainairof ref inement
i n " s a i d B a l th a a r C l a e s.
afatherandhusbandagain.H e
and tossedhimupanddown.
ngster " hesaidtothenotary.
c hildlikethismakeyouw ishyouwere
dforit mydearboy familypleasures
a s e a n we n t up t o t he c ei l in g . D o wn
esetthec hildonthef loor. Gleeful
omthelittle oneashefoundhim-
emomentandsolowthene t. The
nyonemightseehow deeplyshe
eofplay. twassuchalittlething
ninherlife.
w y ou a r e ge t ti n g on s a id B a l t h a a r
e polishedfloor andflinginghim-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
butthelittleone rantohimat once
onspeepedoutabo ehisfather s
resistibleway.
saidhisfather tak inghiminhis
e e r y in c h of y o u o u r un s t ra i gh t .
ow isPereMorillon " hesaidtohis
edtheboy sear. Doyoumanage
againste erc isesand atintrans-
goodgriponyourmathematic s
wento ertoPier uinw iththec ourteous
turaltohim. Perhapsyouha e
ydearfellow hesaid ashetook
rewhimoutintothegarden adding
meandha ealookatmytulips.
herhusband andcouldscarcely
okedsoyoung sok indly somuc h
osefromherc hair putherarm
aist andk issedher.
s h e s ai d d a rl i ng c hi l d l o e y ou
nic eforalong longtime.
oannounc ethatdinnerwasser ed.
ha ar sarmbeforePier uinc ouldof fer
hewholefamilywentinto thedining-
ndraf tershadbeenlef t isibleinthe
ewoodworkwascleanedandcarefully
ndtheinter eningspac eswereadorned
eboardslinedtheroom themore
amilychinawerearrangedonthe
purpleleatherwhic hc o eredthewalls
ingold representinghunting
abo ethesideboardsagroupof
ght-coloredfeathersofraretropical
esombrebackground.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .63
are-shapedkindwithtwistedlegs
edw ithf ringedstuf f whichonc ewere
od a ll o e r r a nc e an d t a ly . n o n e
dhis Madonnaof theChair. They
ethebeginningof thesi teenth
workwasblac kw ithage butthegold-
heywerenewonlyyesterday and
ewedfromtimetotime wasaric h
of thesi teenthc entury w ithits
seemedtoha erisenoutof thepast.
tersonthetable preser edin
thegraceanddignityof anti ue
erethesameold-fashionedgobletswith
eseen inoldDutchpictures.The
sdecoratedwithcoloredfiguresin
d swareandPalissy sdesigns. The
s u a re - si d ed a n d ri c hl y o rn a me n te d i t
nsefamilyplate fornotwopiec eswere
ogress ofthefortunesofthehouse
eentrac edfromitsbeginningsinthe
eirlooms.
edthataC laeswouldmakeita
ble-linenofthemostmagnificent
pk insweref ringedinthe panish
kedawayinthestateapartments
efesti aldays theirglorieswere
speak byfamiliarity . Thiswasthe
rhenwareindailyuse ande erythingin
sewherethefamily li edborethe
uaintness.A ddonemorecharming
urea ineclamberingaboutthe
eworkofgreen lea es.
odtraditions madame " saidPier-
daplatefulof thymysoup inwhic hthere
eofmeatandfried bread accord-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
tchand lemishrec ipe thisisthe
madepartof the undaydinnerin
hasbeenastandingdishinthe ow
ut ne ermeetw ithitnowe c epthere
u e t s h o us e . O h s t ay a m om e nt
a r on d e a a r us a t T ou r na i s ti l l ta k es a
ed butold lemishwaysarerapidly
mustbealagrec uenowadays
es lances helmets andfasc esone ery
dy isrebuildinghishouse sellinghis
ownhisplate orgettingridof itfor
whichisnothinglikeasbeautifulasold
a. O h myselfama lemingto
my hearttoseecoppersmithsbuy-
e atthepriceoffirewoodforthe
rought-incrustedcopperwork orthe
etyhasamindtochangeitssk in
gesaremorethansk indeep weare
cingalongwiththe oldworksof
anythingconscientiouslywhen
c hahurry . Thelasttime wasinParis
e pi c tu r es e h i bi t ed i n t he o u r e a n d
reonly f itforf irescreens ardsof
pere nodepthof tone. Painters
f theirc olors. A ndthey intend so
oldschoolHea enhelpthem
dtostudytheirpigments " said
yusedtotestthemsinglyandinc ombina-
totheactionofsunlight andrain.
nowadaysthematerialresourc esofart
anformerly.
eningtothec on ersation. The
nahadcomeinto fashionhadsether
dabrightidea hadatonceoccurred
hemassi esil erplatewhic hher
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .65
erhapsinthatwayshemightpaythe
s oic esoundedthroughhermus-
a l t h a a r w as s a yi n g s o t he y t al k a bo u t my
P i er u i n e e r yb o dy i s w on d er i ng
endingsomuc hmoneyo er.
nt yesterday lamentingthatamanof
tofindthephilosopher sstone.
thatyouweretoolearnednot to
mptingthe impossible toogooda
atyouc ouldpre ailo erGod and
oshrewdtogi ehardc ashforpowder
mustc onfessthat shareinthe
o eryourwithdrawalfromsociety.
dtobelosttothetown. ndeed
a ebeenpleasedifyouknewhow
ofyouandofM. C laes.
ofyoutoputastoptosuc habsurd
makemeridiculousifnoworsecameof
ha a r . O h s o t he g o od f o lk o f Do u ai
V e r y g o od m y d ea r P ie r u i n o n
wo m o nt h s t i me w i ll g i e a f e t e o n a
hallreinstatemeinthe esteemofour
ellow-townsmen.
.C laes face forthepasttwo
adbeenforgotten. Thise eningwas
ar slifeofenthusiasmwhichmightbe
ucidmomentsin insanitywhenthe
ith unwontedbrilliancyforalittle
erebeensuc hpointandpithandspark le
tohisc hildrenhadne erbeenmore
safatheroncemore andnofesti al
w ifesuc h oyasthis. O nc emorehis
onstante pressionofsympathyin
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
usconsciousnessthatthesamefeeling
edin thedepthsofeitherheart.
eemedtoha egrownyoungagain
hebeenknowntobeinsuc hspirits.
smannerhade enmoresignificance
ss.Mme.C laeswasdreamingof
nsof fortunef illedtheoldser ingman s
erehigh. Hehadbeenwonttohelp
fthework andperhapssome
erwhenane perimenthadfailed
erandfarther off hadnotbeenlost
hehadbecomeinfectedwithhis
oraninnatefac ultyof imitationhadled
milatetheideasof thosew ithwhomhe
masterwitha half-superstitiousaweand
wasatraceof selfishness.The
erymuchwhatalottery-officeis
gani ed. v erynightashelay
mself To-morrow whoknowsbut
A ndinthemorningheawoke
h.
eming ashisnameindic ated. n
opleweredistinguishedmerelyby
calledafterthe placehecamefrom
somemoral ualityorpersonaltrait.
oplewasenfranchised hisnickname
andwastransmittedtohisburgher
ders dealersinf la threadwerec alled
e o ld a l et s a n ce s to r w h o pa s se d f ro m
c lass had doubtless dealtinlinen
egenerationsago andnowthe
fla wasreducedtotheoldcondi-
eit unlikehisgrandsire herec ei ed
anders itsf la trade itsindustries
sinamannerepitomi edintheold
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .67
encalledMul uinierforthesakeof
uaintinhisappearanceandcharac-
allandthin hisbroad triangular
badlyscarredbythesmallpo that
eitagrotes ueappearance the
hiche ac tlymatc hedthec olorofhis
e seemedtolookaskanceate erything.
mysteriouslyaboutthehouse his
re cusedthecuriositywhichhe
e ed moreo er thatasanassistantin
ndkepthismaster ssec rets andhe
estedw ithasortofhaloof romanc e.
ariswatchedhimas hecameand
notunmi edw ithawe forwhen ues-
erhimselfofDelphicutterances
ehintsof fabulouswealth. H ewas
tohismaster ande erc ised onthe
yrannyo erhisfellow-ser ants tak ing
nto makehimselfmasterbelowstairs.
ants whobecomegreatlyattac hedtothe
ec aredfornooneinthehousebutB al-
smightbeintrouble somepiec eofgood
usehold butitwasall oneto
oatehisbreadandbutteranddrankhis
ountenance.
laessuggestedthattheyshouldtake
ethecentrebed oftulips.The
ylabeledandplantedinpots which
thandarrangedpyramidfashion
ofparrot-tulipatthehighest point.
ssedabulbof theTulipaC laesiana.
admanytimesrefusedtenthousandf lorins
hhadallthese enc olors theedgesof
ikegold inthesun.Theolder
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
aordinaryprec autions keepingitinthe
sa singleseedshouldbestolenfrom
edentiredaysin admiringit.The
tc erec t andabeautifulgreenc olor
heperfectformandpure brilliancy
esomuchsoughtafterin these
dfrancs worththere wasthe
shiseyeswanderedfromthemassof
fac e butshewastoomuc hdelighted
whichglowedlikepreciousstones
toc atchthedrif tof thisbusiness-
tall yououghttosellthem "
rn i ng t o B a l t ha a r .
t he m o ne y t o me a n sw er e d C l a es w i th
homfortythousandfrancsisa mere
filledbythechildren se clama-
m am m a
y
ed m a mm a
ehumanmind " e c laimedB al-
handsw ithadespairinggesture. O ne
ando ygen indif ferentpropor-
mec onditions andallthosedif ferent
hesamematerials
ere uitefamiliartohiswife but
hedidnotgrasphismeaning B al-
thatshehadstudiedhisfa oritescience
ysterioussign oushouldunderstand
tyetunderstandallthat meant " and
ne ofhisusualmusingfits.
" saidPier uin tak ingthec upofc of fee
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .69
him. Dri enatureoutbythe
hew indow " hewenton speak ing
oic e. ouw illperhapsbesogood
lf thede ilhimselfwouldnotrouse
ns.H ewillkeepon likethistill
suppose.
aes whoappearednottoheara
eaninhismother sarms madeapro-
es andwent. A s soonasthegreat
isitor B altha arthrewhisarmround
dispelledallheruneasinesso erhis
peringinherear knewe ac tlyhow
cetoher husbandwithoutattempt-
swhichfilledhereyes.Thenshe
ground andlaidherheadonB al-
eparlor " shesaidafterapause.
wildestspiritsthate ening hein-
amesforthec hildren and oinedin
athe didnotnoticethathis wife
etimes. A thalf -pastnineo c lock
uttobed andMargueritehadhelped
ress shec amedownstairsintothe
othersittingin thelowchairtalking
wthatherhandlay inhis. heturned
fearingtodisturbher fatherand
aessawher.
M a rg u er i te d e ar c h il d " s h e sa i d
er andkissingheraffectionately
outoyourroom " sheadded and
c h il d " s a id B a l t h a a r .
theragood-nightkissand anished.
one forawhile.Theywatchedthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ay inthegarden thelea esturned
dimand shadowyinthesummer
stdark B altha arspokeinanun
u s go u p st a ir s " h e s ai d .
uc tionof the nglishcustomofre-
entasasortof innersanc tuary a
dbeenimpenetrable. Thisisduetono
nthepartof thegoodhousew i es it
ndac uiredinearlyc hildhood a
ichlooksonabedroomasa deli-
ethereshouldbeanatmosphereof
gs wheresimplicityiscombined
ost sacredassociationsofsocial
aes positionwouldha edoneher
thdainty belongings butMme.
nedtastetothetask andaknow ledge
ic he ternalse ertuponourmoods.
nlu ury foraprettywomanwasforher
ne sownpowertobeaprettywoman "
adsaid buttherehadbeensomething
ew ifeof the irstConsul who
erma imforamoment Mme. C laes
andwasalwayssimpleand
hisw ife sroomwastoB altha ar
ulofthe thingsabouthimthata
oughhim asifhesaw itnowfor
dc olorsof thetulips c arefullyar-
derporc elain ars seemedtobepart
n striumph thebla eof thelights
lyasaflourishof trumpets.The
ridelinsilkenstuffs broughttheir
hthe brilliantsurroundings break-
dengleams where eritcaughtthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .71
alsof theflowerstilltheyglowed
ndthesepreparationshadbeenmade
orhim
foundnomoreelo uentwayof telling
eofallher oysandsorrows. There
ysoothingtothesoulin thisroom
e erythoughtofsadness tillnothing
erfectandserenehappinesswasleft.
oftheO rientalhangingsfilledtheair
nses the eryc urtains soc arefully
ealousan ietytotreasurethelowestword
oute erythingbeyondfromtheeyes
back.
estryhangingsacrossthedoor that
mfromwithout.Then asshestood
loosedressing-gownwithdeep
herbeautifulhair blackandglossy
mak ingasettingforherfac e osephine
at herhusband whowassitting
oman whoattimesgrowsbeautiful
oherfac e c ane pressirresistible
harmconsistsina constantappealto
inagrac efuladmissionofhelplessness
andawakenshisnoblestfeelings.
powerinsuchaconfessionofweakness
noiselesslyo erthec urtain-rod she
layingherhandona chairas
ortomo emoregrac efullyanddis-
twasamutere uestforhelp. B al-
hought hiseyesrestedonthepale
kybackgroundwithasense ofperfect
hookof fhismusings sprangup took
dc arriedhertothesofa. Thiswas
tended.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
shesaid tak inghishands whic hthrilled
meinto thesecretofyourresearches.
r that amworthyof thec onf idenc e
eenoughtostudyascienc ewhic hthe
hat mayunderstandallthatyousay.
anythingf romme amc urious.
lmehow itc hancedthatonemorning
en hadlef tyousohappythe
ooco uettishly totalkaboutc hemistry .
rnasec retwhic hwillletmealittle
isnotthatthegreatestofall oysfor
ssof lifeisc omprised andhasitssourc e
etweentwosouls.A ndnow when
solelymine wanttoknowthis
wyouawayfrommeforso long.
ealousofathoughtthanallthewomen
a s t b u t lo e i s n ot i n fi n it e a n d in
mabledepths cannotletyougo
hatee erythingthatc anc ome
hefamethatyouare seekingso
nd shallbemiserable. amewould
re woulditnot and aloneshould
ures monsieur.
itwasnotathoughtthatsetmeonthis
saman.
cr i ed a g ha s t.
Polishof f icer Pepita whospenta
1 0 9
m a m e e d w it h m ys e lf b e ca u se
aldhead thec urlingendsofhis
ornfeatures andthoseeyesofhis
ll shiningoutofthecoal-black
Therewassomethingappallingin
yofwalking falltheinns had
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .73
nlyshouldne erha espentthenight
gentlemanwasaM. A damdeWier -
B a l th a a r . T h at e e n in g w he n y ou
rbyoursel es wefellsomehowto
ehadbeenforcedtorelin uish
y andhadbec omeasoldier. f
aso eraglassofc ausuc reethatwe
asadepts. When toldMul uinierto
ndnotinpowder thec aptainga e
e r s tu d ie d ch e mi s tr y " h e a s ke d .
a o is ie r ' t ol d hi m.
lu c ky ' h e e c l ai m ed y o u ar e r ic h y ou
hosegroansthatre ealahellofmisery
aman sheartorbrain asighof
ageofwhichwordscannotgi eany
sentencewithaglancethat mademe
hetoldmethat sincewhatmightbe
hehadtakenrefugein weden
olationinthe studyofchemistry
resistibleattractionforhim.
dd e d s e e th a t yo u h a e r e c o gn i e d a s
bic sugar andstarc harereduc edtoa
mostindistinguishable and ifanaly ed
sult.
ause. He eyedmekeenly fora
onf identiallyandinalow oic e. To-
fthegeneralsenseof thosesolemn
buttherewassomethingsoearnest
eenergy inhisgestures thate ery
throughme tobebeatenintomy
es.These inbrief werehisreason-
kethe coalwhichtheseraphimlaid
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
saiah foraf termystudiesw ith
nderstandallthattheymeant.
tityof thesethreesubstances toall
' hewenton suggestedtheidea
smightbereducedto asingleele-
nsofmodernc hemistryha epro ed
oalargee tent. Chemistryc lassi-
istinctheadingsorganicnature
ganicnaturecomprisese eryanimal
e eryorganic struc turehowe erele-
akmoreacc urately e erythingwhic h
pacityofmotion whichisthemeasure
rganicnatureisthereforethemost
.N ow analysishasreducedall
turetofour elements threeof
o ygen andhydrogen andthe
on-metallic solid.
e ontheotherhandw ithsolittle
ms w ithnopowerofmo ementorof
perhaps of thepowerofgrowth c on-
groundsby innaeusinorganic
esimplebodies andallitsproducts
ousc ombinations. sitlikely that
mostnumerouswhentheresults are
Myoldmasterusedtoholdthatthere
montoall thesefifty-threebodies
forc e nolongere erted brought
c ations thisunknownforc e inhis
ntellec tmightdisco erandapplyonc e
maginethatforc edisc o eredandonc e
emistrywouldbethescienceofa single
ganicnatureareprobablyalikebased
tifweshouldsucceedindecomposing
whichwemaylookuponasanegation
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .75
duc edtothree. Weareonthe ery
aryof theanc ientswe whoare
noranc e atthealchemistsof the
chemistryhasgonenofurtherthan
yetitis ery little. Muchhasbeen
istryhaslearnedtoshrink beforeno
causewhathasbeenaccomplishedisas
hatremainstodo. Tisafair
muchtochance.
ond forinstanc e thatc rystalli ed
e ery lastsubstanc e onewould
create. Thealchemiststhemsel es
ages whothoughtthatgoldcould
erentelements andmadeupagain
eshrunk indismayfromtheattemptto
weha edisc o ereditsnatureand
tion.
h ea dd ed h a e g on e fa rt he r ye t
periment onc emade thatthemys-
hasfilledmen simaginationsfromtime
erbedisco eredbyanyanalytic alpro-
sinnoonespec ialdirec tion. B ut
ldesc ribethee periment. ou
ectingasingleonefromamongthe
nic nature andsowtheminf lowers
simpleinorganic body. Waterthe
tomakecertainthatnounknown
productsofgermination.U nder
swillsproutand grow drawingall
ementsascertainedbyanalysis.
ec ressandburnit untilyouha e
antityofashforyouranalysis and
lic a alumina c alcic phosphateand
arbonate potassicsulphateandcar-
de ustasif thecresshadsprungupin
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
etnoneofthesesubstancesare
hthec ressesgrew sulphurisa
positionofdistilledwaterisdefinitely
e istintheseedsthemsel es. Wec an
oneelementcommontothecress
thattheair thedistilledwater the
dthe arioussubstanc esdetec tedbyan
ess thatistosay thepotassium
mina andsoforth areall ariousforms
whichisf reeintheatmosphere and
ac ti eagent.
c i l a t th i s e p e ri m en t ' h e e c l ai m ed
c e th e e i s te n ce o f t he A b s o l ut e O n e
ubstanc es modif iedbyauni ueforce
moftheA bsoluteinitssimplest
hehumanintellec tc ansol e orsoit
edattheoutsetbythemysterious
umanityhaskneltine eryage
eagenc y andtheresult. Throughout
oufindtheawfulnumber three "
s andlaws. A ndthere ' hesaid war
tomyresearc hes
o f a o i si e r s y o u ar e r ic h an d ca n
l w illsharemyguessesattruth
thee perimentswhic hga emeglimpses
rchshouldbedirected.Theprimi-
elementc ommontoo ygen hydrogen
theagenc ymustbethec ommonprin-
gati eelec tric ity . faf terin enting
tyou canestablishthesetwotheories
illbeinpossessionof the f irstc ause "
enaofnature.
r w h en y o u ca r ry t h er e 1 h e s ai d s t ri k in g
astwordofc reation aforeshadow ingof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .77
oc allitli ingtobedraggedhitherand
tobeoneamongblindmassesofmen
poneac hotheratagi ensignalw ithout
glifeisanin erteddream. My
doesthisandthat amidmenand
e andmarc hesacross uropeatthe
despise and ha enoc onsc ious-
ulisrapt inthecontemplation
grossedbyoneall-absorbingthought
ute todetec ttheforc ethatisseenat
whichcannotbetoldonefromanother
ons willspringupandblossom
hiteand somewillbeyellow. ou
rationininsects byfeedingsilk-
einstruc ture onthesamelea es and
othersayellowcoc oon youc an
nhisownchildrenbearno resem-
mother. Henc e maywenotlogi-
ecauseunderlyingtheseeffects
aofnature sitnotinc on-
tsof GodtoimaginethatH ehas
assbythe simplestmeansandinthe
thagorasofoldadoredthe one
theire pressionfortheprimiti e
e r e e r en c ed t h e nu m be r t w o " t h e fi r st
althatfollow andine eryageand
ee hasrepresentedGod thatisto
andresult throughallthesec onfused
dthereis adimperceptionofthe
ndB ec her Parac elsusandA grippa all
uses hadforpasswordTrismegistus
ndTernary . gnorantpeople who
ondemnationsofalchemy that
y ha edoubtlessnosuspicionthat
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
fytheimpassionedresearc hesof those
e s ec r et o f t he A b s o l ut e i s fo u nd t h e
emainstobegrappledw ith. A h me
ydaily fare while amc ommand-
irli esfornothing myoldmaster
disc o ery soaringhigherandfaster
nd shalldie likeadog in
greatmanhadgrownsomewhat
therlyfashionthattouchedme
inkofanye perimentworthmak ing
re die.
a l t h a a r p r es s in g h is w i fe s h a nd
air courseddownhishollowcheeksas
sk indledaf ireinme. omewhatin
d r ea s on e d be f or e b u t a o i si e r ha d n ot
edMme. C laes interrupting inspiteof
hisman whoonlyspentonenightunder
ofyouraffec tion onephrase one
edourchildren shappinessand
ar B a l t h a a r d i d he m ak e t he s i gn o f t he
imc losely O nlytheTempter
weyes bla ingw iththef ireofProme-
e ilhimselfc ouldha esnatched
ersincethatdayyouha ebeenneither
dof thehousehold
ai m ed B a l t h a a r s p r i ng i ng t o h is f e et a n d
wife doyoublameyourhusband
men thathemayspreadthedi ine
urfeet apoortributecompared
heart. Why doyouknowwhat
sethreeyears ha emadegiant
hec ried inhisenthusiasm.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .79
thatmomentthattheglowof
ac easlo ehadne erdone and
tened.
c hlorineandnitrogen ha edec om-
eshithertobelie edtobeelements
w me t al s . N a y h e s ai d a s h e lo o ke d a t
ha edec omposedtears. Tearsarecom-
eoflime chlorideofsodium
thoutseeingthat osephine sfac e
ithpain hehadmountedthe
andwasfarfromtheactualworld.
isoneof thestrongestproofsof the
A lllife ofc ourse impliesc ombustion
esasthefire burnsrapidlyorslowly.
eralisprolongedindefinitely forin
tential latent orimperceptible.
ts thiswasteisso constantlyrepaired
sture thattheirlifeseemsto be
ereareli ing egetablegrowthswhic h
esincethelastc atac lysm. B utwhen
naturemakesamoredelicateandper-
endowingitwithsentience instinct
ark threesucc essi estagesoforganic
ec ombustionof itality insuc horganisms
mountperformed.
hehighestpointof intelligenc e isa
hpossessesthefacultyofthought
er.A ndcombustionisaccordingly
n anyotheranimalorganism its
etracedby thepresenceofphosphates
atesinthesystem whicharere ealedby
substancesbuttracesoftheaction
e-gi ingprinc iple houldwenotlook
ducedbyelectricityingreater a-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
otheranimal Wasitnottobe
dpossessgreaterfacilitiesforabsorb-
heabsoluteelement greaterpowers
rgani ationmoreperfec tlyadaptedfor
uses fordraw ingfromithisphysic al
er amsureof it. Manisa
theidiot sbrainc ontainslessphos-
roductsofelectro-magnetism which
man theyarepresentinsmall
ybrain andarefoundintheirright
hemanofgenius.Theporter
ersallo er andthegluttonmisdirec tthe
stemsthroughtheagencyofelec-
entiments
l t h a a r o u t er r i fy m e t h es e a re
mylo eforyouis
a n d gi e n o ff " a n sw er e d C l a es t h e
bsolute. O nlythinkof it f
ef irstif f inditoutif
threedifferenttonesof oice
entachange helookedlikeaman
willmakediamonds allthatnature
i er c r ie d o s ep h in e i n h er d e -
nc e A c c ursedf iend ouarefor-
tthisisthesinofpridebywhich atan
gonGod
shec ried wringingherhands.
sapowerwhichw illne erbeyours.
o edsc ienc eC laeslookedathis
seemedtopassthroughhim.
e s ai d .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T . 1
ement. Thatiswhat ha e
ha ereadforyoursake. ouc an
ruit orMalagaw ine andofc oursedis-
emic alc omposition andf indelementsin
enottobe foundinthesurround-
youspokeof possiblybydintofef fort
mentstogether butwouldyou
orMalagaw inef romthem C ould
ousactionofthesun ofthe
c ompositionisonething c reationis
erthec ompellingforce c ouldc reate.
m " c riedPepita w ithdespair
m y lo e l o e i s sl ai n. h a e l os t
ndthroughhertearshereyesseemed
rforthesorrow andpity andlo e
s o b b in g y ou a r e de a d to e e r yt h in g
nceisstrongerinyouthanyouyourself
randtoohigh youc anne erdropto
panionofapoorwoman.What
e y o u no w A h t r ie d t o be l ie e t h at
owforthHisworksandtosingHis
tibleand tyrannouspowerhadbeen
sownhand. twasamelanc holy
Godisgood H ewouldha elef ta
orthew ifewhoidoli esyou and
myoushouldwatch. Thede ilonly
oneamongthosebottomlesspits
tbyfaithinhea en butbyahideous
O therw ise youwouldha eseen
throughninehundredthousandfrancs
o m e u s ti c e m y G o d on e a rt h d o
udo. fwehadonlyeachother
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
urfortunesatyourfeet wouldpray
nyourfurnac e andlaughtoseeit
eThen ifwewerepoor should
sothatyoumightha ec oalforyour
rethanthat would oyfully f ling
ouldhelpyoutof indyoure ec rable
tseemsthatallyourhappinessandhopesare
edriddle. B utthereareourc hildren
omeofourc hildrenifyoudonotf ind
erysoon DoyouknowwhyPier uin
twastoask forthirty thousandfranc s
y. ourestatesareyoursno
ouhad thethirtythousandfrancs
ofansweringthe uestionhewas
asocc urredtomethatwemightraise
d-fashionedsil er.
ttogatherinherhusband seyes
andraisedherclaspedhandsimplor-
red ifyouc annotgi eupyourstudies
ntilwec ansa emoneyenoughforyou
h donotc ondemnthem To
blowyourfurnacef ires butdonotdrag
ertyandwant. ouc annotlo e
sc ienc ehaseatenawayyourheart but
etheirli esunc louded youmust
eofwretc hedness. ha enotlo ed
of tenw ishedthat hadbornenoc hil-
mightbeknitmorecloselytogether
innerlife A ndnow tostif lethe
mustpleadmyc hildren sc ausebefore
und andfello erhershoulders
edupwithin herseemedtoflash
hetriumphedo erherri al.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T . 3
inhisarms laidheronthesofa andsat
e c au s ed y o ur g r ie f h e s ai d s p ea k -
fromapainfuldream.
hurtus itwasinspiteofyourself "
andthroughhishair. C ome sit
eadded pointingtoaplaceonthesofa.
f o rg o tt e n al l a bo u t it n o w th a t we h a e y o u
ear weshallretrie eallourlosses
farfromyourwifeagain Promise
reat handsomeC laes. ou
erthatnobleheartofyoursthe
artistsandgreat menneedtosoothe
ointment. oumustletmecross
urowngood. w illne erabusethe
swersharplyandgrumbleat me.
mous butyoumustbehappytoo Do
isten wew illnotask toomuc h
urheart withus butyoumustdeal
ourheartmustbereallyours N ow
f ishnesssublime
altha ar. Withawoman swon-
ngedthesolemntoneoftheir talk
uestionintothedomainsof est a
B ute enw iththelaughteronher
dtoclutchtightlyatherheart andher
se enlyandgentlyasusual but
d i n B a l th a a r s e y es t h e e p r es s io n w hi c h
ghtande ultation andknewthat
slost shesmiledagainathimas
a l th a a r n a t u re m a de u s t o fe e l a n d
atwe arenothingbutanelectrical
sandethereali edmatterw illne er
reseeingthefuture.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ered bymeansofaf f inities. Thepower
hepoetandthededuc ti epowerof
othbasedon isibleaf f inities though
mponderable sothatordinary
al phenomena butinrealitythey
erydreamerofdreamsseesand
athesees.U nluckily suchaffin-
andtheindicationsaretooslight
and obser ation.
sa i d c o mi n g cl o se r f or a k i ss t o p ut
eturnedsoinopportunelyather ues-
isthistobeanaff inity
n twosubstanceswhichha ethesame
action.
s h e sa i d i f y ou d o n ot w i sh m e t o di e
t o s ee m y r i a l a lw a ys b e fo r e me e e n
s morethan c anbear.
at youarealwaysine erythoughtof
akeournamefamous youarethe
i nt o m y ey es
ghtbackallthebeautyofyouthto
bandsawnothingbutherfac eabo ea
es did erywrongtoneglec t
Pepita when falltomusingagain
ustrouseme w ishit.
elethimtakeherhand hergreatest
satoncestronganddelicatelyshaped.
sf i ed y e t " s h e sa i d.
tingly lo ely thatyouc anaskand
rlaboratoryandbind thisscienceof
esaid f iref lashingf romhereyes.
de i l t ak e ch e mi s tr y " e a rn e st l y e -
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ent. Withsolimitedaretinueitwas
earistoc rac yofDouai butMme.
ualtotheemergenc y suggestedthatac hef
aris thattheirgardener ssonshould
ic e andthattheyshouldborrow
hingbetrayedthestraitsthattheywerein.
preparationMine.C laeskepther
ployedthathedidnot misshisold
issionedhimtochoosetheflowers
hedec orationof thestairc ase the
y atanothertimeshesenthimto
fthehuge fish withoutwhicha
wouldbeshornofallitsglory . A fete
asa ery importantfunc tion demanding
ethoughtandahea ycorrespond-
ountries wherefamily traditionsof
maintained formastersandser ants
erisatriumphscoredatthee pense
stend f ruitwassentforf romParis
ad nodetailwasneglec ted theMaison
ontheoldla ishsc ale. Moreo er the
wasawell-knownsociale entw ith
penedinDouai andDouaiatthat
he department. orfifteenyears
edB altha artodistinguishhimselfon
wellhadheac uittedhimselfasahost
fortwentyleaguesround.The
ssentout andanyno eltythatap-
alestdetails weredisc ussedallo erthe
eftC laeslittletimeformedita-
eA bsolute. Histhoughtshadbeen
s olddomestic instinctsre i edthe
eming thehouseholderawoke and
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T . 7
mselfheartand soulintothetask
edeterminedthatsomenewre-
ethise eningac harac terof itsown
tra agancehec hosethefairest the
eting f ill inghishousewithsc ented
andpreparingbou uetsfortheladies.
epingwiththisunprec edentedlu ury
atcouldensuresuccesswerelacking.
n bearingthepartic ularsof theroutof
theterriblepassageof theB eresina
oon.Thenewsmadeadeepand
Douaisians andoutofpatriotism
ance.
achedDouaifromPoland there
r. twasf romM. deWier c hownia
Dresden dyingofthewounds
gagement. e eralideashadocc urred
cetheyhadspokentogetherof theQ uest
theseideashedesiredtolea easalegacy
ago. A f terreadingtheletterC laes
whichdidhonortohispatriotism but
shesawthatasecondanddeepershadow
t al. Thegloryof theMaisonC laes
were by itsapproac hingec lipse there
heatmosphereinspiteofthe mag-
displayofallthetreasuresof bric-a-
nerationsofamateurs andnowbeheld
miringeyesofthe Douaisians.
ningwasMarguerite whomadeher
y.A lleyeswereturnedonher
simplicityandthe innocentfrank-
partlybec ausetheyounggirlseemed
dhouse.W iththesoftrounded
chestnuthairpartedin themiddle
ithersideofherbrow c learha el
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
rmsandplumpyetslenderform she
tof thecan asofoneof theold lemish
ucouldreadindicationsofa firm
head gentle shy andsedateasshe
erewasnothingsador languidabout
girlish gleefulnessinherface.
andthrift andasenseofduty all
s and onasec ondglanc e therewasa
sofoutlineanda meekpridewhich
ation andga epromiseofdomestic
kofnature whichphysiologistsas
heborenolikenesstoeitherfatheror
eli ingimageofhermaternalgreat-
ync ksofB ruges whoseportraithadbeen
andborew itnesstotheresemblanc e.
fetotheball. f thedisastersthathad
yforbadetherela ationofdancing
the prohibitionneedapplytothe
odpatriots howe er lef tearly
pirits remained withsomefew
eintimatefriendsof thefamily . ittle
brilliantly-lightedhouse towhich
of lock andbyoneo c lock inthe
mpty thecandlesweree tinguished
r andthec ourtyarditself solately
hadsettleddownintoitswonted
waslikea foreshadowingofthe
eturnedtotheirrooms B altha ar
hof f icer slettertoread shega eit
sheforesawtheend.
tediumofhislifebegan isibly to
sspirits. nthemorning afterbreak fast
eanforawhileintheparlor and
whowerebusyw iththeirsew ing or
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T . 9
ork buthesoonweariedof theplay
erythingseemedtobeasettask .
wn ha ingc hangedherwrapperfora
stillsittinginthelowc hair ga ing
elic ie therattleof theirbobbins
him.W henthenewspapercame
ugh likearetiredtradesmanat a
nhewouldrisetohisfeet lookat
hthewindowpanes listlesslymend
gaininhisc hair asif thetyrannous
edhimofall consciousnessofhis
ettedherdefecti eeducationand
ifficultforher tosustainaninter-
perhapsitisalwaysdif f ic ultfortwoper-
erythingtoeachothertof indanything
ookforitamongindifferenttopics.
moments andwantscontrasts
ofdailylifearesoon disposedofby
medtomakepromptdecisions and
urabletotwosoulswholo e. uc h
whoknoweachotherthoroughly should
nthehighestregionsof thought forit
inglittle againstsomethingthatis
henamanhasdweltforlongongreat
asytoamuse unlessthereissomethingof
thepowerofflinginghimselfintothe
mplefresh-heartednessthatmakesmen
mingchildren butisnotthisyouth-
damongthose whoha esetthem-
andunderstandallthings
e. C laestriedallthee pedients
yc ouldsuggest shee enlearnedto
amethathadalwayspresentedinsuper-
d shetriedtointerestB altha ar
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
n c onsultinghimabouttheirstudies
s butalltheseresourcescameto
osephineandB altha arwereinsomewhat
e. deMaintenonand ouisX I V .
couldbringthepomps ofpowerto
ourtierswholentthemsel estoher
partsasambassadorsf rom iam and
o p hi t o d i e r t a we a ry k i ng a n d
te r d ra i ni n g th e we a lt h o f r a nc e h a d kn o wn
toayoungerbrother sshif tsfor
outli edyouthandsucc ess andhad
dfailure and inspiteofhis
senseofhisownhelplessness andshe
adsoothedhisc hildren wasnotalways
e whohads uanderedwealthand
whohadgi enhislifefor anityand
wasnowpay ingthepenaltyof itall.
feringf rome haustion butf romunem-
oughtpossessedhim. H ewasdream-
e ofaddingtotheknowledgeof
mightha ebeenhis. H ewassuf fer-
suffers like amsonboundtothe
ePhilistines. otheresultwas
oso ereigns thoughtheintellec tual
oughhisstrength andtheother
unaided forthisk indofsc ientif ic
etriede erymeansthatfamily life
ecalledsoc ietytotherescue andga e
week . Cafeshadrecentlysuperseded
hesesocialfunctions thein ited
swinesandli uorswithwhichthe
nthatfa oredland drank theirc afe
andpartookof arious lemish
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .91
omensangballads discussedeach
etailedallthegossipof thetown. t
meofMierisorTerburg alwaysthe
meofthedetailsarealtered thedroop-
ayhigh-crownedhatsarewanting
ndthepictures uecostumesofthe
uousef fortstoac thispartasmaster
nstrainedcourtesyandforcedanima-
nguor whichshowedbuttoo
aladyhadmade andthesedissipa-
le iatethesymptoms. B altha ar
ce mightcatchatbranchafter
thoughdelayed wassomuc hthehea ier.
oldocc upations hene eruttered
titwas uiteimpossibletoc ontinuehis
ndmo ementswerelanguid his itality
b.Thisdepressioncouldbeseen
nwhic hhewouldtakeupthetongs
dswiththeglowingcoals.
wh e n th e e e n in g w as o e r s l ee p
orawhile fromtheimportunitiesof
morningcamethethoughtthatanother
ugh andhec ountedthehoursofcon-
stedtra elermightrec konouttheleagues
himandhis ourney send.
thec ausesof thisweariness shetried
ec ts shewouldnotseetheha oc
ghshemightsteelherself against
tress hiskindnessofheartleft her
arlistenedto ean slaughterorthe
eemedallthewhiletohearaninner
hisc hildren s oic es Mme. C laes
atthatthoughtwas butwhenshe
ness andtrytoseemc heerful that
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
mo erothers hisgenerositymade
isrompsw ithlittle eanand
e girlsbroughtafloodof tears
yes andshehadtohurry f romtheroom
erheroismwasc ostingherdear itwas
weretimeswhenMme.C laes
l me a n d d o as y o u li k e
eemedtodieoutofB altha ar s
hhuesofagec repto erthem. v ery-
w ithanef fort therewasadull
ofhis oic eandinhismannere en
theendofA prilthingshadgrown
. C laestookalarm. hehadblamed
santly forha inge ac tedthispromise
emishfaithandloyaltywithwhichit
nB altha arlookedmoredepressed
tednolonger shewouldsac rif ic ee ery-
.
ou r w or d d e ar " s h e sa i d.
erinama ement forthemomenthe
hermeaning.
youre periments areyounot she
iblereadiness byagesture but
ghtof reproac h shehadhadtime
eabyssintowhichtheywereboth
hetookhishandinhersand
thim.
" shesaid amsureofmypower
hatwasdearerthanlifeformysake. Now
. h a e s o ld a g o od m a ny o f m y
esomelef t andw iththosethatmy
draisemoneyenoughfor youtocon-
s. thought wouldkeepthe ewels
urfamewillmorethanmakeup for
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .93
nd besides youw illgi ethemf iner
o erherhusband sfacewaslikea
e slasthopes andshesawwithanguish
erthan himself.C laeshadabelief
withoutfalteringina pathwhich
ythebrinkofaprec ipice. Hehadthis
ttoherwhohadnofaithfellthehea ier
doesnota womanalwayssufferfortwo
setobelie einhissuc cess seeking
orhersharein thecertainwreckof
lelifewouldne errepayyourde o-
l a e s d e ep l y mo e d .
thewordsbeforeMargueriteand
mtowish theirfatherandmother
eslookeddown foramomentshe
etwochildren shefeltthatshe
toa wilddelusion butherhusband
talkedandlaughedwiththem
c ra ede pression. Thenc eforthMme.
sband slifeofenthusiasm. c ience
wase erythingtoC laes shenot
hisaims butallherhopesofherc hil-
wboundupinhispursuits. etwhen
e olishadsoldherdiamondsforher
sbegantoarri ef romthef irmof
alltheunhappywife speaceofmind
if therestlessmale olentspiritthat
rmentedheralso andsheli edin
ge pec tation. twasshewhonow
adall daylonginherlow chair
romthe ery ehemenc eofher
satwork thewhileinhislaboratory
erenergies thepent-upforc esof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ulas doubtsandfears. ometimes
klyhumoringapassionwhichshe
less shewouldrememberM. de
ndrisefromherc hairandwalk tothe
thelaboratorychimneywithdismay
mokewentupfromit shewould
andc onf lictingideasstro ew ithinher
rc hildren sfuturewas anishing
wassa ingtheirfather slife. Wasit
himhappy Thislastthought
e space.
thelaboratorynow andmight
pleased bute enthismelancholy
enup. twastoopainfultosee
dinhiswork thathedidnote ennotice
mes too shefeltthatshewasac tually in
ealousybec ameintolerable e ery little
adeadlywound awilddesirewould
emightbeblownup andsoputanendto
meter therefore ofold eMul uinier.
istleashec ameandwent orlaidthe
nner sheauguredthatherhusband s
doutwell thattherewassomehope
ure butif eMul uinierwassador
w istfuleyesonhim:wasB altha ar
rtoftacitunderstandingwasestablished
nspiteof theproudreser eof themis-
endenceofthemanser ant.
herself nopowerof throwingof f
edher shee perienc edtothefull
espair theloadofan iety forthe
hatshel o edweighedmoreand
emblingw ifeandmother. hesc arc ely
usewas orthesilenceandgloom
eart asshesatin theparlorallday
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
andoneof thosere ulsionsof feeling
swepto erher are ulsionallthe
Pepitaallowednosignofagitation
becalmanddispassionate.
n o t co n su l te d P ie r u i n d e ar " s h e sa i d
buthewouldnotbeabo efeelinga
ereruined so ha etakenthe
hohasafather sk indnessforus. My
e olis suggestedawayofa erting
etoseeyourpic tures andhethinks
allerywe couldpayoffallthe
rdebtstoProte andChif f re ille for
methingow ingtothem.
signofassent alreadyhishairhad
heHappesandtheDunckersofA m-
on theyha eamaniaforbuy ingpic -
sonlymadeyesterday andasthey
tare onlytobefoundin oldfamily
lybetoogladtogi etheirfull a lue
nwhenourestatesarec lear therewill
er forthepic turesw illbringinat
ucats andthenyoucangoon with
ery little thetwogirlsand wew ill
intimewewillsa emoneyenoughtofill
thotherpictures andinthemean-
ac etohisw ife s hefelthalf -doubtful
e c hangedroles. Thew ifehadbe-
r andhe inspiteof thesympathy
held osephineinhisarms anddid
ulsedwithanguish didnotseehow
reshakenbythethrobbingofher
er ous ui eringofherlips.
o t el l y ou " h e c ri e d t h at a m
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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F TH E A B S O L U T .97
heA bsolutebyahair s-breadth.
ameansofsubmittingmetalstointense
thepressureof theatmosphereisnil
a cu u m an d s h al l o l at i li e t h em .
edown theegoisticanswerwas
ade pec tedpassionategratitudefor
erecei edaprobleminc hemistry. he
wentdownstairsintotheparlor
ain andburstintotears. Hertwo
nd elic ie eac htookoneofherhands
eithersideofher wonderingather
theyaskedheragainandagain.
a m d yi n g f e el t h at h a e n o t lo n g
helookedather mother sface
edaghastlypallorbeneaththe
kn.
c a ll e d e l ic i e. C o m e h e re m a mm a
merunningfromthekitchen.
dc olorthathadreplacedthedusky
ess face
s h e cr i ed i n p a ni s h m a da me i s
osetteheatsomawaterforafoot-
ndthenreturned.
master Martha saynothingabout
s . P o or d e ar g i rl s s h e ad d ed c o n-
Margueriteand elicietoherheart. f
genoughtoseeyoubothhappyand
e we n t on t e ll e M ul u i ni e r to g o
mtoc ometoseeme.
kdownthemistressof thehouse
nthekitchen. osetteandMartha
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ants weresodeeplyattac hedtoMme.
htersthattheblowwasashea yasit
rriblewords: ' Madameisdy ing
ledher B e uic kandgetreadya
ddrawnsundrye ac ulationsf rom osette
M u l u i n i er . e M u l u i ni e r c al m a nd
waseatinghisbreak fastatac ornerof the
fthe windowswhichlookedouton
nwasasspickand spanasthe
d en d " r e ma r ke d o s et t e l o ok i ng
shespoke. hehadc limbedontoa
erkettlewhichshone likeburnished
couldlookonandseeherc hildren s
fritteringawayafortune likethe
erythingf lyingawayinsmoke.
e f ramedinitsf rilledc ap wasnotun-
t-c rac kersthatGermansc ar e she
asharpglanc eoutofherlittlebloodshot
t enomous. orallanswertheold
orthyofasorely - triedMirabeau and
outh butonlytoputapiec eofbread
edbyamorselof redherring intoit.
etmonsieurha esomemoney " he
eadofbotheringhim weshouldallbe
soon Thereisnotthethic knessof
he
u w ithyourtwentythousandfranc sof
t y o u ha n d th e m o e r t o t h e ma s te r H e
eyouputsuchfaith inhissayingsand
boutthem osette. ustmindyour
thewater " saidthe leming inter-
now knowthatweoncehadse eral
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
e dayswhenthefamilystoodin
e.
rbec amesoabsorbedthathedidnot
s. Hega elittle eanarideonhis
ereall thewhilewiththeproblem
emoretosol e. Hesawthewater
oot-bath forshehadnotstrengthto
thelowchairintowhic hshehadsunk.
sastheybusiedthemsel esabouttheir
ytoac countfortheiran ietyandcare
erfingerson herlipsifMarguerite
ospeak . A sc eneof thisnaturewas
irlthink andMarguerite standing
other wasoldenoughandsensible
hatitmeant. hereali edthather
oncernedinhermother stroubles.
inthehistoryofe ery familywhen
uslyorunconsciouslyto udgetheir
thatthiscriticaltime hadcome
withherstrongsenseof ustice would
ohertobeherfather sfaults ery
essetherself to ustifyhisc onduc t.
chsheshowedforhimat thismo-
sheeffacedherselfforfear ofdisturb-
tadeepimpressiononherc hildren s
theirfatherwithsomethinglikeawe.
iousnatureof thisde otion Mar-
ogni ingit andheradmirationin-
whomshewas boundsocloselyby
ife. Theyounggirl saf fectionhad
ehaddimlydi inedhermother s
do erthem nohumanpowercould
eof themfromMarguerite aword
setteorMarthahadenlightenedher
it e o f Mm e . C l a es r e se r e h e r
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T .101
threadbythreadthemysteryof this
eritewouldbehermother sac ti e
and perhaps intheendaformidable
atchedMargueritean iously andtried
wnde otion shesawtheyoung
nd udgment andshudderedto
weenfatheranddaughterwhen
andMargueritehadtakenherplace.
adedthec onse uencesofherdeathfar
eresolutionshehad usttakenhad
oughtforB altha ar. B yf reeingher
allliabilities sheleftitindependent
sputesbyseparatinghis interests
shehopedtoseehim happyuntil
ndwhenthatdayc ame Marguerite
elwhowatchedo erthefamily.
ertendernessinMarguerite sheart and
a e herlo eshouldstillshineupon
tsheshrank f romloweringC laesin
ndwouldnotimparthermisgi ingsand
emomentc ame shewatc hedMar-
e er wonderingwhetherofherown
dbea mothertoherbrothersand
ender helpmeettoherfather.
tdayswereembitteredbyfearsandsad
ouldspeaktonoone. hefelt
endealther inthatlastfatal scene
tothefuture whileB altha ar now
sof propertyandtheinterestsof
ofnothingbuttheA bsolute.The
wasonlybrokenbythemonotonous
sfoot hedidnotnotic ethatlittle ean
andc limbeddownfromhisfather s
ngbesidehermother lookedather
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
andthenglancedfromtimetotimeat
redwhyheshowednofeeling.Pres-
towithaclangthat echoedthrough
ilysawtheoldA bbede olisslow ly
onhis nephew sarm.
m ma nu el " c ri ed e li ci e.
m u re d M me . C l a e s a s s h e s aw m -
amgladtoseehimagain.
edathermother spraise. O nlytwo
bbe snephewhadstirredmyste-
andawakenedthoughtsthathad
lytwodaysagohermother sc on-
picturesinthegallery andoneof
passunheeded andalterthewhole
entakenplac e forthisreasonabrief
osmustbegi enhere.
e ofconducttoperformtheduties
e. Herdirec tor whonowentered
me wasscarcelyknownbysightto
mpossibleto seetheuncleandnephew
ouc hedandre erent andtheir isit
sionone eryone.
sanoldman ofeighty withsil er
einthefeeble wastedfac eseemedto
alkedw ithdiff ic ulty foroneofhis
napainfullydeformedfootencased
sothathealwaysneededthesupportof
sarm. etwhenyousawthebent
me youfeltthatan ironwillsustained
ody andthatapure andreligious
panishpriest distinguishedfor
know ledgeof theworld andhissinc ere
si elyaDominic anfriar c ardinal-peni-
d ic ar-generalof thearchbishopric of
hehouseofC asa-Real would
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T .103
hehighestdignitariesofthechurch
R e olutionhadnotputanendtohis
iefforthedeathof theyoungDuke
been hadledhimtoretiref romac ti e
mselfentirely totheeduc ationofa
lef tanorphanata eryearlyage.
uestof theN etherlandshehadset-
me. C laes. nhisyouthhehad
rencefor aintTheresa andhad
owardsthemoremysticalsideof
ealwaysbeen lluministsand
Mile. B ourignonmademostofher
l e mi n gs a n d th e o ld A b b 6 d e o l is
tholic sinDouai whostillc lung
ure tothedoctrinesof enelonand
hemoregladto stayamongthem
masa fatherinthefaith.H is
slifehadbeene emplary itwassaid
ac e andhadseen isions. B utthe
ydi orcedfromthethingsofthis
hisnephewwasalink thatboundhimto
hrifty for mmanuel ssake. Helaid
nforaworkof charitybeforeha -
rse andhewassowidelyknown
erestedness hisperspicacitywasso
eryonewasreadytoanswerhis
eaofthe contrastbetweenuncle
manmightbecomparedtoa hollow
andtheyoungertoabriar-rose
cen-c o eredtree andc o eringit
whichseemtosupportit.
dlybroughtup.H isunclehardly
ssight nodamselwase ermore
ermother and mmanuelwasalmost
ndinnocentlyromantic. oulsthat
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
gion retainthebloomofyouth
andtheoldpriesthad checkedthe
re- lo inginstinc tsinhispupil c on-
monasticdisciplinehadbeen his
of life. uc habringingup which
otheworldwithall hisyouthful
ghtmakehishappinessifhisaffections
utset andhadendowedhimwith
estedhimwithsomethingofthe
egentleeyes eiledabra eand
rewasalightinthemthatthrilledother
enoutbyc rystal ibratesontheear.
t yethisfeatureswereregular noone
heirflawlessdelicacyofoutline
freposewhichcomesfrominward
ionseemedstillmorebrilliantby
arkeyesandhair. v erything
y his oic edidnotdisappointthe
sobeautifulaface andhisalmost
mentandc lear sof tga ewerein
edidnotseemtobeawarethat
e hisself- repression hisrespec tful
isuncle e c itedinterestinhim
hetwotogethertheyoungerman
ftotheoldA bba stotteringgait
orthesmoothestpath anda oiding
theeldermightstumble c ouldfailto
elthosegenerous ualitiesofheartand
ble acreature.
eatnessshoweditself inhislo eforhis
owronginhiseyes towhomhe
ingobedienc e someprophetic in-
uggestedthegrac iousnamegi entohim
teorabroadtheoldA bbe ertedthe
tyofa Dominicanfather m-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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D W I TH A W A N - I K E MO V E M N T O F H E R
A N C E O N C E MOR E A T MMAN U E L .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T , 105
raisehisheadinsuch nobleprotest-
edtosay ifanothermanhad en-
ewouldha eshownhisspiritthat
hedby it aspaintersaremo edby
ofart forabeautifulthoughthas
rsouls whetheritisre ealedina
rmaderealforusbythepowerofart.
thhisuncletosee thepicturesin
dMarguerite ha inglearnedfromMar-
oliswasinthepic turegallery found
speakingtohermother sothatshe
whomshehadheardsomuch.
hinkingly hidingherlittlestratagem
rbywhichyounggirlsso effec-
oughts andbythesideof theold
withhisdeathlypallorand bentand
dseen mmanuel syoungandbeautiful
ureshadga edateachotherwith
intheireyes mmanuelandMar-
emeteachotherbeforein theirdreams.
andmetagainwiththesame uncon-
er sarmandspoketoherina
epretenceofhererrand andfrom
her sw ing asitwere sheturned
entofherthroat toglanceonc emore
tillstoodsupportinghisunc le.
hadbeen distributedsothatall
pictures andthedimnessofthe
englsmceswhicharethe delightof
hemhad ofc ourse ad anc ede en
fwithwhic hpassionbegins but
irheartswerestirredw itha ague
stoitself shrinkingperhapsfrom
orw ishingtolingero eritssweetness.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
callsforththe long-dormantemo-
aysfollowedbyamutewonder
e forthef irsttime theyhearmusic .
f irst andthengrowthoughtful others
e andthenbegintolaugh butthere
edtoli eforpoetryorlo e andthey
ere uesttohearthemusic again their
easure orwithadawningsenseof
fwearealwaysboundw ithallthe
othespot wherewefirstunderstood
sound ifwerememberthemusi-
umentw ithdelight howc anwehelp
hatforthef irsttimere ealsthemusic
heheartf romwhic hwedrawour
ome asitwere ournati ec ountry
ritewereeachforeachthatmusical
leepingsense itwasasifahandhad
oudandpointedouttothemthe
noondaybla eof light.
detheA bbepauseforamomentbe-
elbyGuido Margueriteleaned
at mmanuelthoughtof it and
arguerite comparingthemutethought
inter sc an asw iththethought
stoodthereinlifebeforehim. he
consciousanddeliciousflattery.
praisedthebeautifulcomposition and
theyoungpeopleweresilent.
egallery the uietthatbrooded
presenc eof theirelders allthec irc um-
ser edtostampitonthememory
ueoutlinesofashadowydream. A ll
tfelllikerain inMarguerite ssoul
dthemsel esoutlikeaw ide c learsea
rayoflightwhen mmanuelstam-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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F TH E A B S O L U T .107
hetook lea eofMrae. C laes. The
tedamysteriousspello erherheart
plete itonlyrestedw ith mmanuel
utforhim forthemanwhof irst
sheartisoftenanunconsciousinstru-
eshisworkunf inished. Marguerite
ergood-byewasaglancethatseemed
tlosingthispureandc harming ision.
wantedtohearhermusic onc eagain.
aceatthefootof theoldstaircase
andfromtheparlorwindowshe
phewcrossthecourt andfollowed
hestreetdoorclosedonthem.
deeplyengrossedwiththe weighty
rhadcometodiscuss thatshehad
erdaughter sfac e andonthe
isitshewasagainfull ofsuchterrible
eeintheredf lushonMarguerite s
pinessandtheworkingsofa girlish
bbewasannouncedMargueritehad
andapparentlyfounditsointerest-
ncleandnephewwithoutraising
esreturnedtheA bbede olis bow
heparloras ifhispresencewere
e enerableDominicanseatedhim-
withoneofthosekeenglancesby
hedepths ofsouls hehadscarcely
ebeforehe guessedthatsomecatas-
c hildren " saidthemother. Mar-
nueltoseeyourfather stulips.
tembarrassed took elicie shandin
he isitor whoreddenedandfol-
r c atchinguplittle eantokeep
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
henall fourofthemwereoutin
d eliciesc amperedof f andMarguerite
de olis wenttowardsthebedof
inieralwaysplantedoutinthesame
s " M a rg u er i te a s ke d a s m -
tobreakthesilence.
mademoiselle butalo eof tulips
e fl o we r s da z l e m e e p e ct t h at i t
etowork inginmydark littleroom
kesoftercolorsbetter.
iteasheutteredtheselastwords but
onfusedlongings therewasnosug-
acebeforehim w ithitswhite el et
waslikeaflower.
ard " Margueriteasked mmanuel
en-paintedgardenseat. ouwill
pshere " sheadded theyw ill
yes. ouareright thec olorsare
ak e o ne s e y es a c he .
ard " theyoungmanansweredafterashort
ingthegra elonthepathw ithhis
rtsof things.Myuncleintendedto
i te e c l ai m ed n a i e l y.
f e lt t h at h a d n o o ca t io n . B u t i t to o ka
rossmyunc le sw ishes. He isso
fme. Q uitelatelyhepaidfora
omthec onscription and amonlya
antodo askedMarguerite w ith
hseemedasifshewouldfaintake the
headded
ur youmustthinkme ery in-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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F TH E A B S O L U T .109
ee nobodybutmyunc lehase erasked
said mmanuel look ingatheradmiringly
mtobeasc hoolmaster. Thereisno
r i ch y o u se e . f c a n ob t ai n a h ea d -
lin landers shallha eenoughto
rysomewomanwhowillbec ontent
whom shalllo e. Thatisthesortof
me. Perhapsthatiswhy would
syf romthef ieldsaboutO rc hies af lower
antheseglowingtulips allpurpleand
pphire.Thetulipsseemto mea
ntandlu uriouslife ustasthe
et old- fashionedlife apoorsc hool-
new illbe.
ealwaysc alledthemoon-daisiesmar-
usheduptotheeyes herac kedhis
andtormentedthegra elw ithhisboots.
edtohim andwerere ec tedassilly
rrassing andhewasforcedtosay
o enturetopronounc eyourname
tnofurther.
shewenton.
easchoolmasterforthesakeofasec ureposi-
but wanttodootherthingsaswell
tsdoing.1shouldlike somebit
hseemedtoco erthespeaker spri ate
eyoungman sembarrassment. He
andsaid
etalkaboutmyownaf fairs made-
ouldspeaktoyouofyourself .
ndyourunc lemustha ef inished
lookingattheparlorw indows.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
erymuchaltered thought.
andsaysnothingtousabouther
nly feelsorry forher thatisallwe
me. C laeshad ustc onsultedthe
ff ic ultc aseofconscienc e whichhealone
sc learly impending andnowthat
be sold shethoughtofkeeping
rc hasemoneyasasortof reser e
nagainstwant. B altha artookso
atitwouldbe easytodothiswith-
rmaturedeliberation andafter
aseintoconsideration theold
ssanctiontothis prudentcourse.
ol edonhim andthewhole
ately forfearof in uringM. C laes
phewtoA msterdamdulyarmed
n andtheyoungman delightedto
fdoingaser ic etothehouseofC laes
ollectioninthepicturegallery tothe
ppeandDuncker ostensibly forthe
tchducats butfifteenthousand
c retlyo erandabo ethisamountto
sweresowellknownthata single
cceptingtheproposalsmadebyMes-
ercompletedthebargain. mmanuel
onedtorecei ethepriceof thepic tures
rthanthe ordinarychannels so
hingofthe transactionwhichhad
ber B altha arhadpaidhisdebts
ndwasatworkoncemore butthe
eshaddeparted. etB altha arwas
hatheseemedtofeelno regrets
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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F TH E A B S O L U T . ll
hec ouldretrie eallhislossesina
reser edtherighttorepurchasehis
osephine inhereyesthepaintings
dwiththehappinessofher husband
theblankspacesin thegallerywith
rtments andrearrangedthefurni-
hefamilysat sothattheempty
not benoticed.
wohundredthousandfranc swith
rimentsaf resh hisdebtswereallpaid
ephewbecametrusteesforMme.
d whichwasswelledsomewhatfurther for
thosedaysof uropeanwars and
theduc ats rec ei ingforthemsi ty -si
whichwerestoredawayinthe
laeshadthesadsatisfactionof
yengrossedinhis work butshe
theshockrec ei edthatA ugustaf ter-
cline f romwhic htherewasnoreco -
ha arinitsc lutc hes thedisastersthat
nce thef irstfallofNapoleon the
urbons allthee entsof thosee entful
tentionfromhis studies hewasno
ehadc easedtobeahusbandandafather.
r 1 14thewastingdiseasethat
eshadmadesuchprogressthatshe
d. hewouldnotdragoutthis
mwhereshehadli edinherhappier
memories andshec ouldnothelp
weenthepresentandthepast which
despair soshelaydownstairsinthe
moredthedesireof herheart
bemoreairy c heerful andc on en-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
nt herbedhadbeenplaced
ceandthewindow sothatshecould
e lastdaysofherlife werespent
arth implantinginherdaughters
otionofherown. hec ouldno
rherhusband butshewasf reeto
herdaughters andthec harmofthis
etweenmotheranddaughterswas
ad begunsolate.
sensiti eaffectionweighedupon
usnatures likeremorse. Herc hildren
shethought thelo ewhichwastheir
oneforalltheseimaginarywrongs
tendernessinherc onstantthoughtand
ldfainha eshelteredtheminher
mbeneathherfailingw ings gi enthem
ttheyshouldha ehadinthosedays
em.H ersoulwasfullof remorse
warmthtoherwordsandc aresses her
ildrenbeforethe kindtonesof
hearts herhandseemedalwaystobe
on.
onC laeshadcometoanend
ort B altha arne erga eanother
ofhismarriage andsawno isitors
hane er butthisocc asionednosur-
e. C laes illnesswasasuf f ic ientreason
edebtshadbeenpaid andthis
andduringtheforeignoccupation
of theHundredDaysthec hemist
. ortwoyearsDouaiwasalmost
upiedinturnby renchtroopsor
ameacityofrefugefor allnationali-
edto flyfromtheopencountry
heirproperty ande eninterrorof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .113
chatimeofc alamityandan ietynoone
rothers. TheA bbede olisand
oPier uins wereMme. C laes only
15wasalong andmostpainful
andseldomcametoseeher. H e
itistrue forafewhours butshe
nowtokeepup alongcon ersa-
repeatedtwoorthreeremarks which
esatbesideherw ithoutspeak ing andthe
was unbroken.Theonlybreaks
erethee eningswhentheA bbede
metotheMaisonC laes. Theold
onw ithB altha ar whileMarguerite
bedside talkedw ith mmanuel. Mme.
ocenthappiness andwouldnotlet
owpainfulit wastoherachingheart
f thedawnof lo einthewordsthat
thetwoyoung oic es sofullof
almostbrokeherheart shesurpriseda
e changedbetweenthem andmem-
happypastbroughtherthoughts
hefeltallitsbitternesstothefullasshe
ead. mmanuelandMarguerite
hersuf ferings anddelic acyof feelingled
ayfulnessoflo elestit shouldadd
ha edisc o eredthatoursentiments
andtaketheirc harac terf romthe
ethembirth theplac esinwhic hthey
houghtsthatfilledour mindsatthe
e elopmentandlea etheirimpressupon
kethatofMme. C laes passionatein
ssionatetotheend thereisalo e on
smilesf romtheoutset thatne erloses
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
morning andreapsitshar estof
andre oic ing butthereisalsoalo e
nessorsurroundedbymisfortune its
early-bought snatchedamidfears
orc loggedw ithdespair. Thislo ein
whichneitherMargueritenor
dasyet thisfeelingthathadbeen
stillnessandsilencebeneaththe
llery inthepresenceoftheaustere
w ithsomethingof thesobertwilight
udings itwasgra eandreticent
fsweetness andfurti e oyso er
etaso erstolengrapessnatched
theyne erdaredtogi ee pression
lunconsciouslytheiremotiongathered
pressedinthe depthsoftheirhearts
f intheirc areforthein alid. t
hatthisdrewthemmorecloselyto-
wasalreadyasontoMarguerite smother
eetlanguageof lo ersherecei ed
ksfromMarguerite.Theirsighsof
angedglanceswerescarcelydistinguish-
rom thembythesightof the
theirbriefmomentsof felic ity implied
kenpromises momentswhentheir
ac hother stoodout likethe A lle-
phael againstadarkbackground.
nfidenceintheotherthoughnowords
tthatthesunstillshone though
atheredo erhead andtheyknewnot
em thefutureseemeddoubtful
gthemalltheirli es sotheysat
shadowswithoutdaringtoask
daytogether
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .115
dernessthatMme. C laesshowedfor
concealedotherthoughtstowhichshe
erc hildrenne erc ausedherappre-
eywereherc omfort buttheywerenot
ot h em b u t sh e w as d y in g f or B a l t h a a r .
eforhertoha eherhusbandbyher
forwholehours torec ei eanunseeing
yetshewasunconsciousofhersuf-
ithher. B altha ar sindif ferenceto
eseemedunpardonabletoanystranger
butMme. C laesandherdaughters
understoodhimsowell thattheyfor-
omedangeroussei ureinthec ourseof
seorseemedtobeatthepointofdeath
oninthehouse orindeedinthewhole
thatthe wifewhohadoncebeenso
indanger. eMul uinierknew it but
adbeenforbiddenbytheir mother
llness.
whensheheardhis footstepsinthe
seditonhiswaytodinner shewas
ummonedallherstrengthto meetthe
shedtothe palefaceofthedying
shealmostlookedasshehadbeenwont
manofsciencec ametoherbedsideand
ndne ersawherasshereallywas: for
swell. nreplytohis H oware
s h e wo u ld a n sw e r B e t t e r d e a r
dmoodreadilybelie edherwhenshe
ofbeing uitewellto-morrow. H e
e ersawthattherewas anything
fe andthoughtthediseaseofwhich
passingailment. v eryoneelseknew
utforhimshewasfullof life.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
and wifecompletelyse ered.
oom li edinhislaboratoryorstudy
ndne ersawPepitasa einthe
andthefew friendsofthehouse
ehadlearnedtodow ithouther.
rede erythoughtdriftedfarther
emomentsofc losec ommunion of rap-
whicharethelifeof theheart c amesel-
andtheraremomentsofblissceased
ufferinghadnotcometoher aidand
theanguishofherisolationmight
e butshewasdy ing. hewassometimes
shewasgladthathe whomshe
wasnottheretobeaw itnessofhersuf -
tof thee eningthatB altha arspent
hinghim feelingthathewashappyaf ter
ppinesswhichshehadprocuredfor
s meagresatisfactionmustsuffice
ngeraskedifshewasbelo ed she
andwentsof tly fearingthatthisthin
wayandherheartandallherhopes
ark depthsthatyawnedbeneath.
edtobreak themonotonyof theday
me.C laes strengthperhapscon-
ace forheraffectioncouldonly
ndweaknessmadeiteasiertowaitand
r1 16openedunderthesegloomy
bruaryc amethesuddenshoc kwhic h
n who sotheA bbede olissaid
hegra e. Theblowc amefrom
tunitywhenthetwogirls were
hisperinherear Madame M.
dmetoborrowthreehundredthousand
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
owsasife haustedbytheeffort
ndsleptforse eralhours. Whenshe
enwerekneelingaroundherinfer ent
ay Gabrieland eanhad ustc ome
mmanuelde oliswhoforthepastsi
e mastersthere teachinghistory
withthem.
mustbideac hotherfarewell " she
ithmetothelast andhe he
e.
saidMarguerite whosawthedeathly
ac e w illyoutellourfatherthat
ptothelaboratory andthrough e
fc essawB altha arforamoment the
man surgententreaties andan-
ming.
. C laessaidwhen mmanuelreturned
illyoutakemytwoboysaway andask
musttakethelastsacraments
uldliketorecei ethemfromhishand.
morewiththe twogirlsshemadea
erstood. eliciewassentaway
terwerealone.
saytoyou mammadear " said
treali ehow illhermotherwas and
kwhic hPier uin sill-ad isedre ela-
ha ebeenw ithoutmoneyforhouse-
etendayspast andtheser ants wages
si months. ha etw ic emadeupmy
money andbothtimesmycourage
whathashappened. A llthew ine
resinthegalleryha ebeensold
ordaboutittome c riedMme.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .119
g me t o H i m s el f i n ti m e b u t o h m y
bec omeofyou
etsinfer entprayer remorseseemed
wenton draw ingthesealeden elope
i f w h en a m d ea d y o u sh o ul d e e r b e
tistosay ifyoushouldwantbread
readit. Margueritedear lo eyour
ofyoursisterandbrothers. nafew
hours youw illbetheheadof the
r ef u l a n d M a rg u er i te i t m ay e r y li k el y
etoopposeyourfather sw ishes for
lreadyonthisefforttolearn asecret
w illmakehimfamousandbringhim
heissuretowantmoneyagain per-
oney andthen whileyoumust
esoleguardian ofthosewhosein-
yourc are youmustne erforget
r toagreatmanwhoisspending
andhiswholelifeinataskwhichw ill
s andyoumustgi ehimalla
s ewouldne erwronghisc hildren
uchanobleheart heissogood so
ou whoarelef t w illseehimak ind
cemore.Thesethingsmustbe
wthat amonthebrinkof thegra e.
thatyouwillf il lmyplac e ifyou
metodie promisethatyouw ill
er stroublesbyasinglereproac h that
h i m ha r sh l y n s h or t y o u mu s t be a
atoruntilyourtaskis finished until
eshisplaceas headofthefamily.
arestmother " saidMarguerite asshe
sredeyelids. I w illdoasyou
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
arry darling untilGabrielisold
e " Mme. C laeswenton. fyou
band ery likelywouldnotshareyour
ketroubleinthefamily andharass
rmother seyesandsaid H a e
gi emewithregardtomymarriage "
arc hild " askedthedy ingmother
we r ed p r om i se t o o be y y ou .
saidhermother assheshedhottears
myself tosac rif ic emyself foryou and
osac rif ic eyourself forthemall. H ap-
es Marguerite wasweak bec ause
stbestrong youmustthink forthe
ourbrothersandyoursistershallne er
ourfather anddonotthwarthimmore
onthepillow herstrengthhadfailed
notherword.Thestrugglebetween
ade haustedher. A fewmoments
sandhisassistantsenteredtheparlor
edin. TheA bbe spresenc erec alled
andastheritebeganshelookedabout
aramongthefac esaboutherbed.
" sheaskedinapiteoustone
orthroughthoseassembled her
edtobe summedupinthatcry.
oom and oldasshewas ranupto
ockedloudlyatthedoor.
ried inangry indignation madameis
toadministerthesacraments and
di r ec t ly " s a id B a l t h a a r .
edamomentlater andsaidthathis
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .121
ow. Mme. C laesne ertookhereyes
thec eremony butitwaso erbefore
bbede olisandthec hildrenwere
af lushc ameo erthedy ingwoman s
sband thetearsrolleddownher
intofdec omposingnitrogen ' 1she
ess thatsentathrill throughthose
h e c ri e d tr i um p ha n tl y . N i t r o ge n i s
gen partlyofsomeimponderablesub-
anceistheessentialprinciple
interruptedbyamurmurofhorror
nses.
y t ol d m e h e b eg a n. A r e y o u
shappened
b b e de o l is i n di g na n tl y i n B a l th a a r s
sdy ing andyouha ek illedher "
answer theA bbetook mmanuel s
thechildrenwentwithhimacrossthe
stoodforawhileasif thunderstruc k
htearsinhiseyes.
d h a e k i ll e d yo u " h e c r ie d .
n
we r ed y o ur l o e w as m y l if e a n d wh e n
edtolo eme mylifec easedtoo.
ckagain C laessentthemaway
s p i ll o w. H a e e e r c ea s ed t o
moment " heasked tak ingher
ohislips.
ch e s to m a ke d e ar e st . o u h a e m ad e
happy indeed forthec ontrastbetween
riage whichweresofullof oy and
youha enolongerbeenyourself and
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
empty hasbeenmorethan c ould
keourphysicallife hasits ital
yearsyouha ebeendeadtolo e
atmakesthehappinessof life. am
andblisswhic haretheappanageof
ewithyouth butwhichlea esbehind
thesoulli esaf terwards an
ndsweetestablisheduses youha e
esolac esof theaf ter-time. A h
ogo thisisnotalifetogetherinany
denyourthoughtsandyourac tionsf rom
e c om e t o fe e l af r ai d o f me H a e
ygesture orword ordeed Well
remainingpic tures youha ee en
r andyouha ebeguntoborrow
erty withoutawordofallthis to
bo u t to t a ke l e a e o f l if e a n d a m s ic k of
stakes if instri ingaf tertheimpossible
thingelse ha e notshownthatthere
hearttofinditsweettoshareyour
y yo u r si d e e e n i f n ee d b e i n t he
a elo edmeonlytoowell therein
ery.Thisillnessbeganlongago
sf romthedaywhenyouf irstmadeitc lear
mwhere amabouttodie thatthe
ongerthanfamilyties.A ndnow
youha erunthroughyourfortune.
w ifewereyourowntodisposeof but
e allmypropertywillpasstoyour
otbeabletotouchit. Whatw illbe-
ttellyouthetruth anddy ingeyessee
oing whatwillc ounter-balancethis
chisasstronginyouaslifeitself f
it yourc hildrenw illc ountfor ery
e to y o u m us t a ll o w th a t c a me f i rs t
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .123
dsi yearsof toilha ebeen
sspit andyouha edisc o ered
nk hehidhisfac ew ithhishand.
othingbutshameforyourselfand
" continuedthedyingwoman.
u C laesthealc hemist ' a littlelater
h e ma d ma n A s f o r m e b e li e e i n
eatandlearnedyouare knowthat
utordinarymindsdrawnodistinc tion
ess.Gloryisthesun ofthedead
lgreatnesshereonearth youw ill
ngasyouli e. amgoingnow
ourfame whic hwouldha ec onsoled
andso tosweetenthebitterness
c ertainthatmychildren sbreadissec ure
othingc angi emepeaceofmind
C l ae s t o
otswear lestyoushouldfailtokeepyour
n te r ru p ti n g hi m . I t w a s yo u r du t y to
rlyse enyearsyouha efailedtodo
Greatmenshouldha eneither
shouldtreadthepaths ofmisery
renotthoseofc ommonplac epeople ;
thewholeworld nottoonewoman
arelikethosegreattrees which
boutthem and amthepoorf ield-
e errearitsheadsohigh must
spent. ha ewaitedtillmy last
ribletruths whichha ebeenre-
anddespair. Ha epityonourchil-
in untilmylastsigh entreatyouto
en thatsomywordsmayf indanecho
fyoursisdy ing yousee. low ly
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
edforlackofaffectionandhappi-
ec ruelk indnesswhichyouha ein ol-
l d h a e l i e d s o lo n g B u t t h e p oo r
n e e r f ai l ed m e t h ey h a e g r ow n
rows andthemotherhasoutli ed
h a e p i ty o n o ur c h il d re n
B a l t h a a r t hu n de r ed .
ntotheroom.
erythingtopieces allthemac hinery
e c arefulhowyoudoit butdoit
a enothingmoretodow ithsc ienc e
w ife.
s h e sa i d w i th a g l an c ea t e M u l u i n i er .
emoaned feelingthatdeathwasnear.
oorway andga easharpc ryasshe
ndsawthe ghastlypallorofherface.
edy ingwomancriedagain. Thislast
utteredw ithaw ild ehemenc e seemed
her daughtertotakeherplace.
iedinalarmtothe bedside in
laes lifehadebbedawayinthe
e altha arandMargueritesatmo-
edandheatthefootof thebed. The
ergoodnessand ine haustiblekind-
hatshewasreally dead.Theglance
theranddaughterwasfreightedwith
udgedherfather andherfathertrem-
tershould betheinstrumentof
crowdeduponhim memoriesofthe
ife andofherwhoselastwords
sacredauthoritywhichhadso
thatitseemedasifhemustfore er
ars butB altha armistrustedhim-
erhecouldresistthe spiritwhich
hattheimpulses ofremorsehadgrown
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .125
menacesofa returnofhispassion
elf.
sgone e eryonefeltthatshehad
heMaisonC laes andthatnowthat
hehouseitself whereherlosswas
orwherethenoble osephinestill
pshut nobodyhadthehearttoenterit.
alledupontoprac tic ethe irtues
iduals itof fendshourly though
tsowncanons a estpreparestheway
estbringsdownanythingbeautifulorlof ty
fasonshedstoomanytearsforhis
ic ulous if toofew heisheldupto
n so c ie t y h a i n g sa i d it s s ay d i e r ts i t se l f
sc arcelyyetcold initsbalanc e.
daywhenMme. C laesdiedher
ertheirwhist droppedf lowersonher
cardsweredealing andpaidtheir
terwhilesortinghearts andspades.
ubriouscommonplaces whichare
c ale erc iseinsoc iallamentation
thesame intonationsande actly
gallo er ranc eate eryhourof
usproceededtocalculatetheamount
erty .
ussionbypointingout thatthe
dhadmadeherlife sowretchedthat
forher andthatitwasa stillgreater
hewouldne erha ehadsuf fi-
ewishesof thehusbandwhomshe
rtunehadpassedoutofC laes hands.
ithto reckontheprobableamount
rtune toc alc ulatehersa ings had
managedtoputanythingby ) , andmade
ewels andransac kedherdrawersand
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
rberea edfamilywereyetkneelingin
edofdeath.
eyeofasworn aluer P ier uintook
e.H ewasoftheopinionthat
ertymightbe gottogetheragain
ession , andshouldamounttosomething
andfrancs.A largepartofthis
estsofW aignies thatpropertyhad
ueinthelasttwel eyears andhemade
probable alueofthetreesof all
eyoungest. fthatwasnotsuffi-
ad p r ob a bl y e no u gh t o c o e r t h e ch i l-
aeswas therefore still inhispeculiar
worthfourhundredthousandfranc s.
marryprettysoon " headded M.
en heis ustthemantodoit. f
dbeemancipatedfromherfather s
pelhimtosellthe forestofW aignies
m andtoin estthesharesof the
eir fathercouldnottouchthem.
uggestthenamesof ariousyoungmen
ghtaspiretothehandofMile. C laes
otarysofarasto includehiminthe
anyob ec tionstoalltheproposed
dnoneofthemworthyofMarguerite
angedsignificantsmiles andamused
henotary prolongingtheproc essin
er uinitseemedthatMme. C laes
s cause andhealreadybeganto
nbenefit.
r " saidhetohimself ashewent
asasproudasapeacoc k shewould
metomarryadaughterofhers. h eh
wellnow whyshould notmarrythe
arbononthebrain anddoesnot
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .127
schildren if askhimforhis
ha ec on inc edMargueritethatshe
ers andsister ssake hew illbeglad
whomaygi ehimagooddealof
stofhis meditationsonthead-
soattrac ti etohimonsomany
hichbadefairtosecurehiscomplete
ebeenhardtof indamoredelic ately
girlinthepro inc e. Margueritewas
the fairflowerwhich mmanuel
before lestheshouldre ealthe
hehadreligiousprinciplesand
honorwouldbesafeinherkeeping.
lygratifythe anitywhichenters
man sc hoiceofaw ife butthe
esatisf ied anallianc ew ithatw ic e-
boreoneof themostdistinguished
ouldref lectlustreuponhim.
gPier uinwenttohis strongbo ,
lnotesofathousandfrancseach
ha ar inordertosparehisc ousin
yancesinhisgrief.B altha arwould
e delicateattention andspeakof
ccompanyingpanegyriconthe
aryandhis kindnessofheart.
othingof thek ind. NeitherM. C laes
inge traordinaryinthisaction
theirgriefthattheyscarcely
u i n. n d ee d B a l th a a r s d e sp a ir
hohadbeendisposedtoblame
wrelentedandforga ehim not
tiontosc ienc e butbecauseof the
dne errepairthee il. Theworld
rimac es ittakescurrentc oinw ithout
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
whetherornothemetalisbase the
dramatic interest itisasortof
ationofwhic hthewo ldispreparedto
entoac riminal. Theworldcra es
tabsol esw ithe ualreadinessthose
ortotears w ithoutdemandinga
semployedineithercase.
mpletedhernineteenthyearwhenher
gementofthehouseholdintoher
dsisterrememberedthattheirmother
rlifehadbiddenthemobey their
uthoritywasdutifully rec ogni ed. Her
edpalerstillby contrastwithher
tandpatiente pressionwasenhanced
eryf irstitwasabundantlye ident
manlycourage thefortitude and
inisteringangelssurelybringtotheir
aytheir greenpalmbrancheson
ughshehadearlyunderstoodthe
ndhadaccustomedherselftohideher
elessdeep andtheserenityofher
ththe ehemenceofhergrief.
erearlye perienc etoknowthe
owand lo ewithwhichtheheart
wardthegenerousinstinctsofyouthwere
thebidding oftyrannousnecessity.
eathshefoundherself in ol edatonc e
eseriousinterestswereat stake and
suallythinks ofnothingbutpleas-
pain hasne erbeenlackingfor
nityandgreedforitstw insupporters
ssions.Pier uinmeanttoloseno
ress.The familyhadscarcelyput
danopportunityof speakingto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .129
hisoperationsw ithsuc hsk ill that
endecei edbyhistactic s. B utlo e
lair oyanc e andMargueritewas
thoughPier uin sgood-nature thegood-
wshis affectionbysa inghis
esomeappearanc eof truthtohisspec ious
ryfeltstronginhis ha yrelation-
tanc ewithfamilysecretsandbusinessaf fairs
pof Marguerite sfather.The
thatfather whowasnotlikely toform
ughter ssettlementinlife fa ored
ethoughtit uiteimpossiblethatMar-
predilection andsubmittedhissuitto
c le erenoughtodisguisebeneaththe
assiontheinterestedmoti esthathad
alliance whicharealwayshateful
theyhadc hangedplaces the
fselfishnesswasartless andMarguerite
hethoughtthathehadtodow itha
adnoregardforthepri ilegesof
ebegan ashewalkedupanddown
en youknowmyheart andyou
fromintrudingonyourgrief atsuch
tobeanotary amfartoosensi-
ch a f e el i ng h e ar t b u t a m a lw a ys f o rc e d to
nsof interestwhen wouldfainy ield
hc hmakelifehappy. tis ery
elledtospeaktoyouofmatters
ourpresentfeelings butitc annotbe
stantlybeeninmythoughtsforthe
u s t di s co e r ed b y a cu r io u s ch a nc e
dyoursister sfortunes ande enyour
trestsw ithyoutosa eyourfamily
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
o sheasked somewhatalarmedat
" answeredPier uin.
of t h e ki n d s h e e c l ai m ed .
returnedthenotary af termature
nditionofyouraffairs.
g e sa e u s f ro m
swaitingtohear c ousin " hebroke
atesagirl.
manc ipated askedMarguerite.
sonofyourrights mydearlittle
notary w ithanairof triumph. I n
akeyourshareofyourmother sfortune
ourshareher propertymustbeli ui-
meanaforcedsaleof theforestofWaig-
allthec apitalwouldbereali ed
bound asguardian toin estyour
brothers insuc hawaythatc hemistry
neof thesethingshappenwhat
" s a id t h e no t ar y y o ur f a th e r wo u ld
fhetakesitintohisheadagainto
ohingtopre enthimfromsellingthe
dlea ingyouallasbareasshornlambs.
worthaboutfourteenhundredthou-
t butyourfathermaycutdown
yday andthethirteenhundredac res
ehundredthousandfrancs.This
andwoulditnotbew isertopre ent
natonc e byemanc ipatingyourself
eoftheinheritance ouwould
yourfatherwouldnotfellthetimberas
mtimetotime toyourpre udice.
ormant andofc oursehewouldin est
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .131
hesaleinc onsols. Thefundsareat
c hildrenwouldha e erynearly f i e
stonfifty thousandfrancs.B esides
minor sc apital yourbrothersand
nedoubledby thetimetheycame
t he r h an d m y wo r d T h er e y ou h a e
otonlyso butyourfatherhasdipped
mother sproperty andwhenthe-
weshallseewhatthedef icitamounts
eowing youc antakeamortgageon
omethinginthatway.
saidMarguerite thatwouldbeaninsult
olongsinc emymother slastwords
shouldha eforgottenthemalready. My
bnghisc hildren " sheadded w ith
oudonotknowhim M. Pier uin.
dearc ousin thatyourfatherbetakes
d s h ou l d we n o t
e d B e l ie e m e M a r g ue r it e " h e s a i d
sngittohisheart belie eme
didnoturgethisc ourseuponyou.
edMargueritec oolly asshew ithdrew
nterestsofmyfamilydemandthat
smymother sdecision.
e d w i th t h e co n i c ti o n of a m an o f
unes uandered youarerushingon
youmightaswellf lingyourmother s
ell foryou w illshowthede o-
p feelforyou. oudonotknow
u h a e a d or e d yo u e e r s in c e s a w yo u
thatyourfatherga e. ouwere
trustthe oic eof theheartwhenit
dearMarguerite.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
silence thenhewenton es we
cil andemancipateyouwithout
m an c ip a ti o n m ea n "
w illc omeintopossessionofyour
eemanc ipatedinthisway whywould
n d t o wh o m
ooktenderlyathisc ousin butthe
assoat arianc ew iththehardeyes
uento ermoney thatMarguerite
tedmoti einthisaffectionateim-
manwhomyouc aredfor inyour
u t. o u m us t h a e a h u sb a nd i f i t
businessaffairs. ouwillbeleft
er andcanyouholdyourown
uself
shallf indmeanstodefendmybrothers
omes.
thoughtPier uintohimself .
o y o u wi l l ne e r b e ab l e to s t an d o ut
aboutit " shereplied.
shalldomybesttoser eyouin
hallshowyouhowmuc h lo eyouby
ewhic he eryoneinthetownfore-
erestyoutakeinme but begof
anythingthatc angi emyfather
atchedPier uin sretreating
elpcomparinghismetallic oic e his
eelsprings hisglanc es whiche pressed
ntleness w iththemutere elationof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .13
towardsher whichimpressedheras
ea k i n e e r y ac t io n o f ou r l i e s t h er e
erwhichmakesitselffelt andwhich
g la n ce s t h e to n es o f t he o i ce t h e
estures c anbeimitated ac le erac tor
nine perienc edgirl buttobesucc ess-
ieldtohimself . f thereisanother
nisonw ithe eryfeelingthatstirsher
f indoutthedif ferenc ebetweenlo e
mmanuelatthismoment likeMar-
dertheinfluenceofthecloudswhich
e ersincethatfirstmeetingin the
uehea enof lo ewashiddenfrom
dher outforaworshipwhich
ess wastender mysterious andre -
ociallyhewastoofarbeneath
eac c eptedasherhusband hewas
uta noblenametoofferher.Then
or someslightencouragement
otgi ehimbeneaththeeyesof a
hadnotasyetspokenawordof lo e.
secret oyswhichunhappysoulsmust
ne. Thesamehopehad indeed
theyhadtrembledandremained
ofearthemsel es c onsc iousthateac h
other. mmanuel therefore
psthehandof theso ereignlady
his heart.Theslightestcareless
ughtsuc haninto ic ationofdelight
ebeenbeyondhisc ontrol hewould
asterofhimself . B utif theyhad
eslightyetsignif ic ant theinnoc entand
hic he enthemosttimidlo ersper-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
hdweltnolessintheother sheart and
eadyto makethegreatestsacrifices
heyc ouldknow. v ersinceMme.
einthedepthof theirheartshadbeen
egloominwhichtheyli edhad
nde eryrayofhopewas uenchedin
er ehadc hangedtosomethinglike
oundtokeepthe owwhichhermother
andnowthatshehadmoreliberty
ecamemoredistant. mmanuelhad
feelingw ithhisbelo edthatthe
o eatsuc hatimewouldbetreason
wsof theheart. othispassionate
morec loselythane er. Thetwosouls
rowhadcomebetweenthemandsep-
yasthetimidityof youthandrespect
howasnowdead yettherewas
ficentlanguageoftheeyes the
sacrifice theknowledgethatone
dthembothsublimeharmoniesof
f lo einitsinfanc y .
rymorningfornewsofC laesandof
erc ameintothedining-room where
lesshebroughtaletterf romGabriel or
imtoenter. Numberlesssympathetic
inhisfirst glanceatthegirlbefore
tc ompelledhimtoassumeac on en-
dhim butherespec tedit and
ausedit andallthedewof his
artofhisbelo edinaglanceun-
ght. H eli edsoe idently inthe
etsuchhigh alueonahappinesswhich
thatMarguerite sheartsometimessmote
fthatshe wasungenerousnottohold
etusbefriends.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .135
simportunitieswiththe obstinacy
ulness possessedbyoneidea. H e
eordinaryrulesof themultitude
en. He imaginedthatwhenthewords
be r ty " a n d f o rt u ne h a d be e n le t f al l i n
erootin hermind andspringup
hichhecouldturn tohisownad-
c hosetothink thatherc oldnesswasnothing
spiteof allhispoliteattentions
r hesometimesforgothispart and
eofaman whoisaccustomedto
ll serious uestionsrelatingto
itherepeatedconsolingplatitudes
placeswhichcreeplikesnailso era
ehindthematrac kofbarrenwordsthat
ef.H istendernesswassimply
dhisfeignedmelancholyatthedoorwhen
sandtookuphisumbrella. Hetook
legeswhic hhislongintimac ywiththe
enhim usingthemasameansof ingra-
tof thefamilytobringMarguerite
wasalreadytalkedof inthetown.
atrue-hearted de oted andre-
editsselfishand calculatingsemblance.
nwereinharmonywith theirman-
sionwhichhe didnotfeel and
ad antagethatga ehimaholdonMar-
cealedhislo e andtrembledlesthis
apparent.
ther sdeath and asithappenedin
adanopportunityofcomparingthetwo
positionto udge forshewasc om-
solitudewhichmadeherinaccessible
houghtofaskingher inmarriage.
fast ononeof thesunniestmornings
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
manuelc hanc edtocall ustasM. C laeswas
oundhisownhousealmostunendur-
epartof theday inwalk ingaboutthe
rned asthoughhemeanttofollow
ed seemedtogatheruphisc ourage glanced
yed.Margueritefeltsurethathe
andaskedhimtogo intothegarden
ithMartha whowassew inginthe
rfloor andthenseatedherselfon a
ofhersisterandtheoldduenna.
habsorbedbyhisgriefasheusedto
theyoungmanashewatchedB altha ar
ourt. v eryoneinDouaiissorry
tlikeamanwhohasnotgothisw its
ystopsshortwithoutareasonandga es
g
essessorrow inadif ferentway " said
ack thetears. Whatdidyouw ishto
ded w ithc olddignity af terapause.
mmanuelrepliedinanunsteady oic e
h a e a r i gh t t o sp e ak t o y ou a s a m
onlyofmydesiretoser eyou
mastermaybeso muchinterestedin
ousabouttheirfuture. ourbrother
ow heisinthesecondc lass itis
is probablecareer andtoarrange
ngly.Thedecisionrestsofcourse
hegi esitnothought it maybea
ndyetitwouldbe amortifica-
ulditnot ifyoupointedouttohim
son o asthingsare c ouldyou
elasto hisinclinations andhelp
study sothatifyourfatherata
mtoentertheci ilser ic eortomake
lw illbepreparedforhispostbya
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .137
msurethatneitheryounorM. C laes
brielinidleness
a id M a rg u er i te . T h an k yo u M . m m an u el
enourmotherhadustaughthowto
c hpainsw ithourdraw ing sew ing
sheof tensaidthatwec ouldnottellwhat
awemustbepreparedfore erything.
esourc esw ithinhimself sohemust
tion. B utwhatisthebestc areerfora
hhappiness. Mademoiselle he
heheadofhisc lassinmathematics if
olePolytechni ue feelsurethathe
knowledgetherewhichwouldbeuse-
roughhislife.H ewouldbefree
owninclinationsafterhehadleft
wouldha egainedtimewithoutbinding
me.Menwhodistinguishthem-
soughtaf ter. Diplomatists sc holars
ers generals sailors magistrates manu-
arealleduc atedatthe c ole. oit
dinarythatayoungmanbelongingto
houldstudy to ualifyforadmis-
makeuphismindtothis would
myre uest ay es.
hesaidner ously.
de olis thenshetookhishand
oment thensheaddedinanunsteady
luethedelic ac ywhichhasledyoutoof fer
cc eptf romyou. nallthatyouha e
owmuc hyouha ethoughtforus. Thank
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
weresaid mmanuelturnedhishead
ldseethetears ofhappinessinhis
omebythedelightofbeingusefultoher.
othtoseeyou " hewentonwhenhe
possession. To-morrow isaholiday.
eofMarguerite whoshortly followed
ec rossedthec ourthestillsawher
omdoor andrecei edalastf riendly
c ametoc allonM. C laes. Mar-
eeoutinthegarden andPier uin
enthemon the erybenchwhere
morning.
h e s ai d a d dr e ss i ng B a l t h a a r I h a e
ssto-night. orty -twodaysha e
mentedwife sdemise
ed h o w th e t im e we n t " s a id C l a e s b r us h -
tthetechnicaltermdemise.
c riedMarguerite w ithaglanc eatthe
u
rguerite welawyersareobligedtocon-
prescribedbylaw.Thismatter
syouandyourco-heirs.A llM.
nderage sow ithinforty- f i edaysofhis
ndtoha eanin entorymadeout so
eoftheestatetheyheld incommon.
f itissol entorno andwhether
ytheminors c laims "
s in " s a id P i er u i n t h is m a tt e r
urfather: ouknowhowdeeply
youmustgi eyourattentionatonc eto
thelaw otherw iseyoumaybothget
amsimplydoingmydutyaslegal
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
nmymarriagecontrac t whichwas
customofH ainault releasedmy
fmakinganin entory inorderto
nnoyance anditis uiteprobable
ased
e " c r ie d M ar g ue r it e . I t w o ul d
chtrouble
d P ie r u i n w h o w as r a th e r pu t o ut w e
econtractto-morrow.
of this " saidMarguerite an
dtotheinter iew forthenotarywas
iscousin shome-thrustthathewas
sion.
saidhetohimselfashec rossedthe
forallhisabstractedness c anf ind
nic kof time andputastoptoour
ew ills uanderhisc hildren s
nasthattwoandtwomakefour. Talk
teen andshegetssentimental
m r ac ki n g my b r ai n s to s a e t h e pr o pe r ty
rmeans bycomingtoanunder-
nc ks andthisistheendof it
yc hancesw ithMarguerite sheis
y wantedanin entoryof theprop-
c iestobe uiteunnec essary and
w illtellherthatlawyersha eac ra efor
thatwearenotariesf irst andc ousins
ot af terwards allsortsof rubbish in
storminginwardlyatclientswholet
em.
hein entorydidnottakeplac e.
olimitordefinethefather spowers
operty .
by andbroughtnoc hangestothe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .141
undertheabletuitionofM. de olis
enecessaryforeignlanguages and
ranc ee aminationatthe c olePoly -
dMargueriteli edinabsoluteretire-
theless theyspentthesummerattheir
e inordertoec onomi e. M. C laeswas
nessaffairs hepaidhisdebts
ownproperty andwentto isitthe
er1 17hisgriefhadgradually
ofeel depressedbythedulnessand
A tfirsthe resistedtemptation
otallowhimself tothinkofc hemistry
wasonlydormant andinspiteofhim
wardshis oldpursuits.Thenhe
ginhise periments hewouldnot
ally hewouldconfinehimselfto
hedweltw iththesetheories the
andhebegantoe ui oc atew ith
lfwhetherhewasreallyboundnot
es andrememberedhowhiswifehad
dc ertainly owedtohimself thathe
empttosol ethegreatproblem
adne erbeensoc ertainandso
ly f reetoc hangehismindnowthat
ewasthenfif ty -nineyearsofage and
wwiththe doggedfi itywhich
nomania.O utwardcircumstances
swa eringloyalty.
enofscienc eof ariousnationali-
mmunicationwitheachotherbytwenty
wfreetocorrespondandtocommuni-
ndtheoriestoeac hother. c ienc e
laesfoundthatmoderndisco -
ichhisfellow-chemistsdidnotsuspect
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
bsolute. earnedmenwhowere
othesolutionofotherscientif ic enigmas
d thatlightandheat andgal anism
nlydifferenteffectsofthesamecause
substanceswhichhadhithertobeen
entsweremerelyallotropicforms
ment.Thefearthatsomeother
eductionofmetals andfindthe
wodisco erieswhic hwouldleadto
emoftheA bsolute raisedthe
peopleofDouaic alledamania tothe
sewhoha efeltalikepassionatelo eof
knownthetyrannyof ideas c animagine
sm. B altha ar sf ren ywasbutthe
hadbeensolongsubdued andnow
eenwatc hingherfather eryc losely
dopenedthelong-closedparlor. he
hatroomoncemore oldpainful
sdeathwouldbeawakened and
andshewastosomee tentsucc essful.
her sgriefwasreawakened andthe
heabysswasdeferred butitwasonly
erminedtogointosocietyonce
tB altha ar sattentionf romthese
dmarriageswereproposedforher o er
butMargueritesaidthatuntil she
uldnotmarry . nspiteofallhis
s inspiteof remorsefulinnerstruggles
perimentsagainintheearlydaysof the
conductedsecretly butitwasnot
ionsashisf romthein uisiti eeyes
whileMargueritewasdressing Martha
oiselle itisallo erw ithus That
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .143
whoisthede ilhimself inhuman
e e r s ee n h im c r os s h im s el f h a s go n e up
s themasteronthehigh roadto
dthathemaynotbethedeathofyouall
epoordearmistress
aidMarguerite.
eirgoings-onforyourself .
ew indow andsaw infac t athin
mthelaboratorychimney.
neinafewmonths time " she
ourpropertymustbes uanderedno
waytopre entit.
allyga ewaytohispassion hisrespect
estswas ofc ourse lessofarestraint
fe hadbeen. uchbarrierswere
sc onsc ienc ewasmoreelastic hispassion
andhardwork andhope and
hesetoutonhiswayw iththeenergy
tion. He feltsosureof theoutc ome
yandnight flinginghimselfinto
thatalarmedhisdaughters theydid
ealthseldomsuffersfromthework
oritsownsake.
eganhise periments Marguerite
fhousekeeping andbecamealmostas
osetteandMarthaenteredinto
edherloyally . A sforC laes hewas
trenchments hedidnotnotice
dtothe barenecessariesoflife.
ayf romthefamilybreak fast then
thelaboratory andheonlycame
fora fewsilenthoursafterwardsin
orwiththetwogirls. Hene erspoke
eemtohearthemwhentheyw ished
echanicallyletthemkisshimon both
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .145
honelikeaf lawlessdiamond and
wthefull alueofhissteadfast
whenshesawthatithad itssourcein
hesawtheblossomsopenoutone
donlyknownofthem bytheir
y mmanuelreali edsomehopeof
hteduptheenchantedcountryof
nished theskygrewc learandserene
hichhadbeenhiddeninthegloom
manuelwasmoreathisease hec ould
oftheheart theinfectiousgaiety
thatc omesofalifeofstudy the
ndand unsophisticatednature the
uitssowellwithyouthfullo e.
uelunderstoodeachotherbetter
oredthedepthsof theirhearts and
hts pearlsofthesamelustre
asclearandsweetas themagic
ersspellboundunderthesea.They
herthroughtheinterchangeof
see eningtalks studyingeachother
o beadelicateimaginati esympa-
essoneitherside butperhaps
urswhic h mmanuelspentw iththe
seyesreconciledMargueritetoher
tion thelo ethatgrewunc on-
nhertroubles. mmanuel saf fec-
hthenaturalgracethat isirresistible
htfulwitthat re ealsfreshphases
acetsofa preciousstonesetfreeallits
derfulde ic esthatlo eteac heslo ers
allyresponsi etothehand ofthe
totheoldforms tothetonesof the
wsignif ic anc etoaphraseeac htimeit
otmerelyasentiment itisanart. A
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
n anothing re ealstoawomanthe
ublimeartist whocantouchher
. Thefarther mmanuelwent the
waysinwhic hhislo ee pressed
d P ie r u i n " he s a id o n e e e n i n g I
gsthatheisgoingtobring but
etellthemmyself. ourfatherhassold
uators whoha etakenthetimberas
maller uantities thetreesha e
andallthetrunksha ebeentaken
sandfrancswerepaiddownat
ttoParistodischargeM. C laes debts
learhisdebtsentirely hehasbeen
ditorsahundredthousandfrancsout
rownsstilldue tohimonthe pur-
uinc amein.
si n " h e s a i d y ou a r e ru i ne d y ou
twouldbe butyouwouldnotlistento
oodappetite heonlymadeonebite
ardian M. Conync ks isawayat
eisnegotiatingthesaleofhisB elgian
back isturnedC laessei estheopportu-
siness. tishardly fair. ha e
nyncks butitw illbeallupw ithyou
ouw illbeobligedtotakepro-
her. tw illnottake ery longto
tof law butC laesw illnotc omeout
onync ksw illbec ompelledtotakeac-
sitinsuc hc ases. A ndallthishasc ome
youseenowhowprudent was and
terests
odnewsforyou mademoiselle " saidyoung
oic e Gabrielhasbeenadmittedasa
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .147
cc hni uc thedif fic ultieswhic hwere
nc learedaway.
yasmile andsaid Then
ings. Martha " sheadded speak -
wemustbeginatonc etomake
oor elic ie webothmustwork
thak issonhersister sforehead.
eto-morrow andyouwillha ehim
onthei5thofN o emberhemust
e ll a d i s ed " s a id t h e no t ar y a s h e
hew illha etomakehisway in
mydearMarguerite thehonorof the
youlistentomethistime
tionofmarriage.
o
h a t sh o ul d d o
afewdays time. sthereanyc ourse
twillreconcileourinterestswith
w iththehonorof thefamily
c ousin w ithoutyourunc le. That
sbac k toDouai w illc allagain.
onsieur " saidMarguerite.
themoreairsshegi esherself "
dhesaid Good-e ening made-
ha ethehonortow ishyougood-
tawaywithoutpay inganyattentionto
nhim mmanuelspoke w ithhesi-
h a e b e en s t ud y in g t he C o d e f o r th e
ai d a n d h a e t a ke n co u ns e l wi t h an
unc le sf riends. fyouw illa llowme
amto-morrow. isten dearMarguerite.
meforthef irsttime. hethanked
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
tleinclinationofthehead and
ghhereyeswerefullof tears.
oremysister " saidMarguerite she
nationtoalifeof hardshipandtoil
eet butf romthisdisc ussionshew ill
lour courage.
chother shands asiftorenew
on broughtaboutbyacommon
th a.
mmanuelbegan andsomethingof
atthusac uiringoneof theleast
couldbefeltinhis oic e ha ethe
thepurc hasers whoha enotyetpaid
dredthousandfrancsfor thefelled
ougi eyourc onsent alawyerac t-
ameshallser eawritofattac hmenton
w illreturninaweek stime. He
demancipateGabriel whoisnow
beendone youandyourbrother
mandyourrights andyoucan
proceedsofthissaleofthe wood.
eyouthe twohundredthousandfrancs
hed asfortheremaininghundred
ouldbesecuredtoyou byamortgage
eli ingin. M. Conync ksw ill
hreehundredthousandfrancswhich
elic ieandto ean andyourfather
ehis propertyintheplainsof
eadyencumberedwithadebtofa hun-
elawregardsmortgagesforthe
tc harge soe erythingw illbesa ed.
betiedforthefuture yourlanded
hewillbeunableto borrowanymore
chwillbemortgagedbeyondtheir
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .149
earrangementw illbeafamilyaf fair
ndnoscandal. ourfatherwill
estigationslessreck lessly if indeed
upaltogether.
gu e ri t e b u t ho w s ha l l we l i e T h er e
thehundredthousandfrancs
sesolongaswec ontinuetoli ein
ofO rc hiesw illbringin ust
he mortgages.Whatshall we
pa ce " s a id m ma n ue l i f y ou i n e s t
ythousandfranc sinthefunds at
nfourthousandli res thatw ill
se pensesatthe c oleinParis.
rincipalnorthemoneysecuredto
c omesofage soyouneednotfear
ennyof it andyouw illha eone
hesec ondplace istherenotyourown
ifty thousandfranc s "
oaskmeforthem " shec riedin
uldnotrefusehim.
arMarguerite youc ansec urethemoney
estitinthefundsinyourbrother s
ouintwel eorthirteenthousand
dmanagetoli eonthat. A nemanc ipated
ncipalwithouttheconsentofthe
llgain threeyearsoffreedomfrom
rs timeyourfatherw illeitherha esol ed
s mo r e pr o ba b le h e wi l l ha e g i e n i t up a s
brielcomesofagehe cantransferthe
andtheaccountscanbefinallysettled
e planationof thepro isionsof
tunderstandat first andagain
ypoint. twasc ertainlyano elsitua-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
o e r a co p y of t h e C o d e w hi c h m -
imin ordertomaketheposition
eite. o e spenetrationc ameto
uic k-w ittedness andshesoon
tter.
urnedhome.M.de oliscame
ltha arheardthenewsofhisson s
Polytec hni ue. C laese pressedhis
a eof thehand. am eryglad
soGabrielistobeasc ientif ic man is
of thehousereturnedtohislaboratory .
a rg u er i te a s B a l t ha a r w en t o ut y o u
oumustnotbee tra agant. Doas
yc areful andwhileyouareinParis
urfriendsand relationsthere and
ensi ehabitswhic hruinyoungmen.
nsesw illamounttonearlyathousand
eathousandfrancslef tforpoc ket
ough.
m " s a id m m an u el d e o l is l a yi n g hi s
ulder.
onyncksandMargueritehadob-
guaranteef romM. C laes. mmanuel s
nappro edandc arriedouttothe
ashamedofthesaleof theforest. His
m untilhehadbeendri entotake
romthem andnow whenhewas
e uencesofhisdeeds whenhewas
er w ithhissternc ousin whowasinf le ible
ed hedidallthatwasre uiredof
notillpleasedtorepairsoeasily themis-
ouslywrought.He puthissignature
dbeforehimwith thepreoccupiedair
ewastheonereality andallthings
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .151
adnomoreforesightthan the
themorningfora dropofbrandy
erlossinthee ening. A pparentlyhe
entheimmediatefuturewasbeyond
oppedtoaskhimselfwhatmusthappen
en thrownintothefurnace and
sasrecklesslyasbefore.H eneither
hatthehouseinwhic hheli edwas
likehisestates hadpassedintoother
i ethefactthat thankstothestrin-
hecouldnotraiseanotherpenny
e wasinamannerthe legalguar-
y andnountowarde entoccurred.
gedtodefraythenecessarye pensesof
ean seduc ationw iththeinterestof
abriel sname whichhepunctually re-
M. de olislosthisunc leintheDec em-
eheardfromMarthathather father
ips thefurnitureofthestate
lltheirremainingplate. hewasc ompelled
arysil erfordailyuseherself andto
rowninitials. Hithertoshehad
sdepredationsinsilence butaf terdinner
d elic ietolea eheralonew ithher
dseatedhimselfby thefiresideas
e. hehadner edherself forthetry -
gstruggle withherfather.
here dearfather " shesaid youc an
enyourchildren. Wewilla llobeyyouw ith-
mustpointouttoyouthatweha eno
a esc arcelyenoughtoli euponthisyear
ha etoworknightanddaytoearnthe
ssc hoole pensesbythelacedress
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
atherdear gi eupyourresearches
arc hild insi weekstheyw illc ometo
i sc o e r ed t h e A b s ol u te o r t he A b s o -
eundisc o erable. ouw illha e
adtoeatmeanwhile " pleadedMarguerite.
e n o br e ad i n t he h o us e s a id C l a e s i n
eadinthehouseofaC laes What
perty
wntheforestofWaignies. Theground
et soitbringsinnothing andthe
ies arenotsufficienttopayinterest
e " h e a sk e d.
dle.
el smoneyhelpsus " sheadded
shall ustmakebothendsmeetat
donoto erwhelmmewithbills
t foryousaynothingaboutyourpur-
u re t h at h a e e n ou g h to m e et m y
itisallplannedoutsocarefullyand
odaorpotash or inc orsulphur
dwaitanothersi weeks dearc hild and
udent. oushallseewonders mylittle
t hi n k of y ou r o wn a f fa i rs . o u h a e
tures tulips sil er-platenothingisleft
youw illnotrunintodebtagain
omakenomoredebts.
s h e cr i ed . T h en t h er e a re d e bt s
o th i ng m e re t r if l es " h e s ai d r e dd e ni n g
feMargueritefelt humiliatedby
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .153
n itwassopainfultoher thatshe
in uireintothematter butamonth
omaDouaibank withabillof
andfrancs whichboreC laes signature.
foraday sdelay ande pressedher
cei edanynoticeandso wasunpre-
themessengerinformedherthat
hif f re illeheldnineothers eac hfora
uldfalldueinc onsec uti emonths.
hus c riedMarguerite thetimehas
andwalkedrestlesslyupanddown
oherself A hundredthousandfranc s
p ri s on W h a t s ha l l d o O h
e. Margueritegrewtiredofwaiting
tory. hepausedinthedoorway
gin abrilliantpatchofsunlightin
mfilledwithmachineryanddusty
tablesthatstoodhereandtherewereloaded
andticketedspecimensof arious
herspecimenswereheapedontheshel es
gdownbesidethefurnaces.There
ttoorderly lemishpre udic esinall
ha ar stallf igureroseabo eac ol-
s hehadthrownoffhis coatand
abo etheelbowslikeaworkman his
posinghisc hest c o eredw ithwhite
ithf rightfulintentnessonanair-pump
okhiseyes. Therec ei erof the
dbyalensc onstruc tedof twoc on e
weenthembeingf illedw ithalc ohol the
oomthroughone ofthepanesofthe
hadbeenc arefullyblockedup wasthus
oftherecei er.Theplateofthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
andc ommunic atedw iththew ireofa
eMul uinierwasbusyatthemoment
erecei er sothatthelensmightbe
rpendiculartotherays ofthesun
chwasblackw ithdust andshouted
k e ep a wa y
r whokneltononekneebeforehis
ifferenttotheraysof sunlightthat
ituphis hairuntilitgleamedlike
reknotted e erymusc leofhisfac ewas
ctation.Thestrangethingsstrewn
riousmac hinerydimly isibleinthe
of theattic e erythingabouther
erite.
" shesaidtoherself inherdismay.
ndwhisperedinhis ear end
w an t h im a m wa i ti n g to s e e th e r es u lt
hasne erbeentriedbefore. orthe
beenonthewatc hforarayofsun-
eady amabouttoc onc entratethe
inaperfect ac uum submitting
eactionofacurrentof electricity.
yousee shallemploythemostpowerful
y and alone
steadofreduc ingmetaltogas youshould
e c hange
here father hemustha etenthou-
ock .
en t ly . t i s u i te r i gh t d i d si g n a bi l l
chwouldfallduethis month.
edisc o eredtheA bsolutebeforethis.
ny h a d a u l y su n t h e e p e ri m en t
me.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .155
ghhishair thetearsc ameintohis
ntoanoldcane-seatedchair.
s ir " s ai d e M ul u in ie r. I t i s al l
unthatwon tshineenough thela y
seemedtorememberMarguerite s
u in ie r " s h e sa id .
a es h a e i t W e wi ll t ry a n ew e -
m in d t he e p e ri m en t s no w " s a id t h e yo u ng
. H ereisademandforahun-
ndweha enotafarthing. our
youmustcomedownandlea ethelabo-
eofyouifyouareimprisoned hall
meofC laesbesoiledwiththe dis-
t s h al l n ot b e w i ll n o t ha e i t
tyourmadness itwouldbedread-
adinyouroldage.O penyour
ometoyoursensesatlast
altha ar risingtohisfeet. A light
edonhisdaughter sfac e Madness "
a esticinhismanneras herepeated
trembled.H efoldedhisarms.
wo u ld n e e r h a e u t te r ed t h at w o rd " h e
otshuthereyestotheimportanceof
udiedsciencethatshemightunderstand
waswork ingforhumanity thattherewas
nme. seethataw ife slo e
hter saf fection yes lo eisthelof tiest
mysenses " hewenton striking
t a ke l e a e o f t he m A m n o t
a r e we V e r y w e ll m y da u gh t er
youunderstand amyourfather
oushallberic hagainwhen w ish
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
itisamerenothing. When f ind
w illf illtheparlordownstairsw ith
hatisapitifultriflec omparedw iththe
seeking. urelyyouc anwaitwhen
andspendingmylifeinsuperhuman
enorighttoaskanac countof thefour
ltedawayinthisgarret. w illsay
butyoursc ienc ek illedher. f were
doubtlo emyhusbandasmymother
dsac rif ic ee erythingforhim ustasmy
ythingforyou. amdoingas
e g i e n yo u al l h ad t o gi e y ou h a e
oldnotmarrylestyou shouldbecom-
tofyour guardianship.But letus
st letusthinkof thepresent. ou
ac risis and ha ec omeheretoput
a emoneytomeetthesebills do
Tereisabsolutelynothingleftbut the
anC laes. ha ec omeinmy
mother whoseheartfailedherwhenshe
ildren ssakeagainsttheirfather s
u ha ec omeinmybrothers name
ter ha ec omeinthenameofallthe
oure periments andtoretrie eyour
emistryagain. fyousteelyour-
useyourauthorityo erusonlytok ill
yourownhonorpleadforme and
gainstthe oic esofyourfamily
terbuttoowell Margueritereplied
t o be m y e e c ut i on e r h e s ai d i n a
. hecouldnottrustherselfto
hermother s oic eranginherears
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .157
ter anddonotc rosshimmorethanyouc an
ceofworkofmademoiselle s " said
ec amedownintothek itchenforhis
ustaboutputourf ingeronthesec ret
ulysunlight andthemasterah
standsintheshoesofPro idence as
otthat hesaidto osette c lick -
hisfront teeth betweenusand
esto upshec omesandmakesafussabout
riedMartha paythemyourselfoutof
br e ad W h e r e is t h e bu t te r d e ma n de d
i ng t o o s et t e.
oneytobuy itw ith " thec ook
t youold illa in ifyouc anmake
i tc he n w hy d o n t y o u ma k e bu t te r t
ke anditwouldfetchsomethingin
ewaytowardsmakingthepot boil.
ngdrybread.The youngladies
andwalnuts andyouwanttobe
s Mademoisellehasonlyahun-
nd forthewholehousehold there
l. fyouwantlu uries youha e
whereyoufritterawaypearls tillthey
erthetown. ustlook foryour
phisbreadandlef tthek itc hen.
gw ithhisownmoney " said
er i t i s so m u ch s a e d . s n t h e a
m t h at i s t he o n ly w ay " s a id o s et t e.
asinglefloorthisweek thathehasn t
a n d a m do i ng h i s wo r k h e ma y u s t
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
atingus toafewherrings: ifhe
llookaf terthem.
ha thereisMile. Margueritec ry ing.
therwouldgobbledownthehouse
nmyc ountrytheywouldha eburned
longbeforethis buttheyha eno
orishinfidels.
ile. C laeswassobbingasshec ame
ereachedherroom soughtforher
readasfollows:
f G o d so w i ll s m y s p i ri t w il l b e wi t h yo u
thelastthat shalle erwrite they
earlittleones lef ttothemerc yofa
forme af iendwhowillha ede-
lofbread ashegnawedmylifeand
w m y d ar l in g i f l o e d y ou r f at h er a n d
g n o w as d i e f o r a m t ak i ng p r e-
amdoingthatwhic h c ouldnotbring
fetime. es inthedepthsofmy
stresourc eforyou untilthedayc omes
ste tremityofmisfortune. fhe
utewant myc hild if thehonorof
oumustaskM. de olis ifheisstill
s ne p he w o u r go o d m ma n ue l f o r a hu n -
sandfrancs whichareyours andwhic h
ndifatlastyouf indthatnothing
if thethoughtofhisc hildren swelfare
straintthandidaregardformyhappi-
rongyoustillfurther thenlea eyour
esatanyratemustnotbesac rific edtohis.
myplacewasathisside. trests
tosa ethefamily youmustprotect
6lic ieatallc osts. Takecourage bethe
es andyoumustbef irm Mar-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .159
yberuthless butif thee ilthathas
obee enpartially repaired you
youmustthinkofyourselfasbeingon
y fornothingc anstemthecourseof
l hadintheworldf romme. o
essof affectionyoumustrefuseto
faf fection youmayha etodec ei e
eceptionsw illbeaglorytoyou there
anddo andyouwillfeelguilty
edsiftheyaredoneto protectyour
sister.O urgoodanduprightM. de
andne erwasthereac learerand
nc ethanhis. c ouldne erha e
hewords ha ewritten note enat
yetbetenderandre erentinthis
enyourrefusals andresisthimonyour
thw illha eputanendtomysorrow
earc hildrenformenowthatyou
ardian andmayGodandall the
E P H I N E .
romtheMessieursde olis unc le
ountdepositedintheirhands byMme.
ndertook torefundtoherc hildrenifher
ocument.
uenna andMarthahurriedup-
whobadehergotoaskM. mmanuel
MaisonC laes.
rableheis " shethought he
of thistome andhehasmadeallmy
s.
eMarthahadreturnedfromher
ecretwhichc oncernedme " shesaid
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
d.
eansthatyouareingreatdistress " he
etohiseyes.
w il l h el p m e y o u wh o m my m o th e r ca l ls
' s h e sa i d a s s he g a e h i m th e l et t er
uble shefeltasuddenthrillof oythat
erc hoic e.
y t o li e o r d ie f o r yo u e e r s in ce s a w
y " heanswered w ithtearsofhappi-
es but didnotknow and
endaretohopethatonedayyouwould
ureallyknowme youknowthat
youmustforgi emeforkeepingmy
couldonlyobeyherwishesto the
toe erc isemyown udgment
u s s h e br o ke i n a s sh e t oo k h is a r m
hertothe parlor.
rnedthehistoryofthe trustfund
serablestoryofthestraitsto which
il s at o n ce " s a id m ma n ue l i f
tedw ithMersk tus youw illsa einterest
ndyoutheremainingse enty
uncleleftmethatamountin gold
ytobringthemhere andnoonewill
b r in g t he m a t ni g ht o u r fa t he r w il l b e
dethemsomewhere. fheknewthat
ghttakeitf rommebyforce. O h
piciousofone sownfather " shesaid
eleanedherforeheadagainsthis
dgraciousentreatyforprotection
espokeforthef irsttime lo ehadbeen
ginningsbysorrow andhadgrown
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .161
herheartwastoofull andatthislast
W h a t w il l b ec om e o f us H e s e e s
asnotathoughtforusnorforhim-
nkhowhec anli einthegarret itislike
e pec tofamanwhoate erymoment
c h a rd I I . M y ki n gd o m fo r a
d m ma n ue l . H e w i ll b e i ne o r ab l e a n d
y ielding. ouc anpayhisbills and
neifyouw ill butyourbrothers and
eryoursnorhis.
fo r tu n e s h e re p ea t ed g r as p in g m -
andlook ingathimwithspark ling
i c e to m e A n d P i e r u i n to l d me
ar shouldpartw ithit.
p e rh a ps t o o am s e lf i sh a f te r m yo w n
wouldha eyouw ithoutapenny forit
wouldbenearertome sometimes
nhappy andthen feelhowpoorand
emptypompofwealthcould keep
omoreaboutoursel es
e e c l ai m ed i n e cs t as y t h en a f te r a m o-
hee ilisgreat nodoubt butitisnot
epairit thefamilyhasnolongerahead.
allthat heowestohimselfandhis
allsenseofrightandwrongforhe
sogenerous andsoupright who
ildren sprotector hass uandered
ofthe law.Towhatdepthshe
o od G o d w h at c a n he e p e ct t o f in d
Marguerite howe erc ulpablehemaybe
heis uiterightf romascientif ic
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
edoes. omesc oreofmenper-
pableofunderstandinghimand
eryoneelsesaysthatheismad. till
edinrefusingtosurrenderthe chil-
sanelementofc hanc eine erygreat
therstillpersistsinwork ingouthis
erthesolutionw ithoutthisrec kless
erypossibly ustatthemomentwhenhe
.
rmotherthatshedied saidMar-
a esuf feredamartyrdomathousand
hefirstshockof hercollision
andthereseemstobenoendtothe
to i t " s a id m m an u el w h en y ou
gleft. Therew illbeanendtoM.
thenhew illbeforc edtostop.
stopatonce " saidMarguerite for
hebillsandga ethemtoMarguerite.
todinnerafewminutesearlierthan
ntwoyearshis daughtersawtraces
andhisdistresswaspainful tosee.
ther reasonhadputsc ienc etoflight.
othec ourtyard andthenintothegar-
ssurethattheywerealone heturned
ssand kindnessinhisface.
d tak ingherhandandpressingit
forgi eyouroldfather. es Mar-
ewrong andyouwerealtogetherright.
thesec ret sothereisnoe c useforme.
e. c annotlookonandseeV an
nton andhiseyesturnedtothemartyr s
rthec auseof freedom and shalldie
ered amhated
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .163
h n o " s h e c r ie d t h ro wi n g he r a rm s
do r e yo u d o we n o t e l ic i e " s h e
ocameintotheroomatthatmoment.
ear " askedthelittlegirl slipping
a ll
elicie theboysw illmakeafortuneforus.
eadofhisc lass.
earfather " Margueriteadded andw ith
urethedaughterledher fatherto
drewse eralpapersfrombeneath
eyourdrafts butyoumustnotsignyour
fortherew illbenothinglefttopay
e m on e y " B a l t h a a r s ai d i n hi s
oonashehadrec o eredfromhissurprise
Marguerite sheartsankatthewords.
f oy andhope ande pectationin
seyeswerewanderingroundtheroomas
s h e sa i d sa d ly I h a e m y fo r tu n e.
hec ried withaneagernesswhic hhe
w illgi eyoubackanhundredfold.
e i t t o yo u " s a i d Ma r gu e ri t e l o o ki n g at
nderstandthe meaningthatlay
words.
d " h e sa id y ou h a e s a e d my l if e
le periment theonethingthatre-
donotsuc ceedthistime must
eA bsolutealtogether.C omehere
r a rm i f c an c o mp a ss i t y o u sh a ll b e t he
orld youha egi enmefreshhopes
y o u ha e g i e n m e po w er w i ll
andwealth and ewels.
dsin hisandkissedherforehead
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
his oy inc aressesthatseemedalmostlike
guerite. B altha arhadnoeyesforany
hewatchedherwithsomething
ssandalertattention shec ouldnot
adherthoughtsandtoguessher
herwithanassiduitywhichembarrassed
fulnessinhismannerwhichcontrasted
reoldage.B utinreplyto his
Margueritecouldonlydrawhisatten-
ess eitherbygi inge pressionto
nceattheemptytiersofshel esalong
d i n s i m o n th s t i me w e wi l l fi l l th e m
ers. oushallli e likea ueenin
beunderourfeet e erythingw ill
you myMarguerite. Margarita
thenamewasprophetic.Marguerite
saidthatsomewhereorother. Ha e
o u l d yo u c ar e t o re a d t e rn e t w o ul d
rearesultofsomedisease " she
eha ealreadysuf feredmuch.
uw illmakethefortuneof thoseyou
handgreat
chagoodheart " said eMul uinier
ncewasdistortedbyasmile.
altha arspentwithhis daughters
hispowersofc on ersationandthe
herewassomethingmagneticin
asc inationlikethatof theserpent the
at hadattracted osephinewere
emed asitwere totakehisdaughters
manuelde olisc ame hefounda
andchildrenweretalkingas they
me. nspiteofhimself theyoung
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .165
spellof thescene itwasimpossible
smanner de oliswasc arriedawayby it.
er deeplyabsorbedinwatc hing uite
ghighly-trainedpowersofperception
ylife.N othingescapestheirobser-
ere theyarenotobli ious butthey
d seasons andareseldomintouch
eyondthatsphere theyknowe ery-
ogetitall theymakeforec astsof the
benef it foreseethee entsthattake
keeptheirownc ounsel. f whileto
consciousofwhatispassing they
ft ofobser ationanddeduction
anddrawtheirowninferenc es and
orkclaimsthemagain andthey
nderinguse oftheirknowledgeof
eswhentheyareroused fromtheir
happento dropfromtheworldof
andwomen theybringwiththem
andarebynomeans strangerstowhat
w i th B a l t h a a r . H e h a d u i ck
n-sightedness andknewthewhole
hehadguessedorlearnedinsomeway
e entsofthecourseof themysterious
mmanuel heletthelo ersfeelthat
t andsanctionedtheiraffectionby
uerite sfatherthiswasthesweetest
heyc ouldnotresistit. Thee ening
fterthe troubledandan iouslife
te. WhenB altha aratlastlef t
asked asitwere forawhileinthe
andbathedinhistenderness m-
strainedmannerc hanged heemptied
ndducats ofwhichhehadbeen
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .167
a l t ha a r w i th a c l ai r o y an t g la n ce a t h is
el thenthisgold
olis whohasbeensogoodasto
yfulf ilourengagements she
andturnedasif togo.
a l t h a a r l a yi n g a ha n d on h i s ar m
y gratefulthanks.
nks M. C laes. Themoneybelongs
ehasborroweditofmeonsec urity "
tMarguerite whothankedhimbyan
ementofhereyelids.
" s a id C l a e s t a ki n g up a p e n an d a
le where eliciehadbeenwriting.
wilderedyoungpeople.
h e a sk e d.
passionhadmadehimc raf tierthanthe
escoundrels hemeanttoha ethe
Margueriteand mmanuelde olis
s ai d B a l t ha a r .
sandduc ats " mmanuelsaid.
df ranc s " returnedC laes.
nuele c hangedglanc es and m-
aidrespec tfully yournoteofhandis
echnicale pression.Thismorn-
ahundredthousandfrancstobuy up
nabletomeet soe identlyyouare
meanysecurity. Thismoneybe-
whocandisposeofit asseemsgood
only lentitw iththeunderstandingthat
gi ingmeac laimonhershareof
onwhichtheforestonc estood.
dawaytohide thetearsthat
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .169
s u a nd e re d f o r th a t is h o w ig n or a nt
fortuneandmadegreatinroadsinto
outhink amworkingforwhatyouc all
g el m y d ar l in g m y. l o e m y Ma r gu e ri t e
f donotsuc c eedthistime w illput
lthatyoudesire w illdo w ill
nc ethatyouowetome w illdoyour
emyaf fairsasyoushalldirect w ill
diannolonger w illlaydownmy
yourmother hesaid shedding
daway shecouldnotbearto
es thinkingthatthiswasasignof
onhiskneesbeforeher.
er i te g i e m e t he g o ld G i e i t t o
meternalremorse. Whataretwenty
see shalldie thisw illk illme.
erite Mypromiseshallbereligiously
y e p e r i me n ts i f f a il w i ll g o
l a nd e rs a n d e e n r a nc e i f yo u wi s h it .
mec hanic andbuildupmyfortune
ychildrenmayreco eratlastallthat
nfromthem heearnestlyandpiteously
deherfatherto rise buthestill
ued w ithtearsinhiseyes
o t ed t h is o n ce i t i s th e l as t t im e . f
myselfw illac uiesceinyourharsh udg-
madman abadfather youc an
a n d w i ll k i ss y o ur h a nd s b e at m e i f
youasthebestofdaughters remember-
enmeyour ery life-blood.
i f i t we r e on l y my l i fe - bl o od y o u
owcan lookonandseemybrothers
blood forscience cannot
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .171
kstaircasewiththe speedofan
erpointinga pistolathishead.
ec ried asshesprangtowardshim.
tthesightofherwhitefac e
weepsuchtearsasoldmenshed hewas
erforehead speak ingincoherent
ealmostdancedfor oy andtriedto
playswiththemistresswhohasmade
th e r " s h e sa i d r e me m be r y ou r
otsuc c eed w illyouobeymywishes
shec ried turningtothedoorofMme.
o u wo u ld h a e g i e n i t al l t o hi m w o u l d yo u
s a id B a l t h a a r y o u ar e a g oo d g ir l .
ed thenightsthatbroughtsleepare
uha emademeold father ustas
mother slife.
f c ou l d on l y gi e y ou c o nf i de n ce b y
hopetoobtainf romagrande peri-
u s t pl a nn e d y o u wo u ld s e e th e n
urruin " shesaid risingtogo.
dayattheC ollegedeDouai.
amewith eantoseethem.
edan iously ashewentuptoMarguerite.
s he s ai d.
answered half-sorrowfully half -gladly
shouldha eadmiredyou but
ess.
n ue l w h at r e ma i ns f o r us
in g t o me " h e cr i ed w i th a r a di a nt g l an c e.
r itw illbewellw ithus.
by inunbrokenpeac e. M. de olis
herretrenchmentsandpettyecono-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ess andad isedhertoli ec omfort-
mainderofthemoneywhichMme.
thhimforthee pensesof thehouse-
onthsMargueritewasharassedby
pro edtoohea yaburdenforher
shewasdisposedtobelie einher
hewasdri entohopeinhisgenius. tis
blethingthatwesooftencontinueto
faithlef t. Hopeisthef lowerofdesire
ainty.
ds weshallbehappy " Marguerite
nd e M u l u i ni e r sa i d W e s h a ll s u c-
and eMul uinierwerealoneintheirbelief.
argrewmoreandmoredepresseddayby
otdaretomeethisdaughter seyes
ontheotherhand helookedatherin
here eningsinseek inge plana-
w ithyoungde olisashertutor
fatherabouttheir complicated
asthermasculineeducationwas
dyw ithplanstoputintoe ec utionif
rebeworstedin theduelwithhis
nX .
uly B altha arspentawholeday
absorbedinsadthoughts. O nc e
him atthebaregardenbeds
withtulips atthewindowsofhis
uddered doubtlessattherec ollec tionof
osthim. H estirredfromtimeto
hathethoughtofotherthingsthan
ner Margueritetookupherneedle-
sitbesidehimforafewminutes.
u h a e n o t su cc e ed e d "
itesaidgently amnotgoingtoutter
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .173
deed wearebothe ually toblame
uf illmentofyourpromise yourpromise
C laes. ourc hildrenw illne er
eandrespec t butf romto-dayyou
mustdoas w ish. Donotbean ious
d w illdomybesttobringit uic kly
olea eyouforamonthMarthais
mayseeaf teryouraf fairs " she
foryouaremyc hildnow youknow.
nc harge. Poorc hild sheisbarely
sheresistyou B egenerous anddonot
shehasnothingbeyondwhatis strictly
eepinge penses. Takecourage gi e
ndyourtheoriesfortwoor three
mature andbythattime shallha e
oney andtheproblemshallbesol ed.
e i s n ot y o ur u e en a k i nd a n d me r ci f ul
theoldmananswered.
ykeepyourword.
M a r gu e ri t e " s a i d C l a e s d e e p ly m o e d .
ync ksc amefromCambraiforhis
meinhistra elingc arriage andonly
ouseuntilMargueriteandMarthacould
sfortheir ourney.M.C laesmade
thewase identlydownc astand
ync ksguessedB altha ar sthoughts
ast hesaid w ithc lumsyfrankness
o ur p i ct u re s c o u si n h a e a l i ki n g fo r
uinousmania butweallha eour
monstratedMarguerite.
ed c ousin butaC laesalwayshas
aid tappinghisforehead andhere
eadded lay inghishandonhisheart.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
m o re o e r a n d ha i n g a fe w sp a re c r ow n s
singtheminyourser ic e.
t h a a r I w i l l r ep a y yo u w it h t re a s-
e ha e i n l a nd e rs c o us i n a r e pa -
saidConync kssternly . O uranc estor
ra enonhisforehead " headded
aitofV anC laes.
herandbadehimgood-bye ga e
sto osetteand elicie andsetout
le.H ewasawidowerwithone
e andtheownerofanimmensefor-
blethat hemightthinkofmarrying
opleofDouaibelie edthatMarguerite
ondwife.R umorsofthisgreat
c hedPier uin sears andbrought
laes.C onsiderablechangeshad
wsofthatwide-awakeworthy.
endi idedforthepasttwoyears
enoblesseformedonegroup and
and notunnaturally thelatter
r. Thissharpdi ision infac t
a itsuddenlysplit ranceinto
all ealouss uabblesassumedseriouspro-
otalittle tothewidespreadac-
utionof uly 1 30. Therewasathird
ediatepositionbetweentheultra-
beralc amps tow it theof fic ialswho
rotherc irc le butwho onthe
sfrompower immediatelybecame
thestrugglebetweenthenoblesse
ostunheard-ofsplendorwasdis-
heR oyalistsmadesuchbrilliantly
petheir iberalri a lsthattheseepi-
saidtoha ec ostsomeenthusiastic
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .175
likeill-c astc annon theyc ouldnot
urallythetwocirclesbecamemore
natical.
erywealthymanaspro inc ialfortunes
c ludedfromthearistocratic circ leand
ourgeoisie. H isself -lo ehadsuf fered
ss hehadrecei edrebuffuponre-
withwhomhe hadformerlyrubbed
uaintance.He wasfortyyearsof
henamanwhocontemplatesmarriage
wife.The matchestowhichhe
hebourgeoisie buthisambition
ardsthearistocraticworldfrom
andhecastaboutforacreditable
statehimthere.TheC laesfamily
eworldthattheyknewnothingofall
aes indeed belongedbybirthto
pro inc e butitseemednotatall
shewasbysc ientif ic interests hewould
oduc edc lasspre udices. Howe er
aughterof thehouseofC laeswould
ofgratif ied anity whichiseagerly
ues.
renewedhis isitstotheMaisonC laes.
ndtothismarriage andtoattainhis
s.H ebestowedhiscompanyon
c ieinMarguerite sabsenc e anddisco ered
hathehadaformidableri alin m-
manuel slateuncletheA bbehadlef t
bleamountofproperty itwas
f thenotary wholookedate erything
terialstandpoint mmanuelinthe
heirwasari altobedreaded:P ier-
etedby mmanuel smoneythanbyhis
ealth restoredallitslustre tothe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ndnoblebirthweretw inglories
oneachother.Thenotarysawthat
ated elicieasasister andhe
ncereaffection.H etriedtoeclipse
c on entionalphrasesofgallantrywith
andtheairsofamanof fashion
ensi emelanc holywhic hwasnotillsuited
llhisillusions hesaid andturned
toletherknowthatshe andshe
himwithlife. A nd elic ie towhom
wereano elty listenedtothe
sweettohear e enwhenitisinsin-
mptinessfordepth shehadnothing
ndherc ousinbecametheob ec tof the
lledherheart.Possibly thoughshe
sof thefac t shewas ealousof the
anuelshowedhersister andshew ished
sf irstthought. P ier uinsoonsaw
reattentiontohimthanto mmanuel
opersistin hisattempt untilhe
tended. mmanuellookedon
thispassion simulatedinthelaw-
n elic ie whosefuturewasatstake.
ee changedbetweenthecousinswhen
asturned littlec ollo uies trif lingdecep-
hestolenwordsandglanc esatreac herous
erisetoinnocenterrors.
dedtoturn hisintimacywith
unt andtodisco erMarguerite s
ourneytoParis hewantedtoknow
uestionofhermarriage andwhether
tensions but inspiteofhistrans-
neitherB altha arnor elic iec ouldthrow
t forthe erysuff ic ientreasonthat
nothingofMarguerite splans onher
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .177
eemedtoha eadoptedthema imsof
therowncounsel.
ngmelanc holyanddepressionmadethe
manuelhadsucc eededinpersuading
mon butB altha ar sthoughtswere
and asarule thegreatc hemist
wers seemedpositi elystupid. His
tonothing hishumiliationwasgreat
efortunes hewasapennilessgambler
eruinsof hishouse beneaththe
disappointedbutnot e tinct.The
bynecessity ac uiescinginhisown
ragic spectac lewhic hwouldha e
gnature.Pier uinhimselfcould
aryrespectforthiscagedlionwith
theeyeswhichwerecalmby
fadedfrome c essof light therewas
yin themwhichthelipsdidnot
eshisfacesuddenlylightedupashe
m en t a n d th e n B a l th a a r s e y es w ou l d
othespotwherehisw ifehaddied
s ofsandwouldcrossthearid
wno er- largew iththought andhis
east.H ehadliftedtheworld like
hadrolledbac khea ilyonhisbreast.
rolledsomanfully haditseffecton
el whoattimesfeltsomuchmo ed
toofferhima sumofmoney
sofe perimentssoinfectiousare
s B othyoungmenbegantounder-
ndMargueritec ouldha ef lung
butreflectioncheckedtheimpulses
rgood-willmanifesteditselfinattempts
asedtheanguishofthefallenand
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .179
sedthecourtyardandwenttothe
msroundherfather snec k
edw iththegirl sk iss andshe
ho cannotdissemble butwhen
hetroubledlookdiedoutofhereyes
ogi eherc ourageforthetaskshe
nspiteof thecheerfulnessone ery
talkatdinner fatheranddaughter
trustandcuriosity.B altha ardid
le uestionastoherstay inParis
spre entedhim mmanuelde olis
butPier uin whohadsolongbeen
sec retsof thefamily didnota oid
nc ealedhisin uisiti enessunderanassump-
" h e s a i d d i d yo u s ee P a ri s a n d th e
rs " s h e an s we r ed I o n ly w en t
dtogo. Thedayswentby erytedi-
longingtoseeDouaiagain.
e a f us s s h e wo u ld n o t ha e g o ne t o t he
d shefoundittiresome saidM.
ereasethate ening thesmiles
infulan iety lurkedbeneaththeforc ed
oc casion. MargueriteandB altha ar
btsandfears andtheothersseemed
eningworeon thefacesof thefather
eiragitationmoreplainly and
rbesttosmile herner ousmo e-
thetonesofher oic e betrayedher. M.
uelde olisseemedtounderstandthe
andtobidhertakec ouragebye pres-
altha ar hurtatnotbeingtakenintoc on-
akenandmattersdecidedwhich
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
duallybec amemoreandmorereser ed
ghischildrenandfriends. hortly
wouldinformhimofherdecisions.
atherthesituationwasintolerable.
dthetimeof lifewhenthingsare
ththechildrenofthe family when
easedbywidere perienceoflife
morethoughtful andtroubledasthe
sac iti endrewnearer.
ewasimpending ac risisofwhic h
enbyametaphor.Thecloudsthat
midsthadgatheredanddarkened
ghedbelow inthef ields e eryone
ngstorm lookedupatthehea ens
sttogo B altha arwentwithhim
uinand mmanueltook theirlea ein
adethenotaryafriendlygood-
to mmanuel butshec laspedhis
arsstoodin hereyesasshelookedat
away andwhenC laesc ameback to
therealone.
shesaidinatremulous oic e c ould
ef tolea ehomebutforthegra ityof
af teragoniesofhopeandfear andin
uties ha ebroughtbac kwithme
onforusall.Thankspartly toyour
c le sinf luenc e andtheinterestofM.
b t a in e d th e p os t o f R e c ei e r o f Ta e s i n
wortheighteentotwentythousand
. O urunc lehasundertakentobe
yourappointment sheadded
reticule. F orthene tfewyears
ontentwithbare necessaries you
oli eonhereinthehouse our
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .1 1
eashehas alwaysbeenaccustomed
kyoutospareanyofyourincomefor
sseemsgoodtoyou. B ut entreat
ha enoinc ome notapennye c ept
edinthefunds forGabrielhealways
ew illli easif thehousewerea
hetownshallhearanythingaboutour
edonhereinDouai youwouldbea
sinoureffortstorestorecomfort. A m
youga etomewhen putyouina
urfortuneyourself nafewyears
youw illbeR ec ei er-General.
" B a l t ha a r s ai d i n a lo w o i ce y o u ar e
ouse
suc habitterreproac h " saidMarguerite
hatsurgedupin herheart. ou
ngusassoonasyouc anli einyour
rbefittingyourname. B esides did
romise father shewentonc oldly .
askofyou. O urunc leiswaitingto
sothatyoumaynotha etotra el
c r ie d B a l t ha a r r i si n g to h i s fe e t I
sassistancetore-establishmyfortune
tomy children.
" saidMarguerite w ithnosignof
askyousimplytothinko er
s. c anputthec asebeforeyouina
oustay inthehouse yourc hildrenwill
aybethemaster.
ie d B a l t ha a r .
g t o do " s h e we n t on w i th o ut h e ed i ng
w illbetoinformtheministerofyour
eandhonorablepost.W eshould
t inspiteof interestandinf luenc e if
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ipped se eralnotesforathousand
sglo e
e m e
t le a e u s w e mu st l ea e y ou " s he
reyouronlyc hild wouldfollowmy
w ou l d no t m ur m ur a t m y fa t e w ha t e e r
utmybrothersandsister shall
pairunderyoureyes promised
" shesaid pointingtohermother s
denourtroublesf romyou andendured
rstrengthfailsusnow. Wearenoton
weareinitslowestdepths father
c ateoursel es wewantsomethingbe-
effortsmustnotbecontinuallythwarted
c r ie d B a l t ha a r s e i i n g Ma r gu e ri t e s
you w illworkw ithyou
heanswered holdingouttheminister s
itwouldtaketoolongtorestoremy
ouarepointingoutto me.The
rkwillbelost aswellastheenor-
hthelaboratoryrepresents.O ur
hesaid indicatingthegarret.
thedoor say ing Choosefor
y ou a r e e r y ha r d h e a ns w er e d a s
r buthelethergo.
ritelearnedfrom eMul uinierthat
heturnedpaleatthissimplean-
fac espokesoelo uentlyofc ruelan iety
Donotalarmyourself mademoi-
hewouldc omebackagainatele en
ene erwenttobedatalllastnight.
orninghewasstandingbyoneof the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .1 3
ngoutat theroofofthelaboratory.
inginthek itc hen sawhim hewas
andhereisthefamousmonthof
sunhaspowerenoughtomakeusall
saidMarguerite. heknewnowwhat
harassedher father.
hadc ometopassw ithB altha ar as
thathislifewasinseparable asit
hic hhadbec omeapartof it. His
hishouseand laboratory hedid
tthe familiarsurroundings he
whoisatalosstoknowwhattodo
ldayswhenhec annotgoon C hange.
einhislaboratory itwastheone
erehec ouldbreathe italair. This
ndplaces sostronganinstinctin
salmosttyrannousinmenofscience
a r C l a e s wa s t o le a e h i s ho u se f o r
ustrenouncehisscienceandhis
ewords thathemustdie.
te tremityofan ietyandfear
thoughtofB altha ar sattemptto
scenecametohermemory andshe
ounda tragicsolutionofhisdiffi-
panddownintheparlor andshuddered
atthedoor. B altha aratlastc ame
himc rossthec ourt and ga ing
c ouldreadnothingbutthetrac esofall
pression. Whenhec ameintothe
tow ishhimgood-morning heput
outherwaist drewhertohisbreast
dsaidinherear
eeaboutmypassport.
s oice hisresignation hiscaress
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
erite sheart sheturnedherhead
hshe couldnotkeepback fled
nlycamebackwhenshehadweptat
tB altha arwasingreatspirits like
hiscourse.
o r B r i t ta n y u n c le a r e we h e s ai d
ha ealwaysthought shouldliketo
ere " theoldunc leremarked.
ea e u s c r ie d e l ic i e.
h eanatthatmoment.
nd t h e da y wi t h us s a id B a l t h a a r
sdehim amgoingawayto-morrow
ood-bye.
ssatMarguerite whohungherhead.
y e e r y on e f el t s ad e e r y on e t ri e d
ulthoughtsortotears. Thiswasno
as a n e i l e. A n d t h e n e e r y on e i n-
iatingit wasforafatherthus to
inghisfamilyandacceptingthe
altha ar stimeof life buthewas
ueritewasfirm andsubmittedwith
osedonhimfor theerrorswhich
arriedawaybyhisgenius.W hen
andthefatheranddaughterwerealone
handtoMarguerite. Hehadbeen
allthroughtheday asinthehappiest
w ithastrangetenderness inwhich
easked A reyousatisf iedw ithyour
im answeredMarguerite turningto
es.
a a r f o l l ow e d by e M u l u i ne r w e n t
ea eofhischerishedhopes.
ngedmelancholyglancesastheystood
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .1 5
rret. v erythingwasinwork ing
ehopeshadnotyetperished andthey
l perhapsfore er. B altha arlooked
outwhichhis thoughtshadho ered
othingtherebuthad itsassociationsfor
artinhise perimentsorhisin estiga-
ade eMul uiniersetf reethegases
iousacids andtakeprec autionsagainst
shesawtoallthesedetails bitterregrets
mamancondemnedtodeathwhen
mtothescaffold.
said stoppingbeforeac apsuleinwhic h
ic batterywereimmersed weoughtto
ise periment. f itweretosucc eed
etheirfatherfromhis housewhen
their feet.H ideousthought
fc arbonandsulphur inwhichthe
nelec tro-positi ebody c rystalli a-
henegati epole andinthec ase
onwouldbedepositedthereina
t wi l l do s a id e M u l u i ni e r l oo k -
r.
a a r w en t o n af t er a m o me n t of s i le n ce t h e
totheinfluenceofthatbattery
sit w illsooninc rease-
t b e le f t u s t as i t i s. T h at s o rt o f
estime andmustbelef tundisturbed.
c rystalli ationislongenoughabout
r ant.
weretofall thesulphideofc arbon
B altha arsaid lettingfallstray linksofa
ompleteinhis ownmind but
atteryis broughttobearonit
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
hich donotknowhowtoset up.
watched itispossible.
gof Thereistobenomorec hem-
wemustkeepbooksinarec ei er s
tany.
wentdownstairsto breakfastinhis
me. Pier uinandM. de olishad
arwasan ioustoputanendtothe
saidfarewelltohisc hildren and
fterhis uncle allthefamilycame
ofthedoor.There asMarguerite
pair heansweredhermuteappeal
ouareagoodchild bearyounoill-
urtyard andtookrefugeinthe
espotwherehermotherdied she
oGodtogi eherstrengthtobring
ew lifetoasucc essfulend. hefelt
ninner oic eechoedtheapplauseof
andwithitmingledthe thanksof
andbrothers. mmanuelandPier-
hadwatc hedthetra elingcarriagetillit
le w h a t w il l y ou d o n e t i n u i re d
" sh e s ai d s im pl y . W e h a e a b ou t
andatWaignies. meantoha e
deitupintothreefarms toerectthe
andthentoletthem. feelsure
e w ithplentyofpatienceandprudenc e
esaid turningtoherbrotherandsister
faboutfourhundredac res whichsome
nfifteenthousandfrancsyearly.
aremustbe thishouseandtheconsols
henwewillpayof fourfather s
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .1 7
dgi ehimbackhisestateswhenthetime
" s a i d Pi e r u i n a m a e d a t Ma r gu e ri t e s
msumming-upofthesituation you
ndredthousandfrancsif youare
dbuildsteadingsandbuycattle.
omefrom "
hediff ic ultyc omesin " shesaid
mmanuelde olis c annot
eofmyunc le hehasalreadybecome
c r ie d P ie r u i n. t s u dd e nl y s tr u ck
laesgirlswereworthmorethanf i e
apiece.
argueritetenderly butPier uin
tillanotaryin themidstofhis enthu-
cordingly leanletyouha etwo
ritesoughtcounselofeachotherby
sentarayof lightthroughPier uin s
ptotheeyes shewassogladthat
sgenerousasshe hadwished.Mar-
andguessedthetruthatonce
orchild shearthadbeenwonby
essgallantry .
m e fi e p e r ce n t. " h e a d d ed a n d
youc angi emeamortgageonyour
eyourselfaboutit youshallha e
emoneywhenallthe contractsare
ndyousomegoodtenants andlookaf ter
w illdoitallfornothing andstand
an.
toMarguerite beseec hingherto
ewastoomuchabsorbedinwatching
nthatc rossedhersister sfac etonotic e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S TO F T HE A B S O L U T .
ssilencesheturnedtothelawyerw ith
answeredofherownacc ord toM. de
y us c ou si n " s h e sa id I s ho ul d ha e
butwewanttof reetheestatesas
ndthef i eperc ent interestwouldham-
illmybrothercomesofage andwewill
mmanuelbegantosmilegently.
d t a ke e a n ba c kt o s ch o ol " s a id M a r-
erbrother. TakeMarthaw ithyou.
an mydarling anddonottearyourc lothes
w tobuynewonesforyou asoften
runaway littleman andwork
brother.
ar g ue r it e t o Pi e r u i n a n d yo u m o n-
t u rn i ng t o M .d e o l is y o u ha e d o ub t -
atherwhile wasaway amgrateful
urf riendship and amsurethat
poorgirls whowillstandinneed
sunderstandeac hotherc learly . When
llalwaysseeyouw iththegreatestpleas-
c iew illbeleftherew ithnoonebut
neednottellyouthatshec anrec ei e
nanoldf riendandac ousinsode otedto
sitionwemustnotgi etheslightest
mustgi eourmindstoourwork for
einsolitude.
noonespoke. mmanuel deeply
guerite sfac e wasdumb Pier uin
andtook lea eofhisc ousin. He
hesuddenlypercei edthatMar-
anuel andthathehadac tedlikethe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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F TH E A B S O L U T .1 9
u i n m y f r i en d " s a i d h e to h i ms e lf a s
anyonewhocalledyouanass
uh. Whatastupiddolt am
dli resayearbesidemyprofessional
ofmyunc ledesR ac uets allhis
omeofthesedays and shallha e
terall don twanthimtodie heis
sgrac elessenoughtoaskMile. C laesfor
terall elic ieisasweetandgoodlittle
etter.Margueritehas awilllike
oruleme andshewouldruleme
ur s el e s g en e ro u s P i er u i n l e t us h a e
c annotshakeof foldhabits. B lessme
elic ie thosearemysentiments and
oodness yes hew illha ea
ed andthirtyacresofgood
gniesisrich andbeforelongitwill
entythousandli resyearly.My
es p o or o l d ge n tl e ma n ) , s e ll m y
manof leisureworthf if ty thousand
ou s a nd l i r e s M y wi f e is a C l a e s
thse eralfamiliesofdistinction. Diantre/
aronde a arus theC ourte illes and
isitaPier uin-C laes-Molina-
m ay or o f D ou a i s h al l h a e t h e C r o ss
or c anbeadeputy nothingw illbe
ok o u t P i er u i n m y b oy a n d le t
nse inasmuc has uponmyhonor
elic ieV anC laesisinlo ew ith
werealone mmanuelheldouthis
ouldnothelplayingher righthand
adethem bothrisetotheir
wardstheirbenc hinthegarden
prlorherlo erc ouldnotc ontrol
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
oic ethattrembledw ithemotion hesaid
dredthousandfrancsthatbelongto
h e cr i ed d i d my p o or m o th e r le a e
keeping N o Thenhow is
e w ha t i s mi n e is y o ur s i s i t no t
saywe
shesaid pressingthehandthatshe
ofgoingintothegarden shesatdown
t ha n k yo u " h e s a i d w i t h lo e i n h is
c ceptitf romme.
e sa i d t h is m o me n t at o ne s f or m a ny
nearertoahappyfuture es w ill
shec ontinued andanangelic smile
th I knowofawaytomakeit
laes portrait asifc allingonher
mmanuelde olishadfollowed
hedidnotseeherdrawalittle
hedidnotnotic ethatshehaddoneso
sofoursorrowonec omforthasarisen
celea esmefreetodisposeofmyself "
hering. Takeit mmanuel my
ewouldha ec hosenyou.
el seyes heturnedpale fellon
arguerite ashega ehertheringthat
sweddingring andhek issedthe
M y M ar g ue r it e s h al l h a e n o p le d ge
pointingtotheringshehadgi en
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .191
d mmanuel slipstouchedherfore-
a r e we n o t do i ng w r on g " s h e sa i d
Weshallha etowaitforalong
at adorationwasthedailybread
of t h e C h r is t ia n s l o e o f G od b u t
you Marguerite foralongwhile
ngledwiththethoughtofGod
te t h em a m y ou r s a s a m H i s .
remainedraptin thesweetest
repouredoutas uietlyandnat-
ando erf lowsinlittlewa es
atewhichkeptthetwolo ersapart
ly whichga etotheirhappiness
cyofgrief. eliciecameback
hem. mmanuel taughtbythe
whic hinstincti elydi inese erything
r withaglanceinwhichMarguerite
onsiderationcosthima glance
ardentlyhehaddesiredthis hap-
eenconsecratedbythebetrothalof
ister " saidMarguerite puttingher
ec k . Theywenttogetheroutintothe
nthe benchtowhichonegeneration
dtheirlo eandgrief theirplans
ofhersister sgaytonesandshrewd
eltsomething ery likeatremorof fear.
andfeltthatshewastrembling.
e " heroldersistersaidinherear
eart. P ier uinhasbeenhere eryof ten
e ca m e e e r y e e n in g h e h as w h is p er e d
ha elistenedtohim.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
lf myangel " Margueriteanswered
e Perhapsourc ousin sc harac ter
ceofyour dearsoul heisselfish
interests butheiskind-hearted
odoubt conducetoyourhappiness
hefairestofhispossessions youw ill
f fairs. orgi emeforthatword
ehimofthebadhabitof think ingof
estsbyteachinghimto occupyhim-
eheart.
rarms roundhersister.
gueritewenton heiswell-to-do. H e
tdistinguishedandoldestbourgeois
tthink that wouldputobstac lesin
s ifyouc hoosetof inditinasphere
okefrom elic ie.
m a yt r us t m e c r ie d M ar g ue r it e . W h a t
shouldtell eachotheroursecrets
yspoken openedthewayforone
whichyounggirls confidee ery-
ehadmadeMarguerite uic k to
andshesaidatlastto elic ie
ne wemustmakesurethatthecousin
then
s a id e li ci e l au gh in g I h a e a n
e.
saidMarguerite k issingherforehead.
classof menwhoregardmarriage
afulf illmentofsoc ialduties andaway
itwastohim amatterofindiffer-
Margueriteor elic ie solongas
nameand possessedthesame
ewasacuteenoughtosee thatboth
ne pression were romantic andsen-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .193
ad ec ti esemployedbycommonplace
whichnature sowswithagrudging
humanfield.Doubtlessthelawyer
estdoatR omeastheR omansdo
metoseeMarguerite andw ithamys-
othelittlegardenand beganto
sinc ethiswasanecessarypreliminary
s totheusualformalcontractdrawn
id h e w e ha e n o t al w ay s b ee n o f on e
sofbringingyouout ofyourdiffi-
c know ledgethat ha ealwaysbeen
siretoser eyou. Well then yester-
ompletelyspoiledbyanunlucky
simplytoalawyer shabitofmind.
Myheartisnottoblamefortheabsurd
c ared erymuchaboutyou andwe
uic k-sightedness sawthatyoudid
tismyownfault omeoneelsehas
w a s. W e l l h a e c om e t o te l l yo u o ut
oursister elicie. oyouc antreatme
purse takewhatyouwill themore
uw illpro eyourregardforme. am
withoutinterestdoyouunderstand
fonly maybethought
at i s a ll a s k. o r gi e m e f or m y
tobusinesshabits myheartisright
dthrowmyself intothe c arperatherthan
. H espokewithe ery indic ation
.
ctory c ousin butthematterdoesnot
wthmysisterandfather " saidMar-
c o us i n " t h e no t ar y a ns we r ed b u t
emall besides ha enothing
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
hat youshould udgeofminecor-
haracteristicofthehonest
P i er u i n s r e pl y t o an i n i t at i on f r om
t aintO meibec amefamous the
omemilitary festi ity andPier uin s
s: MonsieurPier uin-C laesde
rof thec ityofDouai C he alierof the
i ll h a e t h at o f b ei n g pr e se n t e t c.
fferonlyinsofar asitrelatedto
fearingtoc ompromiseherdignityas
sfuture orherfather sauthority . The
rsisterto thecareof osetteand
otedbodyandsoultotheiryoungmis-
oallherplansof retrenc hment and
atelyforW aignies whereshebe-
toe ec utionatonce benefitedby
nc e .
etimeandtrouble e pended
c ellentin estment hewasputting
sitwere and w ithsuc haprospec tbe-
ndtogrudgetheoutlay .
endea oredtospareMargueritethe
and gettingitreadyforculti a-
sofwealthyfarmers youngmen
ettlethemsel es tothemhepointed
bilitiesofferedbysuchafertile soil
helandtothem ustasitwas ona
hreeyearstheyweretopaynorent
yundertook topaysi thousand
andinthesi th andaf terthat f if teen
thee pirationofthelease.They
heland tomakeplantations and
steadingswereincourseoferec-
e ground.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .195
a ar sdeparture Margueritehad
unesofher brotherandsister.Two
loanedby mmanuelde olis had
esof thefarmbuildings. A d ic eand
beenreadilygi entothebra egirl
Marguerite sc ourage. hepersonally
goperations andlookedafterher
thegoodsense energy andper-
ancandisplaywhensheis sustained
gueritec ouldde otethirty thou-
opayingoff themortgagesonher
dtorepairingtheha oc wroughtby-
ointheoldhouse. B esidestherentf ron
hadtheinterestonthec apitalin ested
andtheproc eedsofherfather sprop-
nctionofthedebtwasboundto be
e amountofinterestdecreased.
moreo er hadpersuadedMargueriteto
edthousandfrancsofhisuncle s
sometwentythousandfranc swhic hhehim-
atinthethirdyearofheradministration
argeamountofdebt.Thislife of
andself -sacrif icelastedforf i eyears but
toMarguerite sinf luenc eandsuper-
uc c ess.
ilengineer andw ithhisgreat-
rapidfortunebytheconstructionof
orintheeyesofhisc ousin Mile.
fatheridoli ed oneof theric hest
s. n1 24C laes propertywasf ree
edeParishadrepairedits losses.
pplicationtoB altha arfor elic ie s
saskedforMarguerite.
mo n th o f a n ua r y 1 2 5 M a r-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
kssetoutforB rittanytobringback
ome eryonelongedtoseeinhishome
spost thathemightspendtherest
dren andhispresenceshouldsanction
tehadoftenbewailedtheempty
picture-galleryandthestateapart-
eettheirfather seyesonhisreturn so
Pier uinandM. de olisplotted
surpriseforher theyoungersister
eintherestorationof theMaison
enhadboughtse eralf inepic tures
elic ie sothatthegallerymightbe
e thoughthadoccurredtoM.
edtoshowhisapprec iationofMarguerite s
thewayinwhichshehadde otedher-
mother sre uest. Hearranged
res togetherwithsomeofthose
re iouslysold shouldbesenttof illthe
therewerenownomoreblankspaces.
erfatherse eraltimes eanorher
oneac h ourney but sinc eherlast
et o h a e g a in e d on B a l t h a a r . H e l i e d
fornearlyallhisinc omewasspenton
roughtnothingbutdisappointment
symptomswereduetohis manner
ty - f i eyearsofage buthelooked
eyesweredeeplysunkin hisface
hishairhungin ascantyfringe
owedhisbeardtogrow c uttingitw ith
engthannoyedhim hestooped
hisneglec teddresssuggestedadegree
frightfulwhencombinedwithhis
metimeshisfacelookednoblestill
hteditup buttheoutlinesofhis
bywrink les hisf i edga e thedes-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .197
andhisrestlessuneasinessseemedto
orratherofmanyformsofinsanity.
pewouldgi ehimthelookofamono-
of impatienc e thathec ouldnotguessthis
himandeludedhis grasplikeawill-
a eoutintoimpotentangerlikemadness
of laughterathisownfolly but
astateof thedeepestde ec tion and
wasmergedinthedullmelanc holyof
etingandimperceptiblethesechanges
forstrangers theywereunhappilyonly
hohadknowntheonc enoblefac e the
sosublimeingoodnessandsogreat-
arcelyatracec ouldnowberec ogni ed.
ehismaster wasoldandwornby in-
dnotbornethesameburden nor
inof thought ac uriousmi tureof
ntheway inwhichhelookedathis
emisledac asualobser er helistened
slightestword andwatc hedhismo e-
erness helookedafterhisgreat
c arelikeamother s hee en
and insomeways ac tuallydidpro-
arne ertookanythoughtfortheneeds
twastouchingandpainfultoseethe
ppedinthesamethought bothsosure
e inspiredbythesamerestless
heyhadbutonelifebetweenthem
ndtheotherthebody. WhenMar-
ksarri edtheyfoundM. C laesli ing
rhadtakenhisplaceatonc e.
tionofscience B altha arhad
oseehisc ountry hishome and
sdaughter sletterhadbroughtgood
odreamofac rowningseriesofe peri-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
relyyieldatlast thesecretofthe
itedMarguerite sc omingw ithgreat
of oyassheflungherself into
adc ometorecei eherreward the
culttask andtoaskpardonfor
utasshelookedmorecloselyat
ockedatthechangeswroughtin him
it shefeltasifshehadc ommitteda
atmanwho iolatesthelibertiesofhis
onale istenc e. M. Conyncksshared
s heinsistedthathisc ousinmustbe
theairofhisnati eDouaimightrestore
eby hisownhearthshouldrestorehis
sofaffection whichweremuch
spartthanMargueritehade pec ted he
toherw ishes hee pressedhisregret
apoorplace hec onsultedhertastes
als andwasassedulouslywatchful
anneralsotherewassomethingof
etyoftheculpritwhowishes tosecure
ma udge. Margueriteknewherfather
hemoti esunderlyingthisaffectionate
tthathemustha einc urreddebtsin
san ioustopaybeforehewent. he
wlyforawhile andahumanheart
e. B altha arseemedtoha egrown
fhishumiliation theenforced
scientificpursuits hadmadehim
d sa ewhenthesub ec tunderdis-
thhisbelo edscience.H estoodin
e herememberedherde otionin
indand characterthatshehadshown
ehimselfhadin estedher the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .199
ministeredsoably andtheinde-
chhadtakenpossessionofhim on
he authoritywhichhehadabused
erwithtime.
easnothinginB altha ar seyes he
ter andthoughtofnooneelse he
er asaweak-mindedmaniso erawed
trongerthanhisown.Marguerite s
detecteda lookofterrorinhis
ikethatofsomelittlec hildwhohasbeen
couldnot understandthecon-
gnificentsternoutlinesofthehead
tificlaborsandstrenuousthought
altha ar slips thee pressionofart-
.Thissharpcontrastbetweengreatness
painfultoher sheresol edtouseher
her sself-respectbeforethegreat
mto hisfamily.W hentheywere
t shebeganatonc e sei ingthe
ar
et s he r e f a t he r
neasily andanswered donot
uinierw illtellyou heisagoodfellow
affairsthan domyself.
er ant andwhenhec ameshe
efacesof thetwooldmen.
te d m o ns i eu r " a s ke d e M u l u i ni e r.
prideweretwoof Marguerite s
methingintheser ant stoneandman-
miliaritybetweenherfatherandthe
hichga eherapang.
heris unabletoreckonupwhathe
emorytoaidhim eMul uinier "
eMul uinierbegan butc hec kedhim-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
a ar whichdidnotescapeMarguerite.
miliated.
mu ch m y f at h er o w es s h e e -
ethousandfranc shereinthetowntoa
ocerwhohassuppliedus withcaustic
c andreagents.
s ke d M ar g ue r it e .
f ir m at i e s i gn t o e M u l u i ni e r w h o
eraspell es mademoiselle.
e s ai d I w i l l gi e y o u th e mo n ey .
da u gh t er i n h is o y . Y o u a r e m y
id " hesaid.
afterthat.Therewasl esssadness
t he r b u t i n s pi t e of h i s o y M a r-
hedepthsofhisheart hewasstill
ssedthatthef i ethousandfranc smerely
singofthedebts contractedforthe
tory .
f a th e r " s h e sa i d a s s he l e t hi m d ra w
tonhisknees doyouowemore
erything c omebac k toyourhome
your mindinthemidstof the
" heanswered tak ingherhandsand
hat seemedlikeamemoryofhis
oldme
ked w ithanin oluntarystartofc hildish
y te l l yo u e e r yt h in g a n d wi l l yo u p ay
try ingtokeepbac k thetearsthatc ame
o we . O h d ar e no t
e "
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
whichuneducatedmindscanac uire
rsif theyfeelthattheyare indispen-
uchnaturesuseconcessionaftercon-
stocompletedominion andattain
doggedpersistence. O r onthe
emasterwhohadc ometofeelforthe
ctionthatspringsfromuseandwont
ichacraftsmanfeelsfor histool
ortheA rabforthehorsetowhic hhe
ittlethingsthatpassedunderMargue-
idedhertoput thisaffectiontothe
reeB altha arf romwhatperhapswasa
Parisontheirwayback.Mar-
sdebts andbesoughtthef irmof
oDouaiwithoutfirst gi ingher
rs. hepersuadedherfathertomake
me andtodressas becameaman
altransformationga eB altha ara
whichauguredwellfora changein
dyfeltsomethingofthehappiness
herfathershould findthesur-
hisownhouse andtheirdepart-
delayed.
byhertwobrothers mmanuel P ier-
timatef riendsof thethreefamilies rode
hetowntomeetB altha ar. Thelong
herdirec tionstothechemist sthoughts
landsc apehadstirredhisheart so
oyouscortegeofchildrenandfriends
hattearsf illedhiseyes his oic e
reddened hetookhisc hildreninhis
fhec ouldnotletthemgo showing
forthemthattheonlookerswere
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .203
sawhishouseoncemore and
with the uicknessofayoung
apleasuretohimtobreathetheairinthe
oseee erytriflingdetailagain his
sibleine erygesturethathemade
isfacegrewyoungagain.
hestoodinthe doorwayofthe
curatelyhisdaughterhadreproduced
sc onc eswhic hhehadsold andhow
oftheirmisfortuneshaddisappeared.
tawaitedtheminthedining-room
esideboardshadbeenf illedw ithc uriosi-
eastas aluableastheheirloomswhic h
ongasthefamilybreakfast
c arc elyheardallthathew ishedtohear
isreturnhadbroughtabout a
hethoughtofnothingbutfamily
herbeforeall things.Therewasthe
er. nthe oyof thatf irstmoment
skbywhatmeansallthat hehad
eco ered andhishappinesswasc om-
efatherandhisfourc hildren andPier-
ni n to t h e pa r lo r a n d B a l th a a r s aw n o t
estampedpaperswhichaclerkhad
hichhe stood asifawaiting
semployer.B altha arstoodin
hearthashisfamilyseatedthemsel es.
uin isanac countofhisguardianship
hisc hildren. tisnot eryamusing
laughing af terthemannerofnotaries
estingtoneo erthegra estmatters
absolutelynecessarythatyoushould
ncesofthecasemight ustifythe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
laes w ithanuneasyconscienc e must
andhefrowned.Theclerkbegan
eread thegreatergrewB altha ar s
rstplac e itwasascertainedthatat
athherfortunehad amountedto
thousandfrancs andatthec onc lusion
ntseachchild ssharewaspaidin
c learandstraightforward asif themost
ad administeredtheestate. t
atGabriel smortgageonthehouse
tB altha ar sdwellingwashisown and
fromallliabilities. Hehadrec o -
hispositionasac iti en hise istenc e
hesank intoanarmchairandlooked
t w ithawoman se q uisitedelic ac y
enawayduringthereading tomake
mentsfortheftehadbeenfully
eofC laes c hildrenunderstoodwhat
henthroughafilmoftears hiseyes
sheseemedtotheirinner isionlike
GabrielwenttofindMarguerite
ootstep hurriedtowardsher metherat
andclaspedherin hisarms.
a id a s t he o l d ma n h el d h er t i gh t ly d o
ou tolessenyoursac redauthority . ou
themall forc arry ingoutyourw ishes
oualone mustbetheauthorof the
chmayha ebeeneffectedhere.
yestohea en lookedathisdaughter
hisfaceworealookwhichnoneofhis
years ashesaid Whyareyounot
i re o u r ch i ld
eheldhisdaughterinatight
andwentbacktotheparlor.
id w iththenoblebearingwhic hhadso
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .205
edhiminformeryears weallowe
tudetomydaughterMargueritefor
ewithwhichshehascarriedout my
omuchabsorbedbysc ientific researc h lef t
ffairsandthe reinsofauthorityin
eadthemarriagec ontrac ts " said
t h e cl o ck . B u t h a e n o th i ng t o d o
thelawforbidsmeto drawupdocu-
relations soM. Raparlier sunc le
n itedtothedinnergi ento
eturnandthesigningof thecontracts
andtheser antsbroughtthewedding
e whichrapidlygrew wasbrilliant
he isitorsandthesplendorof their
usbroughttogetherto witness
esshadstri entooutshineeac hother.
tat oncewithsplendidgiftsfor
dflowedinonthemand sparkled
d cashmereshawlslayamongneck-
ersandrec ei ersalikefeltheartfelt oy
shone isibly inallfac es sothat
tlinessofthegiftswereforgottenby
ed who asarule aresuf fic iently
esbycountingupthe cost.
n.A fterthemannertraditional
theparentsalonewereseated e ery
emainedstandingaboutthemat a
eof theparlornearestthegarden
Mile. Conync ks ne ttothemM.
e hersister elicieandPier uin.
nync ks theonlytwowhowereseated
ithersideofthenotarywho had
eanstoodbehindhisfather sarmc hair
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
oftheroom nearestthecourtyard
composedofascoreofwell-dressed
en nearrelationsofP ier uin C onync ks
mayorofDouai beforewhomthemar-
e andado enof themostde oted
s includingthefirstpresidentof
uaiandthec ureof t. P ierre. The
semblagetothe fathers whoseemed
estedw ithregaldignity ga eanalmost
ene. orthef irsttime duringsi -
arforgottheQ uestof theA bsolutefora
beenin itedtothesigningof the
werenowpresent.M. R apar-
edthisf romMargueriteandhersister
nd takenupthecontractofmar-
eand mmanuelde olis whichwas
thedoorsuddenly flewopen and e
earedbeamingw ith oyande c ite-
" hec alled.
rgueriteadespairingglanc e bec koned
outintothegardentogether. A pre-
oublefellonthoseassembled.
lyou dearchild " thefathersaidto
ouha edonesomuc hformethatyou
thisnewtrouble. eMul uinier
ormylaste periment whichwas
dmetwentythousandfranc s and
lowhasfoundoutthat amrich
a e h i s mo n ey l e t hi m h a e i t a t
youoweyourfather slifetohim for
d comfortthroughallmyfailures
me. Withouthim mustha e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .207
u c r ie d e M ul u i ni e r.
t h a a r t u rn i ng t o wa r ds h i m.
mondintheoldser ant shand
or. eMul uinierbeganina
boratory
elyforgetfulofhissurroundings ga e
whichc anonlyberenderedbythe
ogouptothelaboratory
ia m on d t he r e " t h e se r a n t we n t on
ommunicatedwiththatbatterywhich
esandithasdonethetric k sir
whitediamondofoc tahedralform so
lthoseassembledwereattracted
s " s a i d B a l t ha a r f o rg i e m y
e m e. T h is w i ll d r i e m e ma d A t s o m e
enyearschancehasbroughtaboutin
hat ha esoughtin aintoc ompass
wasnotthere H owhasitc ome
de a .O h y e s k n ow t h at s u bm i tt e d
ndcarbontothe influenceofa ol-
roc essshouldha ebeenwatc hedfrom
duringmyabsenc e thepowerofGod
mylaboratory and ha ebeenunable
forthishasbeen broughtaboutgrad-
t i s o e r wh e lm i ng i s i t n ot A c c u r se d
i ty A h i f o nl y h a d wa t ch e d th i s lo n g
knownotwhattocallitc rystal-
on mirac le infac t myc hildrenwould
apstheproblemwouldstill remain
eastthef irstraysof thedawnofmyglory
myc ountry andthismoment when
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
esatisfied thoughitglowswith
a ebeengladdenedyetmorebythe
e thedisconnec tedphraseswrung
osincerenot tobesublime.A ll
o eredhimself forcedbac khisdespair
andga etheassemblyama estic
ghtsomethingofhisenthusiasm.
mondandheld itouttoMarguerite
myangel.
uinierbyasign andspoketothe
h e sa id .
sationamongthosewhoheard
hrillsuchasTalma insomeofhisparts
steningaudiencethathungonhis
down say ingtohimself To-day
espokeinalow oic e butMar-
ardhim wento ertoherfatherand
and.
a m an s o g re a t s a id m ma n ue l w h e n
hisside ne erwastheresostrong
ha egonemad.
ntractshadbeenreadandsigned
outB altha artoaskhowthediamond
couldthrownoli ghtonthemysteri-
outattheattic andpointedtoitina
owerwhic hresultsf romthe ibrationsof
doubtlessproducesmetalsanddia-
elf there " hesaid foronemoment
about uitenaturally " saidoneof
acc ountfore erything theold
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U l^E .209
ondlyingabout. tisso much
hasburnedup.
s a id B a l t h a a r t o th e f ri e nd s w ho
begyouw illnotspeakof itagainto
sarmtolead himtothestate
an uethadbeenprepared. A shefol-
gallery hesawthatit wasfilled
thatthewallswerec o eredw ithpic -
d pic tures andsomeoftheold
omenthelookedgloomyandsad he
sownhumiliationhowgreat had
donehischildren.
ther " saidMarguerite guessingB al-
ho m t he a n ge l s in h e a e n m u s t su r el y
h o w ma n y ti m es y o u ha e g i e n l if e t o
udonyourbrow andnottheleast
eart " sheanswered andyouwill
yondmyhopes. ha e ustbeenthink ing
dearestfather littlethingsyouha e
ha emademeesteemhim and
u n u s t to h i m h e o ug h t to l i e h e re a s a
e ermindaboutyourdebttohim
nearlysi ty thousandfranc s and e
themoney. A f terhehasser edyou
ospendthe restofhisdaysin comfort.
onourac count. M. de olisand
uietlyw ithoutlu ury wec an
are abletoreturnit.
y o u mu s t ne e r l ea e m e y o u mu s t al w ay s
d en c e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
tateapartments B altha arsawthat
dfurnishedas splendidlyasbefore.
downtothe dining-roomonthe
gshrubsstoodone erystepof thegreat
fsil er-plateofmar elousworkmanship
er attrac tedalleyesby itssplendor
otheproudestburghersofDouai who
ishdisplayofsil er. Theguestswere
antsof thethreehouseholdsofC laes
uin eMul uinierstoodbehindhis
a ar inthemidstofhisk insfolkatthe
dheartfelt oy inthehappyfacesthat
odeeplymo edthate eryonewas
tinthepresenc eofagreat oyor
hesaid youha ek illedthefattedc alf
galfather.
emistsummedup hisposition
atedharshercriticism wasspoken
yonepresentwasmo edtotears but
ceofsadness anished andhappi-
onintheblithemerrimentcharacteristic
erthedinnertheprincipalfamilies
efortheball andinitsrestoration
hane ualeditstraditionalsplendor.
yfollowed theensuingre oicings
drewC laesintothe orte ofsocial
Hisoldestsonwenttoli enear
elongingtohisfather-in- law forM.
rtobeseparatedfromhis daughter.
leftherfather sroof topresideo er
nhadbuilt wherehemeanttoli e
hisrank forhehadsoldhisprac-
Rac uetshadrec entlydiedandlef t
hadslowlyamassed. eanwent
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .211
ation soofallhisc hildren onlyM.
inedwithB altha arintheoldhouse.
familyhomeinthereartothem and
ondstoryof thef rontbuilding. o
o e r B a l t ha a r s c o mf o rt a n d m -
congenialtask.
romthehandsof lo ethecrown
the wreaththatiswo enbyhap-
c onstanc y. ndeed nomoreperfect
plete and acknowledgedhappiness
dream couldbefound.The
obeingswhohad facedthetrialsof
whofeltforeachothersuchasac redaf fec-
mirationandrespectofthosewho
sometimehadheldanappointment
euni ersity resignedhispostto
hisleisure andremainedinDouai
lentswereheldin suchhighesteem
tywhenthetimecamewasalready
eensostronginad ersity bec amea
nprosperity.Throughtherest of
ainlydeeplyabsorbedinhisstudies
e periments in ol ingbutlittle
y incomewassuf f icientforhisre uire-
toneglecthislaboratorywork.Mar-
dtraditionof thehouse ga ea
oth towhichherfather thePier uins
e andrecei edherownc irc leofac -
heweek.H ercafeshadagreat
allypresentontheseoc c asions though
bescarcelyconsciousofhissurround-
cietyagainso cheerfullytopleasehis
mightwellimaginethat hehad
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
osolrehisproblem. nthiswaythree
goodfortunewhic hbefell mmanuel
houghthreenumerousfamilies
olis stoodbetweenhimandthe
e er oldage and ariousf reaksof
ethemallchildless andthetitles
manuel whowasthelastofhisfamily.
whichseemlessimprobablein real
andsandtitlesof theCountsofNourho
hehouseof olis. Margueritewould
husband whowouldbeforcedto
intosettlehisaf fairs moreo er she
hec hateauofCasa-Real whereher
dhood andthecityofGranada
sfamily . oshewentw ithher
e h ou s eh o ld t o M ar t ha o s et t e a n d e
eaccustomedtoitsmanagement.Mar-
altha arthatheshouldgow ith
inedonthesc oreofhisgreatage but
ongmeditatedcertaine periments
shopesatlast andthiswasthetrue
essede olisyN ourhostayedlonger
intended andac hildwasbornto
untilthemiddleof theyear1 30
, intendingtoreturnto ranceby
adi aletterc amefrom elic iebringing
eenmonthstheirfatherhadc ompletely
dPier uinwereobligedtoallow
ymonthtopayfornec essarye penses
o eMul uinier. Theoldser ant
gsasecondtimetohismaster. B al-
ote enhisownchildrenwereadmitted
andMarthawerebothdead the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .213
andtherestof theser antshadbeen
er andthehorsesandcarriageshad
eMul uinierwasdiscreetandtac i-
odgroundforbelie ingthatthemoney
Pier uinallowedhimfornecessaries
iments. ndeed GabrielandPier uin
a mortgageontheMaisonC laes
wledge lestthehouseshouldbe sold
eofhisc hildrenhadany influencew ith
whostillpossessedsuche traordinary
ne enintrif les. twas ustpossible
ainheroldascendanc yo erhim and
ertoc omehomeatonce shewasin
dha eputhisnametobillsonc e
nc ks andPier uinhadtakenalarmat
hichhadspentse enmillionsof
andhaddec idednottopayM. C laes
dMarguerite stra elingplans she
metoDouai. Withherpastsa ings
althitwouldbeeasytopayherfather s
shedeterminedtodomorethanthis she
sw ishes B altha arC laesshouldnot
e.C learlyshealonehadsufficient
enthimfromcarryingouthis
lend atatimeof lifewhengreat
pectedfromhisenfeebledpowers
ehim andnottowoundhissuscep-
tatethec hildrenof ophoc les pos-
all wasnearingthesolutionof the
hhehadsacrificedsomuch.
e ac h ed l a nd e rs i n 1 3 1 a n d
orningtowardstheendof eptember.
achmantodri etoherhouse
n d fo u nd i t s hu t u p a i o le n t
c ednoanswer. A shopkeeper .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ef thisdoorstep whitherhehadbeen
ecarriages manyoftheneighbors
partlybecausetheyweregladtosee
muc hbelo edinthetown partly
ngofcuriosityastowhatmight
camebacktotheMaisonC laes.
omtede olis manthatold
ouseaboutanhourbefore. eMul-
kenhimto walkupontheramparts.
mithtoforceopen thedoor so
h e r fa t he r i f a s e l ic i e s l e t t er h a d
shouldrefusetoallowhertoenterthe
self meanwhile wentinsearc hof the
ewsofhisdaughter sarri al and
messageto M.andMme.Pier uin.
rceopenthedoor.Marguerite
edirectionsabouttheirbaggage.A
hroughherassheenteredthewalls
adswepto erthem. V anHuysium s
theportraitof thegreatC laeshad
encer sosomeonesaid. Thedining-
rewasnothingtherebuttwostraw-
wretchedtable onwhichMarguerite
gi ings ac oupleofbow lsandplates
orks and onadish theremainsofa
oubtless ofwhic hC laesandhisser ant
shehurriedthroughthestateapart-
eryroomwasasbareandforlornasthe
m theideaof theA bsoluteseemed
thewholehouselikeaf ire.
ther sroom therewasabed a
tallowcandleburneddowntothe
coppercandlestick.Thehouse
pletelythattherewereno curtains
rythingthatc ouldbringinafewpenc e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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F TH E A B S O L U T .215
ls hadbeensold. Drawnbythefeel-
i esinuse eninthedeepestmisfor-
i n to e M u l u i n i er s r o om i t w as
master s. Thedrawerinthetable
argueritecaughtaglimpseof apawn-
adpledgedhiswatchafewdayspre-
dtotheattic thelaboratorywasas
dtobe f inally shehadthedoorof
n e erythingwasasshehadleftit
erapartment.
dher burstintotears andinher
r. v eninthef ren yofenthusiasm
hehadbeencheckedbyfatherly
titudetowardsher.Thisproofof
inthedepthsofherdespair wroughtin
e ulsionswhichpro etoostrongfor
wentdowntotheparlor andwaited
w ithanan ietywhic hwasinc reased
wasabouttoseehim wouldhebe
eseeadec repit ailingwrec k emac iated
ghpride upposehisreasonhad
dfastin theprofanedsanctuary.
oseupbeforeher. heremembered
nattemptstosa eherfatherf romhim-
themotherwhohadbeensohappy
erythingabouther e enthefaceofher
donthedesolation seemedtoform
urnfultragedy.
bodings shedidnotforeseethec atas-
rfather slife alifesomagnif icent
af fairswerenosec ret. Tothe
erewerenogenerousnaturestobe
e erencethepassionatepersistence
ltha arwasputunderthebanof
father whohadrunthroughhalf -a-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
ohadspentmillionsof f rancsonthesearc h
neinthis enlightenednineteenthcen-
redulity etc . Hewasmaligned
sbrandedwiththecontemptuous
ist. H ewantstomakegold
tin histeeth.
enturyofoursshownitselfso dif-
ries thasleftgenius todiewith
astagesthat beheldthedeathsof
T a ss o e t u tt i u a nt i a n d or d in a ry m or t al s
eniuse enmoreslow lythank ings.
rningC laeshadgraduallyfiltered
ocraticsectiontothebourgeoisie
othe masses.Profoundcompassion
mistbypeopleofhisownrank and
mwitha sortofamusedcuriosity
mimpliedthesc ornfulV ae ic tis
eso erfallengreatness.
astthehouse usedtopointoutthe
heresomuchgoldand coalhad
tha arwentalongthestreet they
hisappearancewasoftenthesignal
ord fromthechildrenorworkpeople
e eronthewatc h translatedthewhisper-
mirationforhismaster whone er
tillpreser edthewonderfulc learness
ofgreatideashadgi entothem but
thepeasants andfor ulgarorsuper-
manwasaw i ard. Theoldand
aeswasspokenofinnarrowstreets
he De il sH ouse nothingwas
h es e a bs u rd t a le s e e n e M u l u i -
erisetosomeofthely inglegendsabout
erefore thepoor faithful oldser ant
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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T O F TH E A B S O L U T .
thatcouldcontributetohiscomfort
ueritecameintotheparlor ustas
shemustha ec omebac k . A f lush
r s f a ce a t t he s i gh t o f he r h i s ey e s we r e
ll hewasstillabletograsphis
c oldf ingers andinthispressureheput
oughtsthathecouldnotutter.
erysacredandsolemninthis farewell
earttowhichgratitudehad brought
e warmthoflife.
f ruitlesslabors wornoutbyhiswrest-
m seeing perhaps w ithdespairinhis
atwaitedforhismemory theTitan
v erythingabouthimspokeofhis
affec tion. Thereweresignsofwealthand
c ouldha ere oic edhiseyes thefair
ddenhis heart.H ecouldnow
onforthembylooks andhiseyeswere
itwasasif theyhadsuddenly
ariedpowerofspeec h andthelight
anguageeasytounderstand.
r sdebts andthoughtheanc ient
aeshaddeparted itwasshortly
cencethateffacedallmemoriesof
ewasne erabsentf romB altha ar s
oguesshisthoughtsandtoantic ipate
erinac tionorworddisplayingaught
nforhim.
by inalternationsofhopeanddespair
he finalstrugglebetweenlifeand
isc hildrencametoseehime ery
eday inhisroom theydinedtherein
andonlylefthimwhilehe slept.
obehisprincipalresource hetook
tic ale entsof thetime listening
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .221
olis whoreadthemaloudtohim and
hemightheare eryword.
endof theyear1 32B altha ar s
thenurse alarmedbyasudden
entforDr. P ier uin andwhenhe
main C laes c on ulsionsseemedso
t thedoctorfearedanymoment
gagainstthe paralysisthatbound
edibleef fortstospeak hislips
c amefromthem histhoughtsseemed
hisfacewasdrawnwithunheard-of
perspirationbrokeouton hisfore-
hedner ously inhisdespair.
drencameandembracedhim
wmoreintenseandmore clinging
eath heshowednoneofthe
eltin theirtenderness.
ningglanc ef romPier uin hastily tore
apper thinkingthatperhapsthe
altha ar smindfromhisphysic alsuffer-
s h ee t t he w or d s D S C O V E R Y O F T H E
c au g ht h i s ey e s an d s ta r tl e d hi m a n d he r e ad t h e
nderhisbreath. ttoldofa bar-
ratedPolishmathematicianforthe
whichhehaddisco ered. A tthec on-
argueriteaskedherhusbandfor
sthetonesofhis oic ehadbeen
im.
nraisedhimselfonhiselbows his
ngtohisterror-strickenchildren
emplesrose e erywrink leinhis
c itement abreathof inspirationpassed
eitsublime. H eraisedahand c lenc hed
y of A r c hi me de s U R E K A / h a e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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F TH E A B S O L U T .
ercingtones thenhefellhea ily
anddiedwithanawfulmoan. H is
hef ren iede pressionofhiseyes
em. Hec ouldnotlea etosc ienc e
enigmare ealedtohimtoolate as
rby thefleshlessfingersofDeath.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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N MA S T R P E C E .
r e in co nn u.
morningintheyear1612 ayoung
assomewhatofthethinnest waswalk-
ewayintheR uedesGrands-
wentupanddownthestreetbefore
tionof agallantwhodaresnot
nceof thewomanwhomhelo esfor
acc essthoughshemaybe butaf tera
ofhesitation heatlastc rossedthe
ofanoldwoman whowassweeping
oundfloor whetherMasterPorbus
areply intheaf f irmati e theyoung
ircase likeagentlemanbutnewly
btfulastohis receptionbytheking.
emoreonthelandingat theheadof
hesitatedbeforeraisinghis handto
onthedoorof thestudio wheredoubt-
rkMasterPorbus sometimepainter
. tillMariedeMedicistookRubens
stirredby anemotionthatmust
atartistswhen intheprideof their
eofart theyc omeintothepresenc eof
masterpiece. orallhumansenti-
rlyblossoming adayofgenerous
yfadesuntilnothingisleft ofhappi-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
dglory isknownforadelusion. O f
rt- li edemotions nonesoresemble
youngartistforhisart asheisabout
rtyrdomofhiscareerofgloryand
pec tationsandrealdisappointments.
thise perienceintheearlydaysof
enot inthedawnoftheirgenius stood
erandfeltthethrobbingof their
yintheirinmostsouls achordthathas
andintheirworkanindef inable uality
ehinginthestrokeof thebrush a
wecallpoetry.Theswaggerers so
hattheyareo erlyconfidentof
erbetakenformenoftalentsa eby
f iew ifyouthfulmodesty isthe
s thestrangeronthestaircasemight
ethinginhim forheseemedtopos-
dence theearlytimiditythatartists
courseofagreatc areer e enas
y makeprogressintheartsof
t anishesastriumphsuc ceedstotri-
perhaps distrustofself.
o ercomebytheconsciousness
dinsignificance thatitbeganto
elytopenetrateintothe studioof
mweowethewonderfulportraitofHenri
opitious anoldmancameupthestair-
tcostumeofthisnew-c omer hisc ollar
andac ertainserenegra ity inhisbear-
houghtthatthispersonagemustbeeither
ourtpainter.H estoodaside
gtoallowthe isitortopass sc ru-
ewhile.Perhapshemight hopeto
artistortorec ei ethegoodoff ic es
lytothe arts butbesidesan
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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A N . N O C K E DTH R I C E A TTH E DO O R .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
camefroma windowintheroof
onaneasel whereacan asstoodun-
hreeor fouroutlinesinchalk.The
theremoteranglesandcornersof
wereasdarkasnight butthesil erorna-
eiter sc orslet thathunguponthe
eamtoits dimabiding-placeamong
ashaf tof lightshotacrossthecar ed
ananti uesideboardc o eredw ith
orstruckoutalineofglitteringdots
ofthe goldenwarpofsomeoldbro-
helinesof thestif fhea yfoldswere
adbeenf lungc arelesslydowntoser eas
bouttheroom andhereand
dtables lay f ragmentsofc lassic alsculp-
oddesses wornsmoothasthoughall
hat hadpassedo erthemhadbeen
allswerec o ered f romf loortoc eiling
fc harc oal redc halk orpenandink .
usionofc olorbo es o erturned
ndessenc es therewas ustroomto
eilluminatedcircularspacewherethe
the windowintherooffellfull
andonthei ory -tintedforeheadof
tinanothermomenttheyoungerman
rethathad alreadybecomefamous
ysofpoliticalandreligiousre olutions
ealousworshipers whoha eso
ofartali eine ildays werewont
e.Thebeautifulpanelrepresented
tabouttopayherpassageac rossthe
cedestinedforMarie deMdicis
fpo erty .
theoldmanremarked addressing
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .227
eyoutengoldenc rownsforhero er
eQ ueenispay ing butasforputtinga
e iltakeit
i d t he o l d ma n g o od s a y y ou
odwomanisnotbadlydone butshe
ssfancythatwhenaf igureisc orrectly
hinginitsplac eac cordingtotherulesof
ngmoretobedone. oumakeup
onyourpalettes accordingtoyour
outlineswithduecarethatone side
rthantheother andbecauseyou
anakedwomanwhostandsonthe
oufondly imaginethatyouha ec opied
estobepainters belie ethatyouha e
mGod. Pshaw oumayknowyour
makenoblundersinyourgrammar
ethingmoretomakeagreatpoet.
orbus A taf irstglanc e sheisadmi-
n andyouseeatonc ethatsheisglued
thatyoucouldnot walkroundher.
urnsbutonesideofherfac etoall
outofc an as animagew ithnopower
rposition. feelasif therewereno
thebac kground nospace nosense
as. Theperspecti eisperfectlyc or-
ecoloringisaccuratelydiminished
inspiteof thesepraiseworthyef forts
myself tobelie ethatthewarmbreath
thatbeautifulbody. t
idmyhandonthef irmrounded
dasmarbletothetouc h. N o my
notf lowbeneaththati orysk in the
hosedelicatefibres thepurple
rkbeneaththetransparentamberof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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O W N MA S T R P E C E .
ethepulseseemstobeat thereit
eathareatstrifeine erydetail. Here
reastatue thereagainac orpse. our
ouhadonlypowertobreathea
ourbelo edwork.Thefireof
nandagainin yourhands manya
otbeentouchedby thedi ine
master " Porbusaskedrespec tfully
ifficultyrepressedhisstrong de-
od m an i t i s t hi s o u h a e h a lt e d
ouha ehesitatedbetweendraw ing
edoggedattentiontodetail thestiff
astersandtheda z lingglow
nc e of t a li a n pa i nt e rs . o u h a e
eHansH olbeinandTitian A lbrecht
einasinglepicture.A magnificent
athasc omeof it. ourworkhas
mofadrye ec utionnorthemagical
-oscuro.Titian srichgoldencoloring
rer saustereoutlineshasshattered
eburstingthroughthemouldthatis
dit. notherplac estheoutlines
isoningandobscuringthemagnif ic ent
ncolor.Thedrawingoftheface
ingisnotperfec t tracesof thatun-
seene erywhere. Unlessyoufelt
wo opposedmannersinthefireof
ushouldha ec astinyourlotboldlyw ith
ndsoha eobtainedtheunitywhich
tionsoflife itself. ourworkis
youroutlinesarefalse theypro ec t
ofanythingbehindthem.Thereis
eoldman pointingtothebreastof the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .229
re " hewenton indic atingtherounded
" onc emorereturningtothec olumn
erythingisfalse. etusgonofartherinto
disheartened.
astool andremainedawhile
hisfaceburiedinhis hands.
throatf romthelife dearmaster "
appenssometimes forourmisfortune
ook improbablewhentransferredto
ottoc opynature buttoe pressit.
c opy ist butapoet c riedtheoldman
sshortwithanimperiousgesture.
uptormightmakeaplasterc astofa
ehimselfallfurthertrouble. Well try
istress hand andsetupthething
eamonstrosity adeadmass bearing
inghand:youwouldbe compelled
echiselofasculptorwho w ithoutmak-
ouldrepresentforyouitsmo ementand
thespirit theinformingsoulinthe
dbeings. f fects Whatareef fec ts
notlifeitself A hand sinc e
m pl e i s n ot o n ly a p ar t o f a bo d y i t i s
tensionofathoughtthatmustbegrasped
ainternorpoetnor sculptormay
hec ause whichareine itablyc on-
r.Therebeginstherealstruggle
ssuc cessinstinc ti ely unc onsc iousof
art. oudrawawoman yetyou
odoyousuc c eedinwrestingnature s
uarereproducingmechanicallythe
yourmaster sstudio. oudonot
heinmostsecretsof themystery
eekw ithlo eenoughandperse erance
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
bafflesand eludesyou.B eautyis
pproac hable ne ertobewonbya
stlieinwaitforherc omingand
essherhardandclaspherinatight
rtoy ield. ormisaProteusmore
oldthantheProteusof thelegend
ongwrestling tostandforthmanifest
eofyouaresatisf iedw iththef irst
secondorthethirdthatappears.
ic tors theun an uishedpainterswho
estobedeludedbyallthosetreac herous
perse eretillnatureatthelaststands
n d he r e r y so u l is r e e a le d .
edRafael " saidtheoldman tak ing
isre erenceforthek ingofart. His
ameoftheintimatesensethat in
ldshattere ternalform. orminhis
sasymbol ameansofc ommunicating
e astimaginingsofapoet. v ery face
ectoftheportraitappearedfor
adi ine ision itwasre ealedby
ngerofGodlaidbarethesourc esofe -
holelife.
meninfairraimentof f lesh ingra-
butwhereistheblood thesourc eof
ec auseof thepartic ularef fec t Why
yours mygoodPorbus isac olorless
sthatyousetbeforeus arepainted
andyoucallthatpainting youc allthat
madesomethingmorelikeawoman
kthatyouha esetyourf ingersonthe
proudthatyouneednottowritec urrus
mobesideyonrfigures asearlypainters
oufanc ythatyouha edonewonders.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .231
thereisstillsomethingmoretolearn and
ealofc halkandc o ermanyac an as
es truly awomanc arriesherheadin
heholdshergarmentsgatheredintoher
reamyandsof tw iththate pressionof
ensothe ui eringshadowofthe
c heeks. tisallthere andyetitis
g A nothing butthatnothing
semblanceof life butyoudonote -
nce thatindescribablesomething
thaten elopstheoutlinesof thebody
erof life inshort thatTitianand
tmostac hie ementhithertohasonly
-point. oumightnowperhaps
ork butyougrowwearyalltoosoon
andthosewhoknowsmile.
o h m y ma s te r c r ie d t he s t ra n ge s p ea k er
ouhastc arriedawaythesecretof life
hebeganagain thispic tureofyoursis
aintingsof thatrascalR ubens w ith
hf leshraddledwith ermilion his
s ri o t of c o lo r . o u a t l ea s t h a e
anddrawingthethree essentialsin
mselffromhisdeep musings.
n t h e sa i nt i s s ub l im e " h e cr i ed .
maginationaboutthosetwofigures
hipman thatc annotbefoundamong
donotknowasingleoneof themc apable
shesitation.
rtcomewithyou askedPorbus
ardonmyboldness " c riedtheneophyte
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
hisfac e. amunknowna
butlatelycometothis citythe
ng.
aidPorbus handinghimabitof redc halk
sketchedthe aintMarylinefor
m ed t he o ld m an . Y o u r na me " h e
wrote N icolasPoussin below
eginning " saidthestrangespeaker
dly. seethatwecantalkof art
notblameyouforadmiringPorbus
eworldsheisamasterpiece andthose
tiatedintothe inmostmysteriesofart
omings. B utitisworthwhiletogi e
uareabletounderstandit so w ill
dstocompletethispicture. ou
tention foritmaybethatsuchac hance
omeinyourwayagain. Porbus your
letteand brushes.Thelittle
lee esw ithimpatientenergy sei ed
w ithmanyhues thatPorbushandedto
erthantooka handfulofbrushes
thehandsofhisac uaintanc e. H is
stledasingularmo ement
e ct o f a l o e r s f a nc y .A s h e l o a de d
betweenhisteeth Thesepaintsare
ndow togetherwiththefellow
rcrudenessandfalsenessaredisgusting
this "
ebrushw ithfe erisheagernessin
mak ingthec irc uitof thepalettese eral
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .233
theorganistofa cathedralsweeps
yoardofhisc la ierfortheO iliiat
eithersideof theeasel stoodstoc k -
nseinterest.
" h e b eg a n ag a in s e e ho w th r ee o r
andathingla eofblueletinthe
headof thepoorsaint whomust
ppressedbythec loseatmosphere ee
oflutter youfeelthatitislif tedby
mentagoithungashea ilyandstif f lyas
Doyou seehowthesatinsheen
e n t o th e b re a st r e nd s t he p l ia n t s i lk e n
ssk in andhowthebrown-red
bringswarmthintothe.coldgray
theblood laycongealedinsteadof
ins oungman youngman no
wtodothis that amdoingbefore
ossessedthesecretofgi inglife
h a d bu t o ne p u pi l t ha t w as . h a e
old. ouha esuf f icientintelligenc eto
eglimpsesthat amgi ingyou.
peaking hega eatouc hhereand
strokesof thebrush sometimesasingle
etoldsowellthatthewholepicture
aintingwasfloodedwithlight.
ssionatefer orthatbeadsofsweat
orehead heworkedso uic kly in
s thatitseemedtoyoungPoussinasif
ingthebodyof thisstrangebeing
reinmak inguseof theman shands
earthlyglitter ofhiseyes the
entsthatseemedlikestruggles ga etothis
whichcouldnotbut stirayoung
continued sayingashedid so
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
h ow t o l ay i t o n y o u n g ma n i t tl e
ngaglowinto thoseicycoldtonesfor
p o n p o n 1 a n d th o se p a rt s o f th e
out ascoldandlifelessflushed
ewboldstrokesofcolorbroughtall
o there uiredharmonywiththe
ptian andthedifferenc esintempera-
gster thelasttouc hesmakethepic ture.
ndredstrokesfore eryoneofmine.
hatliesbeneath. B earthatinmind.
tstopped andturningtoPorbus
speechlesswithadmiration hespoke
myB elleN oiseuse stillonemight
athingasthis. es wouldputmy
d risingtoreac hforamirror inwhic h
A ndnow " hesaid w illyou
w ithme. ha easmokedhamand
h e h t h e ti m es m a y be b a d b u t
talkaboutart Wec antalk like
efellowwhohasaptitude " headded
sPoussin sshoulder.
becameawareofthethreadbarecon-
sdoublet. Hedrewaleatherpurse
t foundtwogoldc oins andheld
c h " hesaid.
orbus ashesawtheotherstartandf lush
forPoussinhadtheprideofpo erty .
sac oupleofk ing sransomsinhis
etherfromthestudio and talking
chedapic tures uewoodenhousehard
el.Poussinwonderedamomentatits
ker atthef ramesof thecasements at
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .235
andinthene thestoodina ast
e c o eredw ithtemptingdishes
ire and luc kunhopedfor hewasin
artistsfull ofgenialgood-humor.
at t h at c a n a s y o un g m an " s a id
hatPoussinwasstanding struckw ith
ing. Y ouwouldfalla ic timto
ntedbyMabusetopurc hasehisrelease
reditorshad solongkepthim.
thef igurestoodoutsoboldlyand
olasPoussinbegantounderstandthe
pouredout bytheoldartist who
picturewithapparentsatisfaction
I ha edonebetterthanthat "
himself.
hesaidaloud inthatrespec tmy
edhimself butthereissomelackof
hemanli esindeed heisrising
buttheatmosphere thesky the
ree eyoulookandfeelforthem but
thenthemanhimself is af terall only
heonemanintheworldwhoc amedirec t
stha ehadasomethingdi ine
ere. Mabusehimselfwouldgrind
hewasnotdrunk.
eakertoPorbus andfromPorbus
etlessc uriosity . Hewentuptothe
of theirhost butthepainterlaid
airofmystery . Theyoungman s
hekeptsilence buthopedthatsooneror
eletfallthatwouldre ealthenameof
e identthathewasamanoftalentand
rbuslistenedtohimrespec tfully andthe
w ithmar elsofart.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
awoman hungagainstthe dark
ne tc aughtPoussin sattention.
gione hec ried.
ho s t i t i s an e a rl y d au b o f mi n e
intheabodeof thegodofpainting it
ningenuously.
ehadlong grownfamiliarwith
saidPorbus doyouthinkyou
ourc apitalRhinew ine "
answeredhishost onetodis-
easureofseeing yourprettysinner
mafriend.
h e al t h " r e t ur n ed P o rb u s a n d if y o u
rB elleN oiseuse wouldpaintsome
edthinitanddepth thef iguresshould
rk c riedthepainterinagitation.
otperfec tyet somethingstillremainsfor
n t h e du s k " h e s ai d t h ou g ht
reyesseemedmoist thef lesh
ngstirredthetressesofherhair. he
gh hadsucc eededinreproduc ing
dreliefontheflatsurfac eof thec an as
ht foundoutmymistake. A h to
esult ha estudiedtheworksof the
strippingoffcoataftercoatofcolor
analy ingthepigmentsof thek ingof
eignpainter beganthefac eina
ndfatpasteforshadowis butan
mind youngster Then began
onesandthingla esofc olorlessandless
uallydeepenedthetintsto thedeepest
ows.A nordinarypaintermakes
tirelydifferentinnaturefromthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N MA S T R P E C E .237
woodorbrass orwhatyouw ill any-
. oufeelthate enif thosef igures
n thoseshadowstainswouldne er
osepartsof thepicturewouldne erglow
nemistake intowhic hthemostfamous
esfallen inmyc an asthewhiteness
standmostpersistentshadow. ha e
f myfigureinhard dryoutlines
anatomicaldetailintoprominence
whofanc ythattheyc andrawbecause
oratelysmoothandc lean forthe
edwithinthelimits ofline. n
achthetruth morenearlythanwe
yisac omplic atedsucc essionofc ur e
speaking thereisnosuc hthingas
youngman strangeasthatspeec h
w illunderstandthetruthinitsome
ofe pressingtheeffec tof light
therearenolinesinnature e erything
delingthatistosay wedis-
tssetting thedistributionof the
y theappearancebywhichweknow
f in e d th e o ut l in e s h a e s u ff u se d t he m
s warmorgolden insuc hawaythat
onthe e actspotwhereback-
t. eenfromnear thepicture
ac kdefinition butstepbac k two
hingbec omesc lear distinc t andsolid
eroundedformcomesintorelief you
ndit. A ndyet amnotsatisf ied
. Perhapsoneoughtnottodrawasingle
ebetterto attackthefacefromthe
estprominencesfirst proceedingfrom
ngeofshadowsto thehea iestof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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O W N MA S T R P E C E .
odof thesun thedi inepainterof
tu r e n a tu r e w h o ha s s ur p ri s ed t h ee
erall toomuchknow ledge likeignorance
ha edoubtsaboutmywork .
eold manspokeagain: I
nitfortenyears youngman but
nastrugglew ithnature Dowe
wroughtattheonestatuethat
musings andga edbeforehim
whileheplayedunheedinglywith
n ersew ithhisdc emon murmured
sPoussinfelthimselfc arriedawayby
onofartist sc uriosity . orhimthe
tandinert theseerw iththeunseeing
ngmorethanamana fantasticspirit
orld andc ountless aguethoughts
effectofthis speciesoffascina-
morebedescribedinwordsthan
akenedinane ile sheartbythe
ethoughtofthescornthat the
yforthe noblesteffortsofart of
s of thedeferencepaidtohimbyPor-
re theworkofpatienceonwhich
secret wasdoubtlessaworkof
dof theV irginwhichyoungPoussinhad
autifule enbesideMabuse sA dam
eimperialmannerof oneofthe
hingc ombinedtosettheoldman
nnature.
c iesinNic olasPoussin sbrainan
eredshapeandclearness. Hesaw inthis
pletetypeoftheartist nature ana-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .239
barrenandprolific anerraticspirit
anifoldpowers whichshetoooften
eason thePhilistine andsometimes
ntoa stonywildernesswheretheysee
-wingedmaidenherself w ildasher
picsthereandcastlesand worksof
enthusiast theoldman wassuddenly
meartincarnate artwithitsmysteries
nditsdreams. orPoussintheold
andideal.
rbus " renhoferc ontinued hitherto
af law lessmodel abodyw ithoutlinesof
nationsA h wheredoessheli e "
ponhimself theundisc o erable
forwhomweha esoughtsoof ten
gleamsofherbeautyhereand
oldonc eandforonemoment nature
e theidealatlast wouldgi eall
beautydi ine wouldgotoseek thee
ad likeO rpheus wouldgodown
ngbackthelife ofartfromamong
s a id P o rb u s to P ou s si n . H e n e i t he r
ger.
io " saidyoungPoussin wondering
takesc arethatnooneshallenterit.
fullyguardedthat itisimpossible
ha enotwaitedforyoursug-
ttemptto layhandsonthismys-
r y
d P or b us . O l d r e nh o fe r i s th e o nl y
renhoferbecamethepainter s
ndfather hesac rif ic edthegreaterpart
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
abusetoindulgeinriotouse tra -
nMabusebe ueathedtohimthesec ret
fgi ingtohisf iguresthewonderfullife
eeternaldespairofart thesecret
llthatoneday whenhehadsold
nwhichheshould ha eappeared
sV . heac companiedhismasterina
semblethebrocade.Thepeculiar
hestuffstruc k the mperor he
nkard spatronontheartist sap-
rc kwasbroughttolight. renhofer
t whoseesabo eandbeyondother
edprofoundlyoncolor andthe
utbythewayof muchresearchhe
erye istenc eof theob ec tsofhis
omentsofdespondenc y thatthereis
andthatbymeansoflines wecan
c alf igures butthatiso ershooting
eandshadowyoucanreproduceform
whichshowsthatourart likenature
umberof elements.Drawing
theanatomicalf ramework andc olor
tlifew ithouttheskeletonise en
eletonwithoutlife.B utthereis
anditisthisforpainters prac tic e
erything andwhentheoriesandpolit-
relw iththebrushes theendisdoubt
ood friend whoishalf-crack-
f -painter. A sublimepainter but
asborntoric hes andsohehasleisure
t youfollowhise ample
enobusinesstothink e c eptw ithbrush
ntohisstudio " c riedPoussinc on-
oheedPorbus remarks.Theother
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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WN MA S T R P E C E .241
ter senthusiasm askedhimtoc ome
heyparted.
ow lyback totheRuedelaH arpe
stelrywherehewas lodgingwithout
uneasinesspromptedhimtohurry
illhereac hedaroomatthetop a
nderthesteep high-pitc hedroofc ommon
s. ntheonedingyw indowofthe
whosprangupatonce whensheheard
twasthepromptingof lo e shehad
stouc honthelatch.
thyou sheasked.
h a e f e lt t h at a m a
h a e h a d do u bt s b u t no w b e li e e
makingofagreatmaninme N e er
hallberic handhappy Thereisgoldat
The oyfadedfromhispowerful
mparedhis asthopeswithhisslender
co eredwithsketchesinchalkon
Therewerebutfourcan asesinthe
ryc ostly andtheyoungpainter spalette
themidstofhispo ertyhepossessed
ossessionofine haustibletreasures
ouringgeniuse ualtoallthetasksthat
Parisbyanoblemanamonghis
ythec onsc iousnessofhispowers and
istress oneof thosenobleand
setosuf ferbyagreatman sside who
ti etounderstandhisfanc ies ac cept-
andlo easbra elyanddauntlessly
hemsel estobeartheburdenof
oftheir insensibility.Thesmile
slipsf illedthegarretw ithgolden
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
brightnessof thesuninhea en. The
esnotalwaysshineinhea en whereas
arret absorbedinherpassion
appinessandsorrow c onsolingthe
etin lo ebeforeartengrossedit.
omehere.
y andspranguponthepainter s
rac eandbeauty andthelo eliness
dornedwithalllu uriantfairnessofout-
bytheglowofafairsoulw ithin.
he c r ie d s h al l n e e r d ar e t o te l l he r
e c ri ed I m u s tk no w it
sdreams.
e d h ea r t
s om e th i ng o f m e
tonc emoreforyouas didthe
nuedw ithplayfulpetulanc e I w ill
chathingagain foryoureyessay
udonotthinkofmeatall and
emedrawanotherwoman
e r y ug l y s h e sa i d.
s si n g ra e l y a n d if f o r th e s ak e o f my
kemeagreatpainter youmustsitto
s h e sa i d y o u kn o w u i te w e ll t h at
herbreast heseemedtobeo er-
ble oyorsorrow.
i ed p l uc ki n g at t h e sl e e e o f P ou s si n s
t o ld y ou N i c k t h at w ou l d la y
u t n e e r p ro mi s ed y ou t h at i n m y
ylo e.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 278/416
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
onger thoughtGillettewhenshewas
erresolutionalready.
gstheresoonsuc c eededasharper
tobanishahideousthoughtthatarosein
edtoherthatherownlo ehad
tha aguesuspic ionthatthepainter
reyes.
I N E E S C A U L T .
nandPorbusmet thelatter
nhofer. Theoldmanhadfallena
ofoundand spontaneousfitsofdis-
sed accordingtomedicallogicians
ce fe er orenlargementof thespleen
ionof the piritualists bytheimper-
e.Thegoodman hadsimply
uttingthefinishingtouchesto his
waslounginginahugec ar edoak
lack leather anddidnotc hangehis
ncedatPorbuslikea manwhohas
s.
saidPorbus wastheultramarinebad
es sthenewwhitedif fic ultto
orarethebrushesrec alcitrant
e o ld m an f o r a mo m en t t h ou g ht
but amsurethat ammistaken
c annotrestuntil ha ec learedmy
ftra eling. amgoingtoTurkey
i n u e st o f a m od e l s o a s to c om p ar e m y
i ingformsofnature. Perhaps "
entstoleo erhisface perhaps
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .245
here. A ttimes amhalf-af raidthat
andthatshewillescapeme.
tosetoutatonc e.
bu s I h a e c om e u st i n ti me t o sa e
enseofa ourney.
r e nh o fe r i n am a e m en t .
edbyawomanof inc omparableand
dearmaster ifhec onsentstolendher
uoughttoletusseeyourwork .
essandcompletelyda ed.
piteouslyatlast showyoumyc rea-
ndthe eilthathaskeptmyhappiness
aninfamousprofanation. ortenyears
er s h e is m i ne m i ne a l on e s h e lo e s m e.
me ateachstrokeof thebrushupon
as a s o ul t h e so u l th a t h a e g i e n h er .
eyesbutmineshouldreston her.To
e is t h e hu s ba n d t h e lo e r s o i l e as t o
estodishonor Whenyoupainta
oudonotputyour wholesoulintoit
uresdulycolored.Mypaintingis
iment apassion. hewasborninmy
dwellinmaidensolitude andonly
ence.Poetryandwomenonlylay
e ir l o e r s. H a e w e R a f ae l s m o de l
D a nt e s B e a t r ic e N a y o n ly t h ei r f or m
pic ture loc kedawayabo einmy
on i n o ur a r t. t i s n ot a c an a s i t i s a
om talk . shareherthoughts her
ouldyouha emef lingasidetheseten
c loak Wouldyouha emec easeat
er andc reator heisnotac reature
ainterhere. w illgi ehimmy
ehimpicturesbyCorreggioandMichel
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
w illk isshisfootprintsinthedust but
h a me o n m e. A h a h a m a
painter. es w ithmylatestsigh
nmyB elleN oiseuse butc ompel
ofastranger ayoungmananda
n o w ou l d ki l l h im o n t he m o rr o w
aglanc e N ay you myfriend
hands inamomentifyou did
be f or e h er N o w w i ll y o u ha e m e
elesseyesandsenselesscriticismsof
s a m ys t er y i t c an o n ly l i e h i dd e n in
o u s ay e e n t o yo u r fr i en d B e -
' a n d th e re i s a n en d o f lo e .
egrownyoungagain there
yesanda faintflushofredin his
ook . Porbuswassoama edbythe
eof renhofer swordsthatheknewnot
anceofanemotionasstrangeasit
enhofersaneormad H adhefallen
of theartist sfanc y orwerethese
at strangelightheadednesswhich
elongtra ailofaworkofart.
ometotermswiththissingular
oubts Porbusspoke sitnot
hesaid. DoesnotPoussinsubmithis
etortedtheother. A mistresswhow ill
ater.Minewillbe faithfultome
a id P o rb u s l e t us s a y no m or e a bo u t it .
ou willfindsuchflawlessbeautyas
andthenyourpicturew illbelef tunfin-
" s a i d r e nh o fe r . t a nd i ng b e fo r e it
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .247
sali ingwomanly ingonthe el-
hadowofthecurtains.Perfumesare
dbyherside. ouwouldbe
ponthe tasselofthecordthat
itwouldseemtoyouthat yousaw
shebreathed thatyoubeheldthe
sc ault thebeautifulc ourtesanwhommen
euse. A ndyetif couldbutbesure
returnedPorbus noticingac ertainin-
sfac e. A ndw iththatPorbusmadea
r.
dNic olasPoussinhadreac hed ren-
drewherarmawayfromherlo er s
hold andshrankbackasifsome
ughhermind.
c om e t o do h e re " s h e a s ke d o f he r
tones w ithhereyesf i edonhis.
lef tyoutodec ide amreadytoobey
uaremyc onsc ienc eandmyglory.
allbehappier perhaps ifyoudonot
n y ou s p ea k t o me l i ke t h at N o n o
e " s h e ad d ed s e em i ng l y wi t h a i o -
o e d i es i f p l an t a l on g r eg r et i n m y
thereward ofmyobediencetoyour
e t u s go i n . s h al l s ti l l l i e o n a s a
thatshallbel ifeformeafterwards.
hetwolo ersencounteredPorbus
eautyof Gillette whoseeyeswere
her tremblingf romheadtofoot
painter.
ed isshenotworthallthemasterpiec es
erestoodGilletteintheartless and
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O W N MA S T R P E C E .
midandinnocentGiorgione car-
ndc onfrontedw ithasla emerc hant.
dherface hereyesdrooped herhands
trengthseemedtoha efailedher her
soutrage.Poussincursedhimself
a ebroughthisfair treasurefrom
ero erc ametheartist andc ountless
sheartwhenhesawyouth dawninthe
l i ke a p a in t er h e d is c er n ed e e r y li n e of
theyounggirl s esture. Thenthe
e a lo u sy a wo k e.
e d l e t us g o .
yatthecryandthe toneinwhich
ereyestohis lookedathim andf led
e m e " s h e cr ie d y ou l o e m e
osuf ferinsilenc e butshehadno
y.
wi t h me f o r on e m om en t " s a id t h e ol d
hallc ompareherw ithmyCatherine
kew isecamefromhimlikealo er s
edtobeengagedforhissemblanceof
patedthetriumphofthebeautyof his
beautyof theli inggirl.
metochangehismind c riedPor-
ntheshoulder. Thef lowerof lo e
owerofartisimmortal.
omannowforhim saidGillette.
sinandPorbusclosely.
udly sheglanc edat renhofer
henasshesawhowherlo erhad
theportrait whichhehadtakenat
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .249
e l e t us g o u p to t h e st u di o . H e n e e r
ecalledPoussinfromhisdreams.
s i d d o yo u s ee t h is b l ad e w i ll
tthefirstcry fromthisyounggirl
ouse andnooneshalllea eitali e.
e erywordwasamenac e. Gil-
eyoungpainter sbearing andyet
andalmostforga ehimforsac rif ic ing
usfuture.
tthe doorofthestudioand
nce.A tfirstthepainter ofthe
a a r de d s om e e c l am a ti o ns : A h
hes hetoldhertoc omeintothe
two butthesightof thedeep
c esuddenlysilencedhim andthough
thesescruples sopettyinthe
miredthembecausetheyweresonatural
r. Theyoungmankepthishandon
andhisearwasalmostgluedtothe
ginthe shadowmightha ebeen
ehourwhentheymightstrike down
n " c r ie d t he o l d ma n . H e w a s ra d ia n t
k isperfect. c anshowhernow
llpainter brushes c olors lightand
lforCatherine esc aull thebeautiful
rningw itheagerc uriosity hurried
erythingwasindisorderandc o ered
afew pictureshereandthereupon
tof allinadmirationbeforethe
anpartiallydraped.
d t ha t " s a i d r e nh o fe r t h at i s a r ou g h
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
tudy apose itisnothing. Theseare
nton indicatingtheenc hantingc om-
the studio.
fart struckPorbusandPoussin
.Theylookedroundforthepicture
andc ouldnotdisc o erit.
aidtheoldman. Hishairwasdisordered
ethanhumane altation hiseyes
hardlikeayounglo erf ren iedby
ed y o u di d n ot e p e ct t o s ee s u ch p e rf e c-
gforapic ture andyouseeawoman
depthinthatc an as theatmos-
annotdistinguishitfromthe air
eisart A rthas anished itis
formofali inggirlthatyouseebefore
u gh t t he e r y hu e s of l i fe t h e sp i ri t o f
nesthef igure stherenottheef fec t
hichallnaturalob ectspresentin
m orf ishesinthewater Doyou
ut againstthebackground Does
ucouldpassyourhand alongthe
enyears studiedandwatc hedhow
eob ec tsonwhic hitfalls. A nd
so eritlikeaf lood doesitnot
amsurethatshebreathed H erbreast
dnotfallonhiskneesbeforeher
w illrisetoherfeet. Wait " con-
theheightofhisenthusiasm.
" PoussinaskedofPorbus.
d mantohisecstasy andtried
ghtthatfell fulluponthecan as
edalltheeffectfor them.They
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .251
leftof thepic ture thentheyc amein
ndstandinguprightbyturns.
e al l y ca n a s " s a i d r e nh o fe r w h o m is -
nutein estigation.
asisonastretcher hereistheeasel
lors mybrushes " andhetookupa
em allunsuspiciousoftheir
islaughingatus " saidPoussin c oming
pposedpicture. canseenothing
sofcoloranda multitudeoffantas-
eadeadwallofpaint.
ook saidPorbus.
asastheycamenearertheydis-
rgingfromthe chaosofcolor half-
wsthatmadeupadimformless
ebeautyheldthemspellbound. This
danincomprehensible slow and
edtothemliketheParianmarble
ergingfromtheashesofa ruined
neath " e c laimedPorbus c alling
ecoatsof paintwithwhichtheold
c oncealedhiswork inthe uestof
oluntarily to renhofer. Theybegan
nding aguethoughitwas of the
d.
l l go o d fa i th s a id P o rb u s.
s a id t h e ol d m an r o us i ng h i ms e lf f r om
dsfaith faithinart andyoumustli efor
ucesucha creation.Whattoil
a ec ostme. ook thereisafaint
eekbeneaththeeyesif yousawthat
uldseemtoyouthatyouc ouldne er
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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W N M A S T R P E C E ,
uthinkthatthateffecthasnot
earPorbus. ookc loselyatmywork
oreclearlywhat wassayingasto
outline. ookatthehigh-lightson
owbytouchontouch thic kly laidon
o thatitcatchesthelightitself and
whitenessofthehigh-lights and
s byflatteningthesurfaceofthe
otraceof thepassageof thebrush
ningthecontoursofmyfigure anden-
tsuntilthe ery ideaofdraw ing of
f fec tisproduc ed fadesaway and
essand reliefofnature.C ome
mannerofworkingbetter atalittle
. There ustthere itis think
" andw iththetipofhisbrushhe
sparentcolorto thetwopainters.
ontheoldartist sshoulder turnedto
uknowthatinhimweseea erygreat
ofapoetthanapainter " Poussinan-
ontinued ashetouc hedthec an as
ourartonearth.
osesitself intheskies " said
r e on t h at p i ec e o f ca n a s e c l ai m ed
sownmusings smiledatthewoman
idnothear.
hewillf indoutthatthereisnothing
in.
a s s a id r e nh o fe r l o ok i ng i n t ur n
spicture.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N MA S T R P E C E .253
n e " m u tt e re d P or b us t u rn i ng t o
oungpainter sarmandsaid
c l od p at e H u g u e no t a r le t c u ll i on
ntomystudio MygoodPorbus "
edtothepainter areyoualsomak ing
r a m yo u r fr i en d . Te l l me h a e
l
nothing buttherewassuchintol-
dman swhitefac ethathepointedto
momentathispicture andstaggered
A f t e r t en y e ar s o f wo r k
a m a d ma n h a e n e it h er t a le n t no r
ric hman whoworksforhisown
oprogress. ha edonenothing
earsathispic ture. uddenlyhe
orethetwo painters.
odofC hrist " hec riedwithf lashing
a lo u s o u wo u ld h a e m e t hi n k th a t my
youwant tostealherfromme
s e e he r " h e c ri e d s h e is m a r e l ou s ly
nheardthesoundofweeping Gil-
teninacorner.A llatoncethe
l o e r . W h a t i s i t m y an g el h e
e so b be d . m u st b e a i l e th i ng i f lo e
se y o u. a d mi r e yo u a n d l o at h e yo u
f ee l th at h at e yo u e e n n ow .
ssoundedinPoussin sears renhofer
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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W N M A S T R P E C E .
eringo erhisCatherinew iththesober
erwholockshisdrawerswhenhesus-
e p e rt t h ie e s . H e g a e t h e tw o
teglancethate pressedtothefull
emptforthem sawthemoutofhis
teandinsilence untilfromthe
badethem Good-bye myyoung
ofdread intothetwopainters.
wentagainonthemorrowtosee ren-
hehaddied inthenightafter burning
ua ry 1 3 2.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S .
.
almore adaughterof
thesemoderndaysmaywellbe
is uaintlegendofold landers.
.
dinthehistoryofB rabant c om-
slandofCad andandthe lemish
atwhichcarriedpassengersfromone
urg thechieftownintheisland
mousinthe annalsofProtestantism
dsometwo orthreehundred
speroustownofO stendwasanobscure
illagewherepiratesdweltinsec urity
thefewpoormerchantswholi ed
stend consistedaltogetherof
hreehundredcottages hutsor
woodofwrec ked essels itne erthe-
ssessionofago ernor agarrison a
ent andaburgomaster inshort inall
anc edc i ili ation.
abantand landersinthosedays
smute. etusc onfessatoncethat
lyof themar elous themysterious
mentswhich lemishnarratorsha einfused
entogatheringsofworkerson
tthe ersions aryw idely inpoetic nerit
thasbeentoldbye erygenera-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N L A N D R S ,
grandamesatthef ireside narrated
e ersionhasc hangeditscomple ion
e ikesomegreatbuildingthathas
onsofsuccessi egenerationsof
reweather-beatenpile thedelight ofa
dri ethec ommentatorandtheindus-
fac ts anddatestodespair. The
asallsuperstitiousmindsin landers
ndisnotawhitw isernormorec redulous
sit wouldbeimpossibletomakea
trenderings herearetheoutlines
i t m ay b e o f i ts p i ct u re s u e u a in t -
lddisregardofhistoric altruth and
edbyreligionamyth theblossom
anallegorythatthew isemayinterpret
eachhisownpasturage andthetask
mthe wheat.
carrypassengersfromthe slandof
wasuponthepointofdeparture butbe-
chainthat securedtheshallopto
epeopleembarked heblewahornse eral
mers thisbeinghislast ourneythat
twassc arc elypossibletoseethe
edyingf iresof thesunset ortomake
anyformsofbelatedpassengers
he dykesthatsurroundedthe
gthetallreeds ofthemarshes.The
gfor etusputof f theyc ried.
manappearedafewpacesfromthe
eof thesk ipper whohadheardnosound
erseemedtoha esprungupfrom
twhohadlaid himselfdownonthe
tshouldstart andhadslepttillthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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s s
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L A N D R S . 257
nedhim. Washeathief orsome
m-houseorthepolice
pearedonthe ettytowhic htheboat
personswhowerestandinginthesternof
tdownonthebenc hes soastolea e
er. twastheswif tandinstincti e
c spirit animpulseofe c lusi eness
man sheart. ourof these en
emostaristocraticfamiliesin lan-
wasayoungknight withtwobeauti-
onghairf lowedfrombeneatha eweled
dedspurs c urledtheendsofhismus-
ha swaggeringgrace andlooked
estof thecrew.A high-borndam-
erwrist onlyspokew ithhermotheror
rank whowase identlyarelation.
agreatdealofnoise andtalked
oughtherewereno oneelseinthe
hemsata manofgreatimportancein
gherofB ruges wrappedaboutw itha
ant armedtotheteeth hadsetdowna
oldathisside. Ne ttothe
arning adoc torof theUni ersityof
ra elingwithhisc lerk . Thislittlegroup
emptuouslyateachother wassepar-
nthe forwardpartoftheboatby the
ncedabouthimashe steppedon
wasnoroomforhiminthestern and
stofaseat. Theywereallpoor
tof thebareheadedmaninthe
nk-hose andplainstifflinencollar
oornaments carriednocapnor
dhadneitherswordnorpurseathis
tookhimforaburgomastersureofhis
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N L A N D R S .
dk indlyburgomasterlikeso manya
whosehomelyfeaturesandcharacters
edby lemishpainters. Thepoorer
rec ei edhimwithdemonstrationsof
cornfultitteringattheotherend ofthe
nuredtotoilandhardship ga eup
thenew-comer andseatedhimself
sel keepinghisbalanc ebyplantinghis
trans ersebeams likethebac kbone
planksofaboattogether. A young
baby inherarms andseemedtobelong
stend mo edasidetomakeroomfor
itherser ilitynorscorninher
wasasimplesignof thegood-w illby
owbylonge perienc ethe alueofa
thatfellowshipbrings gi ee pression
ndthenaturalimpulsesof theirsouls
ealtheirgood ualitiesandtheirde-
edherbya gesturefullofgracious
cebetweentheyoungmotherand the
ybehindhimsatapeasantandhis
age. A beggarwoman old wrink led
rouc hing w ithheralmostemptywal-
opethatlay intheprow. O neof the
whohadknownherinthedaysofher
adletherc omein forthelo eof
tifulphrasethatthec ommonpeopleuse.
homas " theoldwomanhadsaid.
rsandtwoA v c sforyouinmyprayers
or thelasttime lookedalong
of f thec hain ranalongthesideof the
ositionatthehelm. Helookedatthe
eywereoutintheopensea heshouted
y pullw ithallyourmight Thesea
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 259
thewitc h c anfeeltheswellbythe
andthestorminmywounds.
nintelligibletoearsunusedtothe
edtoputfreshenergyintothe oars
therhythm of themo ementwas
but uiteunlikethepre iousmannerof
nteringhorsehadbrokenintoa gallop.
nthesternamusedthemsel esby
s thetannedfaces andsparkling
eplayof thetensemuscles thephysic al
rebeinge ertedtobringthemfor
annel. ofarfrompityingthe
eypointedoutthemen sfac estoeac hother
s uee pressionsonthefac esof the
erymusc le butintheforepart
thepeasant andtheoldbeggarwoman
esympathynaturallyfeltbytoilers
f theirbrowandknowtherough
se c itementofef fort. Thesefolk more-
werespentintheopenair hadallseenthe
esky andtheirfac esweregra e.
herchild singinganoldhymnof
.
ereatall " thesoldierremarkedtothe
ebec ausetheA lmighty isbentonkeeping
as t er " s a id t h e ol d w om an b u t
pleasuretotakeustoHimself. ust
ere andshenoddedherhead
poke.
dfrom behindthemassesof
oudthatseemedabouttounloosea
motheredmurmurofthe sea a
edtocomefromthedepths alow
asadoggi eswhenheonlymeansmis-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N L A N D R S .
O stendwasnotfaraway. Perhaps
c ouldnotprolongthee istenc eof the
ndskyat thatmomentbeyondthe
rtdemands ehementcontrasts
eekoutnature smoststrikingeffects
espairofrenderingthegreatand
moods yetthehumansoulis
er calmasbyheremotion andby
pokeonboardtheboat. v eryone
eitherwithsomepresentimentof
eyfelttheinfluenceofthereligious
ssessionofnearlyallofus atthe
fprayer whenallnatureishushed
thebells. Theseagleamedpaleand
ed andthesurfacetookallthec olorsof
o erspreadw ithli idgray butdown
gnarrowbarslikestreaksofblood
ntheeasternsky sharpandclean
brush wereseparatedbyfoldsof
lesonanoldman sbrow. Thewholesc ene
engraysandhalf-tints instrong
fthe sunset. fwrittenlanguage
nguagesomeofthebold figuresof
people itmightbesaidw iththe
erhadbeenrouted " or asthepeasant
ygloweredlikeane ec utioner. uddenly
uarterof thesunset andtheskipper
sof f thesea sawtheswellonthehori-
diately andlettheiroarslie on
" saidThomascoolly. A greatwa e
rriedithighonitsc rest onlytoplunge
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 261
etroughof theseathatseemedtoyawn
uphea al thissuddenoutbreakof
hecompanyinthestern turnedpale
saidtheskippercalmly.
dsimmediatelyabo etheirheadswere
emenceofthewind.Thegraymass
standwest withominousspeed a
erift intheskyfell fulluponthe
ersbeheldeachother sfac es. A llof them
thesailorsandthepoorpassengers
oramomentbytheappearanc eof thelast
parteduponhiscalm serenefore-
abouthisshoulders andhisfac e
ndradiantw ithdi inelo e stoodout
oom.H ehadnocontemptfor
eshouldnotdie. B utifatthef irstthe
otfora momenttheimplacablefury
edtheirli es self ishnessandtheir
iledagain.
stupidburgomasterisnottoseetherisks
eis ustlikeadog hew illdiew ith-
thedoc tor.
ncedthishighly udiciousdictum
llits legions.Thewindblewfrom
ea ens theboatspunroundlikeatop
d M y p oo r c hi l d W h o w i ll s a e
terc riedinaheartrending oic e.
eit " thestrangersaid.
oicewenttotheyoungmother s
ththem sheheardthegracious
lingof thewindandtheshrieksof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N L A N D R S .
od H e l p w h o ar t a t A n t we r p
poundsofwa andastatue if thou
c riedtheburgher kneelingupon
oeatA ntwerpthansheishere " was
onthisappeal.
s a id a o i ce t h at s e em e d to c o me f r om
e c l ai m ed t h e se r a n t. H e i s s co f fi n g
erp.
mo r e of y o ur H o l y V i r g i n at p r es e nt "
ssengers. Putyourhandstothe
outof theboat.A ndtherest
addressingthesailors pullw ithall
hetime inthenameofthede ilwho
r ld b e y ou r o wn P r o i d en c e v e r y
elisfearfullydangerous ha e
hesethirtyyears. A m fac inga
-night "
andlooked asbefore athisboatand
ughsate erything " muttered
toperishalongw iththosewretched
edthehaughtydamselofthehandsome
m ai d en . i s te n " a n d he c a ug h t he r
erear c answ im saynothing
oubyyourfairhairandbringyou
c anonlysa eyou.
dmother.Theladywasonher
onofthebishop whodidnotheed
yestheknightreada aguefeelingof
asmothered oic e:
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 263
hew illofGod. f itisH ispleasure
imself itw illdoubtlessbeforher
orld " headded andhis oic e
ndforoursinthis " hethought
dewasladyofse enfiefsbeside
rlifein herheart andforlo e
andsomead enturer ayoungmis-
c hesinsearchofapri e anheiress
Thebishopbestowedhis benison
adethembec alm itwasallthathec ould
nc ubine andof thedelic atefeast
c omehim perhapsatthat erymo-
perfumingherself robingherself in
ernec k lac eandher eweledc lasps andthe
f romthink ingof thepowerofHoly
c omfortChristiansande hortthemto
y sregretsandlo er ssighsmingled
ebre iary . B ythedimlightthat
thecompany itwaspossibleto see
nsastheboatwaslifted highinair by
ac k intothedarkdepths theshallop
eleaf theplaythingof thenorthw ind
lc reaked itseemedreadytogoto
entup followedbyanawfulsilenc e.
encebetweenthebeha iorofthe
therichor greatpeopleatthe
youngmotherclaspedherinfant
rytimethatagreatwa ethreatened
sel butshec lungtothehopethat
adsetinherheart. ac htimethather
drewfreshfaithatthesight the
woman amother sfaith. heli ed
thelo ingwordsf romhislips the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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N L A N D R S .
stinglyforthemtobe fulfilled and
ranylonger.
ttothe essel sside ne ertookhis
tor. H ec opiedonhisownroughand
erturbabilityof theother sfac e ap-
olestrengthofawilland intelli-
nthe courseofalifeof mechanical
oemulouswasheofac almand
erthanhisown thatatlast perhaps
ingofthatmysteriousnaturepassedinto
ationbec ameaninstinc ti e ealfor
o eforandbelief inhim suc ha
heirleaderwhenhehasthepowerof
enthehaloof ic toriessurroundshim
onofgeniusisfelt inallthathe
smurmuringtoherself
we tc h t ha t a m H a e n o t su f fe r ed
nsofmyyouth A h wretc hedwo-
thegay lifeofaf ri o lous renchwoman
egoodsofGodwithc hurc hmen the
e tortionersandfleecersofthe
e s in ne d in de ed O h m y Go d m y G od
llherein thisworldofmisery.
H o l y V i r g i n M o t he r o f Go d h a e
ther. Godisnota ombardusurer.
egoodandbadatrandominmytime
heresurrec tion.
nc epesade howhappythosefairladies
bishop a holyman Theywillget
" saidtheoldwoman. O h if
aytome Thysinsareforgi en
t he n .
dsher andthegoodnessinhis
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 265
h e sa id a nd y ou w il l be s a e d .
g o od s i r " s h e an s we r ed . I f
willgoonpilgrimagebarefooted
ettotopraytoherforyouandfor
erandson weresilent patient and
ofGod likefolkwhosewontitisto
hewaysofnaturelikec attle. A t
oodriches pride learning de-
umansoc iety suc hasartandthought
yinterestsandlawsha emadeit
errorandwailing innumerable
essedbyhideousdoubtsat this
theagonyof fear.
anli esstoodastrongman thesk ip-
dhim thec hief thek ing thefatalist
stinginhimself ratherthanin
B a l e a wa y " i n st e ad o f H o l y V i r gi n "
c t andstrugglingw iththesealikea
theotherendof thewherry The
omthelittle onewhosmiledat
oncesof ri o lousandgay andnow
orse theoldsoldierc o eredw ith
esolereward ofhisunflaggingloyalty
eterancouldscarcelycountonthe
ntearstokeepthelifeinhim yet
gh andwenthiswaymerrily
nhisgloryin thedepthsofa pot
lesof thewarstothec hildrenwho
ghisfuturew ithalightheartinthe
therewerethetwopeasants usedto
orinc arnate thelaborbywhic hthe
efolkwereindifferenttothought
ytosink themallinabelief andtheir
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 267
erlo er. Thebishopandthe
ttom hea ily ladenw ithsins itmay
ily ladenw ithincredulityandconf i-
ddownbyde otion intowhic halms-
eredbut little.
walkedwithafirmstephigh anddry
eardallaboutthemthedreadfulwhistling
owsbrokeacrosstheirpath butan
yforthem throughthesea.These
ghthespray adimspeckoflight
afisherman shuton theshore
shedonbra elytowardsthelight
c eofhisfellowc ry ing C ourage
thesurf yetnoonehadspokena
chbyhisownperil. nthisway
ande entually foundshelterinthe
tednearthef isherman sf ire they
rtheirguidew iththelightabouthim.
ersmanat thebaseofthecliff on
hewasclingingwithmightand
asailorcancling whendeathstares
rangerguidewentdownandrescuedthe
man thenhesaid asheheldouta
heman shead-
e b u t do n o t tr y i t ag a in t h e e -
hisshoulders andc arriedhimtothe
ockedforadmittanc eforthee hausted
hedoorof thehumblerefugeopened the
wasbuiltfor sailorsonthisspot
erwards soitwassaid thefoot-
c ouldbeseeninthesand butin1793
chin asion themonksc arriedaway
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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N L A N D R S .
tborew itnesstothe a iour slast isit
foundmyselfshortlyafterthe
. w a s we a ry o f l if e . f y ou h a d as k ed
pair shouldha efounditalmost
solanguidhadgrownthesoulthatwas
stwindhadslackenedthesprings
old graylightpoureddownfromthe
rkycloudsthatpassedo erheadga ea
allthesethings togetherw iththe
aidtome Dieto-dayordieto-
notdie A ndthen wanderedon
ure onmyblightedhopes.Gnawed
turnedmechanicallyintothe
hthegraytowersthatloomedlikeghosts
lookedroundwithnokindlingof
stof columns attheslenderarches
itals adelicatelabyrinthofsculp-
esseyesalongtheside aislesthat
e astportals e erturningupontheir
ypossibletosee bythedimlightof
c ulpturedgrainingsof theroof the
esofthemouldingsofthe graceful
pipesweremute.Therewasno
myownfootstepstoawakenthe
thedarkchapels. satdownat
pillarsthat supportedthetower
couldseethewholeof thebuilding.
deasc onnec tedw ithitaroseinmymind.
mghtyma eofpillars thegreatrose
etworksuspendedasby amiracle
doorways. sawthedoorsattheend
erialgalleries thestainedglassw indows
idedbyslendercolumns f rettedinto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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L A N D R S . 269
finefiligree workofcar edstone.
heendof thec hoirsparkledasif ithad
esset cunningly. ncontrastto
gspacesofwhitenessandcolor the
eftinshadowsodeep thatthefaint
edshaftswere scarcely isiblein
tthemar elousarc ades thesc roll-work
inglines andarabes uesinterwo en
angely lighted untilbysheerdintof
ecamec onfused and stooduponthe
onandreality takeninthe snareset
stlight-headedbyreasonofthemulti-
apesaboutme.
atheredaboutthec ar enstonework
oughaha eof f inegoldendust like
hebars ofsunlightslantingthrough
ddenlythestonelaceworkofthe
oughthis aporthathadmadeall
erymoulding theedgesofe ery
tailof thesc ulptureweredippedinsil er.
thestainedwindows theirrich
rksoflight. Theshaftsbeganto
eregentlyshaken.A lightshudderas
building thestoneswereloosened
spacesswayedwithgracefulcaution.
rouspiermo edassolemnlyasa
scendstocompletea uadrilleatthe
nderandgracefulcolumns their
hsoftrefoil begantolaughand
omeofthepointedarchesdashedat
which likeladiesof theMiddle
orialbearingsof theirhousesembla oned
danceof themitredarcades
becamelikeafrayat atourney.
erystoneinthec hurc h ibrated
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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N L A N D R S .
e fortheorgan-pipesspoke and
glingw iththesongsofangels anun-
mpaniedbythedeepnotesofthe bells
owersrockedand swayedontheir
nge abbathseemedtomethemost
and , whohadseenC harlesX .
wasnolongerama edbyanything.
gentlysway ingw ithasee-sawmo ement
espleasurablyinamannerof whichit
y idea. etinthemidstof this
ralchoirfeltcoldasif itwereawinter
wareofamultitudeofwomen robedin
mpassi e sittingthere. Thesweetinc ense
censerswasgratefulto mysoul.
kered.Thelectern gayasachanter
fwine wasskippingaboutlikea
olecathedralwaswhirlinground
appearedtobeundisturbed.The
c ifi abo ethealtarsmileduponme
bene olencethatfrightenedme
y andmar eledatthebluish aporthat
endingtothemanindescribable
ulwomen sformsbegantostir on
bwhic hupheldthehea yc olumns
feltmyselfuplif tedbysomedi ine
infinite oy inasweetandlanguid
e g i e n m yl i fe t h in k t o h a e p r o-
oriaforalittle butsuddenlyashrill
rs
e
kmyhandinhers itsic yc oldness
r e. Thebonesofherfac eshowed
almostoli e- tintedwrink lesof the
e-c old oldwomanworeablac k robe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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L A N D R S . 271
ust andatherthroattherewas
darednote amine. c ould
c olorlesseyes fortheyweref i edin
ns. hedrewmeafterheralongthe
ceofherpresenc eintheashesthatshe
rbonesrattledasshewalked like
andaswewent heardbehindme
athin sharpsoundthatrang
otes ofaharmonica.
cr i ed s u ff e r o i t m us t b e
c h wewentthroughthedirtiest
tillwec ameatlasttoadingydwelling
hedraggedmewithher c alling
ess oic elikeac rackedbell
d me
dingstaircase. heknockedat
andamute likesomefamiliarof the
edtoher. nanothermomentwestoodin
t raggedtapestry amidpilesofold
andgildedbrass.
atshallendurefore er saidshe.
r for ustthen bythelightofa
dles sawdistinctlythatthis
egra eyard. hehadnohair.
herfleshlessarmand encircledme
hspikes andassheraiseditac ry
ec ryofmillionsof oic estheshout-
maketheehappyfore er " shesaid.
thehearth theasheslayc oldupon
mangraspedmyhandsotightly in
oosebutstay. lookedf i edlyather
ryofherlifef romthethingsamong
adsheindeedanylife inher
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N L A N D R S .
sawplainly thatonceshemustha e
fair w ithallthec harmofsimpli-
reeekstatue w iththebrowofa estal.
c ri ed n ow l k no w th ee M is er ab le
prostitutedthyself ntheageof thy
othyprosperity thegraceandpurity
n. orgetfulof thyheroic de o-
yabundantfaith thoudidstresignthy
spiritualsupremacyforfleshlypower.
thycouchofmoss thecellinthe rock
ghtDi ine wereforsaken thouhast
andshonew iththeglitterof lu ury
nboldandinsolent sei ingando er-
urselikeacourtesaneagerfor
endor thouhassteepedthyselfin
tupefiedbyempery.Dostthounot
ndullandhea yattimes andthesud-
ofothermoments aswhenart
O h p o et p a in t er a n d si n ge r l o e r
dprotectorofthearts wasthy
eacaprice thatsothoushouldst
tcanopies Was therenotaday
ride thoughc hastityandhumility
thouhadstbroughtallthingsbeneath
ootonthenec ksofprinces when
wealth andthemindofmanborethy
abasementofhumanity oy ingto
thstowhichman sfollywouldgo
erswalkonallfours andre uiredof
lth nay e entheirwi esif they
Thouhast de ouredmillions
thouhastf lungawayli eslikesand
stto east.Thouhastcomedown
tto sitamongthekingsof men.
omfortingmen thouhasttormented
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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L A N D R S . 273
nowingthatthoucouldstaskand
andedblood A littlef loursurely
thee ac c ustomedasthouhadstbeento
nglewaterw iththyw ine. Unlikeall
ormerly thouwouldstbidthy lo ersfast
ouldthyfanc iesha eledtheetore-
Why likeac ourtesanspoiledby
dotedonfollies andleftthoseunde-
plainand ustifyallthyerrors
ater passions terriblelikethelo e
withafiercecrythouhastsought
erseinonelastembrac eandthy
hee
dedtothyyounglo ers dec repi-
dmadetheehideous. et e enthen
rof isionsaidtotheeinaglanc e
gloriously bec ausethouhastfallen
astbrokenthe owsof thymaidenhood.
enonher forehead whoshould
oyalongherpath hasbeenaMessalina
indebauc hery andabuseofpower.
ycannotreturn henceforwardthou
aster. Thyhourhascome thehand
yheirsbelie ethatthouartric h
dnothing. ettryatleasttof ling
gerinfashion beonc emoreasin
t h ou a r t de a d a n d by t h in e o wn d e ed
y " c onc ludedw ith Dec repit
c rone nowforgotten goingthywaysw ith-
fompassers-by Whyartthoustill
thouinthatbeggar sgarb unc omelyand
rearethyriches forwhatwerethey
ytreasures whatgreatdeedshastthou
shri eledwomanraisedherbonyform
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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N L A N D R S .
grewtallandradiant smilingasshe
hrysalissheath.Then likea
uscreatureemerged fairandyouthful
n ndianfromc reationissuingher
ippledo erhershoulders hereyes
lungabouther aringofgoldho ered
shookthef lamingbladeofasword
a en.
s h e cr i ed .
afaroff manythousandsofc athe-
h a d u s t u i tt e d b u t th e se w er e c o e r e d
ec oes and heardthemec how ith
sofhumancreaturesflockedto
swarmingaboutthemlikeantson an
agertoresc uebooksf romobli ionor
therswerehelpingthepoor butnearly
o ethisc ountlessmultituderose
erectedin theirmidst andbythe
romsomeluminaryaspowerfulas
riptionsonthebasesof thestatues
iterature.
n facedtheyounggirl.Grad-
drearysheath intotheraggedsear-
agedwomanagain.H erfamiliar
andshestirreditintotheashesof
eweatherwasc oldandstormy and
whosepalaceshadbeenlit withthou-
alittlec resset thatshemightseetoread
ursof night.
ntheearth shesaid.
tdid beholdthefairestandthe
dmostlife-gi ingofallpowers.
h e do o rs a r e u s t ab o ut t o b e sh u t " s a id a
edandbeheldthebeadle suglyc ounte-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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L A N D R S .
hakingmebythearm andthecathedral
a maniswrappedinhis cloak.
id t o m ys e lf i s l if e h a e u s t wi t ne s se d
y nowwemustdefendthec hurc h.
ua ry 1 3 1.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .
arondePommereul a
weenourfathers which
.
.
arietyofhumannatureobtainedinthe
ssanalogoustothatof thegardener s
ingdom tow it bytheforc ing-house
anbe raisedneitherfromseednor
nownas thecashier ananthro-
ateredbyreligiousdoctrine trainedup
e prunedby ic e tof lourishona
ewifeby hissideandan uninter-
ofcashiersinParis mustalways
ologist.H asanyoneasyet been
ermsof theproportionsumwherein
eunknown Wherew illyouf ind
w ithwealth likeac atw ithac aged
orfurther ualific ation shallbecapable
danirongratingforse enoreight
n-eighthsof theyear perchedupona
ceasnarrowas alieutenant scabin
uc hamanmustbeabletodefy
dthigh oints hemustha easoul
rdertoli emeanly mustloseallrelish
lingit.Demandthispeculiar
educationalsystem sc hool orinstitu-
elec tParis thatc ityof f ieryordealsand
ell asthesoilin whichtoplantthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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E C O N C I L E D .
nc omeofahundredlouisinold
c ondf loor breadsuf f icient oc c a-
kerchiefs anelderlywifeandher
utfortheoppositec ourse alittle
eepingonthewindwardside ofthe
kedMont6cuculli andsocietywill
ns showerribandsuponthe
onors andsmotherhimwithc onsid-
er worksharmoniouslyw iththispro-
soc iety . Go ernmentle iesa
ntelligenceofthekingdomatthe
hteen ac onscriptionofprecoc ious
maturelye haustedbye c essi e
up tobesubmittedtoa processof
ortandselectseedsinmuchthe same
ernmentbringsprofessional
enwhocanassaybrainsase pertsassay
hundredsuc hheads setaf irew ith
uallybythemostprogressi eportionof
of thesethego ernmenttakesone-third
he c oles andshakesthemup
houghe eryoneoftheseyoung
produc ti epower theyaremade asone
Theyrec ei eappointments therank
deupofthem theyareemployed
thereisno subaltern gradetowhic h
nally whenthesemen thepickof
fattenedonmathematicsandstuffed
eattainedtheageof f if tyyears they
ndrec ei easthepriceof theirser ic es
thew ifeandfamily andallthecom-
ediocrity. ffromamongthis
esc apesomef i eorsi menof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .2 79
highestheights isitnot erymirac u-
entoftherelationsbetweentalent
nd andgo ernmentandsoc ietyon
thatc onsidersitself tobeprogressi e.
planationarecentoccurrencein
ble butprecededbythissumming
tw illperhapsrec ei esomethoughtful
bleofrecogni ingtherealplague-
n a c i i l i a t io n wh i ch s i nc e 1 1 5 h as
tofgainratherthanbyprinciplesof
onadullautumnafternoon thec ashier
sinPariswasstill athisdesk
mpthathadbeenlit forsome
ththeuseandwontof commerce
thedarkestcornerofthe low-ceiled
e z aninef loor andatthe eryendof
orrowedlights.The officedoors
c hwithitslabel ga etheplacethe
ouro c lock thestolidporterhad
ohisorders Thebank isc losed.
partmentsweredeserted theletters
hadtakentheirlea e. Thew i esof
eree pec tingtheirlo ers thetwo
mistresses. v erythingwasin
gbo eshadbeenbeddedin
hindthelittlesanctum wherethe
sshewasbalancinghisbooks.The
pseofasafeofhammerediron so
hankstothesc ienc eof themodernin-
scouldnotc arry itaway. Thedooronly
hose whoknewitspassword.The
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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R E C O N C I L E D .
hokeptitsownsecretand could
steriouswordwasaningeniousreal-
e sa me i n t he A r a b i an N i g h t s.
othing. A manmightdisco erthe
eknewtheloc k sf inalsec ret the
ardingdragonof mechanicalsci-
nderbussat hishead.
hewallsofthe room theshutters
m thewholeplace infac t was
ofaninchinthickness con-
odenpaneling.Theshuttershad
adbeenshut. fe ermanc ouldfeel
olutelyalone andthattherewasno
watchedbypryingeyes thatman
useofN uc ingenandCompany inthe
.
tsilencepre ailedinthatiron cage.
esto e buttheroomwasfull of
roducesthedullhea y-headedness
ssofamorningafteranorgy.The
atplaysnosmallpartin thereduction
o astateofidiocy.
nitisaretortinwhic hthepowerof
ed wheretheir itality ise hausted
Go ernmentofficesarepartofa
ufactureofthemediocritynecessary
udalsystemon apecuniarybasis
tionof thesocialc ontract. S ee
Themephitic aporsintheatmosphereofa
nnosmalldegreetobring abouta
ntelligenc es thebrainthatgi esof f
itrogenasphy iatestheothers inthe
fi e-and-fortyorthereabouts.A s
ightfroma moderatorlampshining
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .2 1
isteningfringeofiron-grayhair
nessand theroundoutlinesof
ok ery likeaball. Hisc omple ion
rink leshadgatheredabouthiseyes but
mphandsofastoutman. Hisblue
edandworn andthec reasesand
tracesofhardwear thattheclothes-
wouldimpressasuperfic ialobser er
sathriftyandupright humanbeing
erorofthe aristocrattowear
unluck ily itiseasytof indpenny-w ise
eak wasteful orinc ompetentinthe
nofthe egionofH onorathis
dbeenama orofdragoonsinthetime
uc ingen whohadbeenac ontrac -
nker hadhadreasoninthosedays
positionofhis cashier whothen
e ersesoffortunehadbefallen
bankeroutof regardforhimpaidhim
onth.Thesoldierhad becomea
3 af terhisrec o eryf romawoundre-
kaduringtheretreatf romMosc ow fol-
enforc edidlenessat trasbourg whither
entransportedbyorderof the mperor
skilledattention.Thisparticular
name retiredw iththehonorarygrade
nof twothousandfourhundred
ethec ashierhadc ompletelyef fac edthe
nierinspiredthebankerw ithsuc htrustin
din thetransactionsthatwenton
ndhislittlecounting-house.The
sstoit bymeansofasecretstaircase.
essweredecided. twasthebolting-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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R E C O N C I L E D .
resif ted thepri yc ouncilc hamber
moneymarketwereanaly ed c ir-
and f inally thepri ateledgerand
mari edtheworkofallthedepartments
selftoshut thedoorwhichopened
otheparlor occupiedbythetwo
oftheirhotel.Thisdone hehad
n andforamomenthega edata
creditdrawnon thefirmof
ndon. Thenhehadtakenupthepen
ssignatureuponeach.N ucingenhe
rgedsignaturescriticallytoseewhich
opy.
sif aneedlehadprickedhim.
aboding oic eseemedtocry inhis
forgersawamanstandingatthelittle
ting-house amanwhosebreathing
idnotseemtobreatheat all.C as-
hatthedoorat theendofthe passage
rangermustha eenteredbythatway.
ethe oldsoldierfelta sensation
re open-mouthedandwide-eyedat
ndforthatmatter theappearanc eof
ntlyalarminge enifunaccompanied
stancesofsosuddenanentry.The
harshc oloringof thelongo alfac e
yasthec utofhisc lothesthatthe
n reek ingofhisnati eisles. ouhad
ofhiso erc oat atthe oluminous
dthecrushedfrillsofa shirtfrontso
hechangelessleadenhueofanim-
ethinredlineof thelipsthatseemed
corpses andyoucouldguessat
uttonedup totheknee andthehalf-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 318/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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A W A MA N TA N D N GA TTH E I TT E
DO W .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 320/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 321/416 P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .2 3
ealthy nglishmandressedfora
eintolerableglitterof thestranger s
andunpleasantimpression whichwas
outlinesof hisfeatures.Ttfe
eatureseemedtocarrywithinhim
atconsumedhimandcouldnotbe
dhisfoodsorapidly thathec ould
withoutbringinganytraceofcolor
tunofTokay indesuc cession
anyfalteringinthat piercingglance
sthoughts nordethronedthemerciless
aysseemedtogotothe bottomof
ingof thefellandtran uilma esty
as h t hi s b il l o f e c ha n ge s i r " h e s a i d.
sofhis oic ethrillthroughe eryner e
ilartothatgi enbyadischargeof
saidC astanier inthesententious
cials.
adthe nglishman look ingroundthe
morrowwillbe unday and c annot
ehundredthousandfrancs. ou
a n d m u st h a e i t .
me i n s i r "
ThatsmilefrightenedC astanier.
epliedmorefullynormoreperemptorily
erialcurlof thestranger slips.
tookupfif typackets eac hc ontaining
k-notes andheldthemoutto the
ne c hangeforthemabillac c eptedby
n. A sortofc on ulsi etremorran
edgleaminthestranger seyes
edsignatureontheletterof credit.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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R E C O N C I L E D .
ure " stammeredCastanier handing
" answeredthe nglishman.
hepenw ithwhic hhehad ustc om-
gerwrote ohnMelmoth thenhe
andthepento thecashier.C as-
riting noticingthatitslopedfrom
ernfashion andMelmothdisappearedso
astanierlookedupagainane clamation
ybecausethemanwasno longerthere
angepainful sensationsuchasour
raneffectofpoison.
handledsent thesamesickening
emeticproduces.But itseemed
hatthe nglishmanshouldha e
ward ualmsheattributedtothe
at ac cordingtorec ei edideas was
sucha turn asthestrangerhad
a m e r y st u pi d . Pr o i d en c e is
orif thatbrutehadcomeroundtosee
mygoosewouldha ebeenc ooked
eburnedtheunsuccessfulattemptsat
meanttotakewithhiminanen-
imself tof i ehundredthousandfranc s
hbank -notesf romthesafe whichhe
rythinginorder litac andle blew
hshatandumbrella andwentout
olea eoneof thetwokeysof thestrong
c ingen intheabsenc eofherhus-
M . C a s t an i er " s a id t h e ba n ke r s w i fe a s
weha eaholidayonMonday you
o r t o o i y .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .2 5
besogoodastotellyourhusbandthat
atsc hildine whichwasbehindtime
d Thef i ehundredthousandf tancs
shallnotc omebac k tillnoonon
u hopeyouw illha eapleasant
madame " repliedtheolddragoonas
ashespokeat ayoungmanwell
etyatthattime aM. deRastignac
damedeNuc ingen slo er.
kedthislatter theoldboy looksto
yousomeill turn.
e heistoostupid.
s a id t h e ca s hi e r w al k in g i nt o t he p o rt e r s
youletanybodycomeupafterfour
oingapipehereinthedoorwaye er
saidtheman andnobodyhasgone
asc omeouteithere c eptthe
e
r d an d h on o r. t a y t h ou g h a t f ou r
sf riendcame ayoungfellow from
o . i n t he R u e o u be r t.
a s t a ni e r a n d he h u rr i ed a w ay .
fheatthathehad feltwhenhe
din greaterintensity. Mille
ashethreadedhiswayalongthe
h a e n t t a ke n p ro p er p r ec au t io n s
leardays undayandMonday thena
heybegintolookfor me alto-
dfournights respite. ha eac ouple
entdisguises isnotthatenoughto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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R E C O N C I L E D .
ec ti eof f thescent O n Tuesday
millionf rancsin ondonbeforethe
enaroused. Mydebts amlea ing
mycreditors whow illputa P
allli ec omfortably in taly fortherest
erraro. wasalonew ithhim
ow inthemarshofZ embin and
ediables/the womanwhoisto
ethemac lue Thinkofanold
atedenoughtotiemyselftoa petti-
er m u st l e a e h e r be h in d . e s
oit but knowmyself should
forher. till nobodyknows
t ak e he r or l ea e h er "
r c r ie d a o i ce t h at f i ll e d C a s -
d. Heturnedsharply andsaw
c r ie d t he c as h ie r a lo u d.
ic timbythistime andifCas-
adbeentofastena uarrelonaman
hewassomuchtornbyopposing
eresultwasa temporaryparalysis.
alkhefellonc emoreintothatfe er
sthosewhoareso carriedawayby
ytoc ommitac rime butha enot
actertokeepitto themsel eswith-
eprocess. o althoughCastanier
eapthefruits ofacrimewhichwas
hehesitatedtocarryouthisdesigns.
menofmi edc harac terinwhomweak -
uallyblended theleasttrif lingc on-
ethertheyshallcontinuetolead
meacti elyc riminal. nthe ast
nNapoleon sarmiesthereweremany
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 7
possessedthepurelyphysicalc ourage
eld yetlackedthemoralcourage
eatincrimeashecouldha ebe en
ftedin suchtermsthatimme-
mightdrawtwenty-f i ethousand
atschildine the ondonc orrespond-
ingen. The ondonhousehadbeen
draf tabouttobemadeuponthem
mself.H ehadinstructedanagent
otakehispassageina esselwhic hwas
hawealthy nglishfamilyonboard
y andthepassage-moneyhadbeen
ount erraro. Thesmallestdetails
oughtout.H ehadarrangedmat-
searc hthatwouldbemadeforhim
t erland whilehehimselfwasatseain
en bythetimethatN uc ingenmight
on thetrackofhislate cashier the
unt erraro hopedtobesafeinNaples.
figurehis faceinordertodisguise
ely andbymeansofanacid
allpo . et inspiteofall
chsurelyseemedasif theymust
unity hisconsciencetormented
ee enandpeac efullifethathehad
edthemoralityofthecamp.H is
hec ouldnotsully itw ithoutapang.
bandonedhimselftoallthe influences
nuouslyresisted.
a t la s t a t t he c o rn e r of t h e B o u le a r d
e w illtakeac abaf tertheplay
toV ersailles. A postchaisewillbe
uartermaster splac e. H ewould
ado enmenwerestandingreadyto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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R E C O N C I L E D.
c esareallinmyfa or sofaras
al l t ak e my l i tt l e N a u i w it h m e a n d
e c l ai m ed t h e n g li s hm a n a n d t he
c edro eallthec ashier sbloodbac k
burywhichwaswaitingfor him
uicklythatwhenC astanierlooked
ndredpacesawayfromhim and
hismindtoc utof f theman sretreat
ayuptheB oule ardMontmartre.
rd thereissomethingsupernatural
etohimself. f werefoolenoughto
houldthink thatH ehadset aintMichael
hatthede ilandthepolic eshould
se soastonabmeinthenic kof time
helike B utthere thisisfolly
heRuedu aubourg-Montmartre
enearedtheRueR ic her. There on
of buildingswhichlookedout
edtheunconsciousc auseofCastanier s
owninthe uarterasMme. dela
yofc ertaine entsinthecashier s
nordertoe plainthesefacts andto
mentofthecrisiswhenhe yieldedto
tshewasaPiedmontese.N o
t an i er k n ew h er r e al n a me . h e w as o n e
aredri enbydiremisery by in-
o r b y fe a r of s t ar a t io n t o h a e
mostof themloathe manyregard
somefewfollowinobediencetothe
utonthebrink ofthegulfof
eyounggirlofsi teen beautifuland
hadmetw ithCastanier. Theold
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 9
dhomelytomakehis wayin
edof trampingtheboule ardatnight
estsmadetherebygold. orsome
obringacertainregularityinto an
ckbythebeautyof thepoorchild
intohis arms andhisdetermina-
elifeofthestreets washalf-bene -
ssomeofthethoughtsof thebestofmen
nditionsmingleelementsofe il
uralgoodnessofheart andthe
nderly ingaman sintentionsshouldbe
tanierhad ustc le ernessenoughtobe
owninterestswerec onc erned. ohe
ropistoneithercount andatfirst
hesaidtohimself inhissoldierly fashion
andasheepshallnotmakeafoolofme.
beforeyousetuphousekeeping rec on-
terforabit andseeifsheisasteady
ethePiedmonteseastatusthe most
ctabilityamongthosewhichtheworld
uringthefirstyear shetookthenom
oneof thecharac tersinV enic ePre-
dc hanc edtoread. hefanciedthatshe
nfaceandgeneralappearance and
artand brainofwhichshewas
anierfoundthatherlifewas aswell
aswaspossibleforasoc ialoutlaw he
eyshouldli eashusbandandwife.
ofMme. delaGarde inorderto
Parisianusagespermit theconditions
matterof fac t manyof these
nef i edidea tobelookeduponas
women wholeadhumdrumli esof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
ands womenwhowouldmakee c el-
fhouseholdaccounts andmendersof
ngspringsfroma sentimentso
ldtakeitinto consideration.But
e er w illassuredlypersistinregarding
or ettedulyauthori edbyherf lag
wncourse whilethewomanwhois
rate andanoutlawforlackof a
ewhenMme.delaGardewouldfain
Mme. Castanier. Thec ashierwasput
emewellenoughtomarryme "
er hewasabsorbedbyhisthoughts.
elfto herfate.Thee -dragoon
sheartsoftenedtowardshimatthe
etriedtosoothehim butwhatc ould
knowwhatailedhim WhenN a ui
owthesecret althoughshene erasked
ashierdolefullyc onfessedtothee ist-
er.Thislawfulwife athousand
inginahumblewayin trasbourgon
hewrotetohertw iceayear andkept
ncesowellthatnoone suspectedthat
nofthis reticence fitis famil-
ho maychancetobeina like
hapsworthwhiletogi ethestory.
if itisallowableheretoemploythe
nifiesa manwhoisdestinedtodie
fserf apartandparc elofhisregi-
mplec reature andCastanierwas
a ic timtothew ilesofmotherswith
oolongontheir hands. twasat
thosebrief inter alsof reposewhen
renotonac ti eser ic eabroad that
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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O N C I L E D .2 01
yastopay someattentiontoayoung
edataridotto thepro inc ialname
engi enbythemilitaryto tne
ersa ingarrisontowns. A schemefor
ptainintomatrimonywasimmediately
eschemesbywhichmotherssecure
eartbytouchingallits moti e
on ertalltheirf riendsintofellow-con-
edbyoneidea theseladiespress
ic eof theirgreatpro ec t slowly
muchastheant-lione c a atesits
inwaitat thebottomforits
noonestrays af terall intothatc are-
h upposethattheant-liondies
rpit uc hthingsmaybe butif
c eentersin itne erc omesout. A ll
ulledto induceactiononthe
ed appealsweremadetothe sec ret
alwayscomeintoplayin suchcases
er shopesandon theweaknessesand
e. Unluc k ily hehadpraisedthe
enhebrought herbackaftera
llowed andthenanin itationinthe
rld.O nceintroducedintothe
asda z ledbythehospitalityofafamily
heirrealwealthbeneathashow of
sskilfullyflatteredonallsides and
rhisbenef itthe arioustreasuresthere
ddinner ser edonplateloanedby
showntohimbythe onlydaughterof
f thetown awell-to-dosub- lieutenant
eground fromunderhisfeetall
inshort of thepro inc ialant- lion
osuchgoodpurpose thatCastanier
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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C O N C I L E D .
Tothisday donotknowhowit
teenthousandfrancswiththelady
marriage bec ametheugliestandc on-
ishwomanonearth. uc k ily they
omple ion maintainedbya
thefresh brightc olorinherfac e which
desty bec ameo erspreadw ith
herf igure whichhadseemedso
theangelbec ameasuspic iousand
o eC astanierfrantic.Thenthefor-
tlengththedragoon nolonger
whomhehadwedded lef thertoli e
rasbourg untilthetimewhenit
o ehertoadornparadise. he
ouswomenwho forwantofother
rythelifeoutof anangelwithcom-
if theirprayersareheardinhea en
patienc eof theA lmighty andsay
f theirhusbandsindo e- likemurmurs
w iththeirneighbors. WhenA q uilina
heclung stillmoreaffectionatelyto
ehimsohappy ary ingw ithwoman s
thwhichshefilledhis life thatall
useofthe cashier sdownfall.
seembynaturedestinedtosound
Mme. delaGardewasdisinterested.
oldnorfor ewelry ga enothought
ntirely forthepresentandforthepleas-
eac ceptede pensi eornamentsand
soeagerlyc o etedbywomenofher
hemorein thepictureoflife.There
ty inherdesirenottoappearatabetter
thefairer and moreo er nowoman
uriesmorec heerfully . Whenamanof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 93
ilitarymenaremostlyof thisstamp
n hefeelsasortofe asperation^a t
ngenerosity.H efeelsthathe
obtainmoneyforher ifhehasnot
ewillcommitacrimeif sohe
theeyesofsomewomanorof his
thenatureof theman. uc halo er
ldbedishonoredinhisown eyesif
heborrowedfromawaiterin a
lshrink f romnoc rime w illlea ehis
apenny androbandmurder if so
ngtablew ithafullpurse andhis
amongthefre uentersofthatfatal
astanier.
ngA q uilinainamodestfourth-
furniturebeingof thesimplestkind. B ut
beautyandgreat ualities whenhehad
dunlooked-forhappinesswithher he
andlongedtoadornhis idol.Then
ssoc omic allyoutofkeepingw ithher
htheir sakesitwasclearlyincumbent
hangeswallowedupalmostallCasta-
hefurnishedhisdomestic paradisew ithall
ishedonakeptmistress. A pretty
erythingprettyabouther theunityof
ersurroundingssingles herout
ssentimentofhomogeneityindeed
esc apedtheattentionofobser ers
nature andthesamepromptingleads
ndthemsel eswithdrearyrelicsof
lyP iedmontesemustha ethenewest
dallthatwasdaintiest andprettiestin
ilk sor ewelry inf inec hinaandother
heaskedfornothing butwhen
kea choice whenC astanierasked
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
l i ke " s h e wo u ld a n sw er W h y t h is
e n e e r c ou n ts t h e co s t a n d C a s ta n ie r
nicest.
hadbeensetup therewasnoth-
ginthehouseholdmustbeincon-
plate andc rystalthroughathousand
dituredowntothepotsandpansin
admeantto dothingssimply " as
egraduallyfoundhimselfmoreand
penseentailedanother. Thec loc k
iresmustbelightedin theorna-
urtainsandhangingswere toofresh
smuts sotheymustbereplaced
replac es warrantedtogi eoutno
tionsof thepeoplewhoarec le erat
ThenA q uilinafounditso niceto
thec arpetinherroom thatCasta-
petslaide erywhereforthepleasureof
bathroom too wasbuiltforher
atshe mightbemorecomfortable.
en andmanufacturersinParisha ea
gingaholeina man spurse.They
anythinguponin uiry andasthe
nnotabidedelay ordersaregi enby
o imateestimateofcost.The
dinthebillsatonce butplythepur-
isheadspins. v erythingisso
ande eryoneissatisf ied.
bligingfurniture dealersaremeta-
earintheshapeof alarmingtotalson
lw iththeirhorridc lamor theyare
ey theyare asyoumaysay onthe
eirtearsf low itisheartrendingto
nthegulfyawns andgi esup
smarc hingfourdeep when asa
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 95
uldha eissuedinnocently threeby
nyideaofhow muchhehadspenbf
uilinatoha eac arriagef romali ery
t insteadofac ab. Castanierwasa
d a n e c e l l en t c oo k a n d A q u i li n a t o
madethepurchasesofearlyfruit and
c ac i es a n d e q u i s i t e wi n es . B u t a s
ofherown thesegif tsofhers so
houghtand tactandgraciousness
erenolessadrainuponC astanier s
hisN a uitobew ithoutmoney and
pmoney inherpoc ket. othetable
penditureforamanwithCastanier s
nwasc ompelledtoresortto arious
forhecouldnotbring himselfto
fe. He lo edthewomantoowellto
ress.H ewasoneofthose men
eorthroughweaknessofc haracter c an
an falseshameo erpowersthem
an maketheadmissions: can-
notpermit I c annot
astaniersawthatifhemeanttoemerge
whichhehadplunged hemust
li euponbreadandwater hewasso
tochangehishabitsof life
nsofreformuntil themorrow.
andhebeganbyborrowingmoney.
ousc haracterinspiredc onf idenc e and
getode iseasystemofborrow ing
t. Then asthetotalamountofdebt
drecoursetothosecommercialin en-
dationbills.Thisformofbilldoes
ter aluerec ei ed andthef irst
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
namedfortheobliging personwho
raudis toleratedbecauseitis
nd moreo er itisanimaginary
srealifpaymentisultimatelyre-
idently impossibletoborrowany
setheamountofthedebtwasnow so
causeC astanierwasunabletopaythe large
foresaidsumsof money thecashier
m. O nmak ingthisdisco ery he
nkruptcyratherthananordinary
crimetoa misdemeanor.He deter-
ofthe celebratedcashieroftheR oyal
rustdeser edlywon andtoincrease
by makingafinalloanofthe
n comfortinaforeigncountryfor
his ashasbeenseen hehadpre-
oftheirksomecaresof thislife
tenc e asmanyawomandoes mak ingno
moneyc amefrom e enassundry
tteredrollsuntroubledbyanyrest-
othecultureandgrowthof wheat
alculationsofagriculturelieonthe
so en so beneaththeunappreciated
nhousehold lie intolerablean ieties
enduringthetortureof thestrain and
hedeedthatshouldchangehis
awasly inglu uriouslyback inagreat
beguilingthetimebychattingwith
uentlyhappensinsuc hcases the
stress c onfidante ennyha ingf irst
mistress asc endencyo erCastanier
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 97
hise ening eonseemsdetermined
Gardewassay ing asshereadaoas-
nafaint graynote-paper.
s a id e n ny .
uilina now isedisconc erted c rumpled
ihthetongs andhelditinthef lames.
o w it h y ou r l o e - le t te r s i s i t "
e s " s a i d A q u i l i n a i s i t no t t he b e st
B esides f ireshouldgotothef ire
er.
f it w e re a r e al l o e - le t te r N a u i
ha n ds o me e n ou g h to r e ce i e t h em s h e
headfora kiss.Therewasacare-
hatwouldha etoldanymanless
atitwasonlyapiec eofc on ugalduty
is o y t o th e ca s hi e r b u t us e a nd w on t
othepointwhereclear-sightednessis
e.
o a t t h e Gy m na s e th i s e e n in g " h e
dinnerearly andthenweneednotdine
a m t ir e d of p l ay s . d o n ot
w ithmethise ening wouldrather
me t h ou g h N a u i s h al l n ot b e h er e t o
e s N a u i a m g oi n g to s t ar t t o-
metimebefore c omebac kagain.
ginyourc harge. Willyoukeepyour
oanythingelse " shesaid but
n N a uiw illstillbeN a uifor
ness. oyouwouldnotfollowme
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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E C O N C I L E D .
a n l e a e t h e lo e r w ho w r it e s me s u ch
heasked pointingtotheblac kened
kingsmile.
n it a s ke d C a s t an i er . H a e y o u
A q u il in a a nd h a e y o u ne e r gi e n it
r Tobeginw ith youaref if tyyears
stthesortof fac etoputonafruit
edtosellyouforapumpk in noone
oupuffandblowlikea sealwhen
urpaunchrisesandfallslikethe dia-
rehead tisprettyplainthatyou
youarea eryugly- lookingoldman.
ha eanymindtokeepmyrespec t
dimbecilitytothese ualitiesby
as amwillbecontentw ithyour
dnotlook foryouthandgoodlooksand
riety
r e la u gh i ng o f co u rs e "
a n d ar e y ou n o t la u gh i ng t o o D o y ou
gmethatyouaregoingaway
t shesaid mimick inghistones.
ouldyoutalk likethatifyouwere
ourN a ui ouwouldc ry like
o w i l l y ou f o ll o w h e a sk e d.
his ourneyofyoursisabad oke
a m go i ng .
o us l y s h al l s t ay . A p l e as a nt o u rn e y
w illwaittillyoucomeback . would
ethantakelea eofmydear c o y
o t a ly t o N a p l es a n d le a d a pl e as a nt
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .2 99
uriouslife w iththisstoutoldfogy
dblowslikeaseal
e cr i ed r i si n g to h e r fe e t. I m i gh t
omentandtakenothingoutof itbut
i enyouallthetreasuresayounggirl
tingthatnote erydropinyour einsand
e b ac k . f b y a ny m e an s w ha t e e r b y
ity forinstanc e c ouldrec o ermy
l f o r h a e p e rh a ps r e de e me d m y
salily formylo er wouldnothesitate
tofde otionhasrewardedmine ou
e ustasyougi eadogfoodanda
ectionto thehouse andhemay
tof humor andlickourhandsas
calltohim.A ndwhichofustwo
egenerous " shec urtlyaskedCas-
d o y o u no t s ee t h at a m o k in g r e -
mgoingonashort ourney shall
ng. B utc omewithmetotheGym-
u s t be f or e m id n ig h t a f te r h a e h a d ti m e
rereallygoing areyou " shesaid.
hisnec k anddrewdownhishead
me c riedC astanier w ithhisfac e
breast. Thatdamselturnedtosay in
o t o e o n a n d t el l h im n o t to c om e t il l o ne
otf indhim andhec omeshereduring
phiminyourroom. Well " shewent
nier andgi ingatweaktothetipofhis
d handsomestofsealsthatyouare. w ill
uthise ening. B utallingood
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
ner Thereisanic elittledinnerfor
p a rt f r om s u ch a w om a n as y o u e -
whydoyougo askedshe.
f w e re t o b eg i n to e p l ai n t he r e a-
youthingsthatwouldpro etoyouthat
m ad n es s . A h i f y ou h a e s a cr i fi c ed
h a e s o ld m i ne f o r yo u w e ar e u i ts .
ut s a id s h e. C o m e n o w p r o mi s e
eryouwouldstilllo emeasafather
o m e n o w p r om i se i t a t on ce a n d
t.
andCastaniersmiledashespoke.
r table andwentthencetothe
partofthe performancewaso er
toshowhimselftosomeof hisac-
se soastoturnawayanysuspic ionof
me.dela Gardeinthecornerbo
ac c ordingtohermodestwont and
inthelobby.H ehadnotgone
wthe nglishman andw ithasudden
sationofheatthat oncebeforehad
andof theterrorthathehadfelt
ofacewithMelmoth.
ierglanc edroundatthepeoplewho
m. Hefanc iedthathec ouldseeaston-
eireyes andwishingtoberid of
e heraisedhishandtostrikehim
edbysomein isiblepowerthatsapped
tothespot.H eallowedthe
earm andtheywalkedtogetherto
ends.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 01
ghtoresistme saidthe nglishman
ounotknowthate erythinghereon
atitisinmypowertodoe erything
ts seethefuture and knowthepast.
anbeelsewherealso. Timeandspac eand
.Thewholeworldis atmybeck
owerofc ontinualen oymentandof
e e th r ou g h wa l ls d i sc o e r h id d en t r ea s -
ith them.Palacesariseatmynod
omistakes. canmakealllands
heapuptheirgoldandprecious
dmyselfwithfairwomenande er-new
yieldeduptomywill. c ouldgamble
ange andmyspec ulationswouldbeinfal-
anf indthehoardsthatmisersha e
ottroublehimselfaboutstocks.
handthatgraspsyou poorwretc h
ytobendthearmof iron try to
art ly f rommeifyoudare
oic einthedepthsof thec a esthatlie
umighthideintheCatac ombs butwould
My oic ec ouldbeheardthroughthe
myeyesshineasbrightlyas thesun
u ci f er
riblewords andfeltnoprotestnor
elf.He walkedsidebysidewith
hadnopowertolea ehim.
o u ha e u s t co m mi t te d a cr i me . h a e
om ha esought. Ha eyouamind
ha youc ameheretoseeaplay
ay two. Come. Presentmeto
ofyourbestf riends. A m not
"
bythestranger returnedtohisbo ,
htheorderhehad ustrecei ed he
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
mothtoMme.delaGarde.A q uilina
astsurprised.The nglishman
front andCastanierwasonc emore
eman sslightestw ishmustbeobeyed.
begin for atthattime smallthea-
c es. O neof theactorshadmadethe
ndthate eningPerlet theac torin
ay i n a a u de i l l ec a ll e d th e e C o m e di e n
chhef illedfourdif ferentparts.
thestrangerstretchedouthishand
e. Castanier sc ryof terrordiedaway
eemedgluedtogetherasMelmoth
andthecashierknewthatthe playhad
glishman sdesire.
matthebank hesawtheB aronde
withapolice-officerfromthePrefec-
ghimofC astanier sc onduc t e plain-
bscondedwithmoneytakenfrom
historyof theforgedsignature. The
ng thedocumentsignedand
blicProsecutor.
oyouthink askedN uc ingen.
agentofpolic e heisattheGymnase
ything.
isc hair andmadeasifhewould
tMelmoth shandlayonhisshoulder
andwatc h thehideouspowerof
ctlikethatof nightmare andhe
ay themanhimselfwasthenight-
ighedhea ilyonhis ic timlikea
henthewretchedcashierturnedto
n smerc y hemetthosebla ingeyes
urrents whichpiercedthroughhim
dartsofsteel.
ne t o y ou " h e s a i d i n h i s p ro s tr a te
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 03
breathedhardlikeastagatthewater s
w an t o f me
el m ot h .
tage.Thescenehad beenchanged.
er andC astanierbeheldhimself
ew ithA q uilina butasheentered
eintheRueR ic her thesc eneagain
andhesawhisownhouse. ennywas
mistress roomwithasubaltern
en stationedatParis.
e " s a id t h e se r ge a nt w h o se e me d t o
yc irc umstances I c anbehappy
A q uilinatoowelltoallowhertobelong
myself amgoingtomarryMme. dela
ergeant.
astaniermurmuredpiteously .
terandmistress hideyourself
o n s ie u r e o n " s a id e n ny . T h e ma s -
ery long.
ergeanthidehimselfamongA q ui-
ssing-room.Almostimmediatelyhe
hesc ene andtook lea eofhismis-
f hi m i n a s id e s t o e n ny w h il e s he
enderestwordsinhis ears. he
face andlaughedwiththeother.
encore.
c riedC astanierf romhisbo .
gtillthetearscameintohereyes.
c ried howfunnyPerletisasthe
y d o n t y o u la u gh v e r y o n e el s e in
augh dear shesaidtoC astanier.
g andtheunhappycashier
man slaughterwrunghisheartand
wasasifasurgeonhadboredhisskull
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D.
ey laughing stammeredCastanier.
nglishladywhomPerletwasac t-
fec t norhearthe nglish renc h
withroarsoflaughter insteadofall
hurry ingf romtheRueR ic her hail-
ard bargainingw iththemantotake
oncemorethescenechanged.H e
natthec ornerof theR uede1 O ran-
ec ollets whichwaskeptbyhisold
stwoo c lock inthemorning themost
ed noonewastheretowatc hhis
horseswereputintothec arriage it
v enuedeParisinwhichan
andhadbeenorderedintheforeigner s
uspic ion . C astaniersawthathehad
s steppedintothec arriage andset
esawtwogendarmeslyinginwait
fhorrorburstf romhim butMel-
ce andagainthesounddiedinhis
h e st a ge a n d be u i et " s a id t h e
astaniersawhimselfflungintoprison
andinthef if thac tof thedrama enti-
h e s aw h i ms e lf i n t hr e e mo n th s t i me
arsofpenalser itude. A gainac ry
se poseduponthePlac eduPalais-
e ec utionerbrandedhimwithared-hot
sceneofall amongsomesi ty
ardof theB ic & tre hewasawaiting
nsri etedonhislimbs.
o t la u gh a n ym o re " s a id A q u i li n a.
emn dearboy whatc anbethematter
astanier " saidMelmothwhenthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 05
ndtheattendantwasfasteningMme.
andescapeimpossible.
s i t
anhinderyoufromtakingA q uilina
ttoV ersailles theretobearrested.
ahandthatw illne errela itsgrasp "
n.
powertoutter somewordthat
amongli ingmenandhidehimin
e ilweretomakeabidforyoursoul
himnowine c hangeforthepowerof
d andthosef i ehundredthousand
eB arondeN uc ingen ssafe then
rofcredit andalltracesofyour
Moreo er youwouldha egold
elie einanythingperhaps Well
youw illbelie eatleastinthe
sble saidCastanier oyfully .
itallgi esyouhiswordthatitis
the nglishman.
andMme. delaGardewerestanding
whenMelmothraisedhisarm. A dri -
thestreetsweremuddy theairwas
darknesso erhead butinamoment
ed Pariswasf illedwithsunlight it
ulyday. Thetreeswerec o ered
estreamof oyousholidaymakersstrolled
flicoricewatershoutedtheircool
esrolledpastalongthestreets.A
cashier andatthatcryrain and
eddownupontheB oule ard.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
ppedintothec arriage. Dobe
hec ried eitherc omeinorstayout. Really
terthise ening
C astanieraskedofMelmoth.
ke m y p la ce i n u i re d t he n g -
w illbeatyourhouseinafewmo-
nier youareratherof fyourbalanc e "
Thereissomemisc hiefbrew ing you
andthoughtfulallthroughtheplay.
t c a n gi e y o u d e ar T e ll m e
weareathometoknowwhetheryou
llthen " shesaid throw ingherarms
e shesaid assheembracedhim
anc e andpliedhimwiththec oa ing
thebusinessofsuc halifeashers like
.
askedC astanier.
l y t h in k of y o ur h e ar i ng m us i c no w
h e w en t o n. T h e so u nd s s ee m t o
e a l wa y s re f us e d to g i e m e a bo a t t he
uldnotabidemusic andareyouturn-
meofday Madthatyouare
wnnoddle oldaddle-pate she
sheadinherhandsandroc keditto
T e ll m e n ow o l d ma n i s n t i t
sthatsingsinyourears
u i f t h e an g el s m ak e m us i c fo r G od
suc hmusic asthisthat amdrinkingin
thanhearing. donotknowhowtotell
weetashoney-water
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 07
t h ey h a e m u si c i n he a e n f o r th e a ng e ls
harpsintheirhands. He ismad
esaidtoherself asshesawCastanier s
anopium-eaterina blissfultrance.
astanier absorbedbythe
ustheardandseen knewnot
no hewaslikeadrunkenman and
nectedly.H ecametohimselfin
whitherhehadbeensupportedbytheunited
heporter and enny forhehad
the carriage.
t ly O h m y f ri e nd s m y fr i en d s
mselfdespairinglyintothe depthsof
.
hespoke andadmittedthe nglish-
at agentlemanhadcomewhohad
hthemaster " whenMelmothsud-
epsilencefollowed.H elookedatthe
elookedat ennyand enny
e lm o th t u rn i ng t o A q u i li n a w i th
llconcludeapieceofurgentbusiness.
hand andCastanierrose andthetwo
-room.Therewasnolight inthe
eyeslitupthethic kestdarkness. The
eyeshadlef tA q uilinalikeonespell-
ess unabletotakeanythoughtforher
s h e b el i e e d h im t o b es a fe i n e n ny s r o om
hadtakenthe waiting-womanby
ddenthe officerinthedressing-room.
ac tly asinthedramathatMelmoth
tim.Presentlythehouse-doorwas
ndCastanierreappeared.
c riedthehorror-struc kA q uilina.
cashier sappearance.A strange
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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E C O N C I L E D .
nc erubic undc ountenanc e itworethe
ylookofthe mysterious isitor.
eswasintolerable thefiercelightin
hemanwhohadlookedso good-
edhadsuddenlygrowntyrannical
thoughtthatC astanierhadgrown
rriblema esty inhisbrow itwasasif
malignantinfluencethatweighed
se hea yatmosphere. oramoment
attodo.
nyouandthatdiabolical-looking
s sheaskedatlength.
o u l to h i m. f e el i t a m n ol o ng e r
myself andgi enmehissoulin
estanditatallA h hewas
w en t o n t h e fi e nd w as r i gh t s e e e e r y-
ouha ebeendecei ingme
withterror. C astanierlighteda
essing-room.Theunhappygirl
ewilderment andgreatwasher
tanierdrewthedressesthathungthere
geant.
y " s a i d t he c a sh i er a n d t a k in g e o n
c oat hedrewtheof f icerintohisroom.
ardanddesperate hadflungherself
tanierseatedhimselfonasofaby
uilina slo erinastandingposition.
th e a rm y " s a id e o n a m r ea d y
.
s a i d C a s ta n ie r d ri l y. h a e n o o cc a-
youbyalook if hadanymind
hatitis youngster whyshould
redlineroundyourneck theguillo-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 09
es youw illendinthePlac ede
eadsman sproperty thereisnoesc ape
endilaof theCarbonari. ouare
ernment.
hat " c riedthePiedmontese turn-
thattheMinisterdecidedthismorn-
ety thec ashierc ontinued. The
stofyournames. ouha ebeen
rawinguptheindictmentatthis
betrayedhim c riedA q uilina and
rthroatlikethegrowl ofatigress
heseemedasifshewouldtearC astanier
elltobelie eit " C astanierretorted.
edbyhisc oolness.
ow it shemurmured.
til wentintothedrawing-room
seeandknowallthings andc andoall
omewithama ement.
a e h im s a e h im d ea r " c ri ed t he
astanier sfeet. I fnothingis
e h i m w i ll l o e y ou w i ll a d or e
a eandnotyourmistress. w illobey
oushalldoasyouw illw ithme. es
u mo r e th a n lo e y o u sh a ll h a e a d a ug h -
lasRodolphe whyw illyounot
howe er iolentmypassionsmaybe
e r W h a t s ho u ld s a y to p e rs u ad e
pl e as u re s 1 G re a t he a e n s o n e
youshallaskofmetof lingmyself f rom
eyouwillneedtosay butoneword
w illplungedownintohell. wouldbear
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
fbodyorsoul anythingyoumight
hindif ference. orallanswer he
w ithaf iendishlaugh.
gforhim " herepeated.
H e s h al l no t le a e t hi s ho us e. w il l sa e
es w illk illanyonewholaysa
w i ll y o u no t s a e h i m " s h e
eswerebla ing herhairunbound.
g .
e h i m
a s t a ni e r a n d hi s o i ce m a de t h e ce i l-
m y re e n ge D o i ng e i l i s my t r ad e
u il in a m us t he d ie m y lo e r. s i t
heda stilettofromabasketthat
wersandwenttoC astanier who
ellthatsteelc annothurtmenow
denlydroppedlikeasnappedharpstring.
ygoodfriend " saidthec ashier turning
dgoaboutyourbusiness.
theotherfeltCastanier ssuperior
hoosebutobey.
c ouldsendforthecommissaryof
gi eyouupasamanwhohashidden
but wouldratherletyougo am
py.
saidA q uilina.
r e tu r ne d C a s t an i er . H e r e e n ny
a ca b f or t h em . H e r e N a u i "
ngabundleofbank-notesfromhis
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 11
tgoawaylike apauperfromaman
edthousandfrancs. A q uilina
hemonthef loor spatonthem and
ren yofdespair.
o us e o n fo o t " s h e c r ie d ' w i th o ut a
enny staywhereyouare.
answeredthecashier ashegatheredup
ha ec omebac k f rommy ourney.
lookingatthebew ilderedwaiting-maid
agoodsortofgirl. ouha eno
re. Thise eningyoushallha ea
afenowhere wentatonc ew iththe
oneofherf riends. B utall eon s
ciouslywatchedbythepolice andafter
riendswerearrested.The whole
newspapersofthatday.
undergoneamentalaswellasa
TheCastanierof oldnolonger
oung othario thesoldierwhohad
whohadbeentrickedintoamarriage
ashier thepassionatelo erwhohad
uilina ssake. Hisinmostnature
elf. H isbrainhade panded his
isthoughtscomprehendedthewhole
hingsofearthasifhehadbeenraised
o etheworld.
heplayhehadlo edA q uilinato
gi eheruphewouldha eshuthis
andnowallthatblind passionhad
anishesinthesunlight.
succ eedtohermistress position
hecashier sw illinallthings but
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
dreadtheinmostthoughtsof thesoul
ti eunderly ingthispurelyphysical
himselfw ithher howe er likeamis-
dilysuc ksthe uic eof thec herryand
ne tmorningatbreakfast-time
inc edthatshewasaladyandthe
astanierutteredonebyonethethoughts
drankhercoffee.
arethink ing c hild " hesaid
lyou: S oallthatlo elyrosewoodfur-
somuc h andtheprettydressesthat
nenow A ll oneasytermsthatmadame
ow w hy . My w or d i f m i gh t d ri e
e e we l s an d p re t ty t h in g s a b o a t t he
thingby w ithmeheshouldleadalife
hewerenot asstrongasa Turk
ma n W a s n o t th a t u s t wh a t yo u we r e
n andsomethinginhis oic emade
e l l y e s c hi l d y ou c o ul d n ot s t an d i t
awayforyourowngood youwould
me letuspartgoodfriends " and
ha erysmallsumofmoney.
nierhadpromisedhimselfthathe
powerboughtat thepriceofhis
fullandcompleteindulgenceofall
order readilysettledhisac count
whofoundaworthyGermantosuc -
erminedona carouseworthyofthe
man mpire. He plungedintodis-
elsha z arofoldwenttothatlastfeast
sh a z a r h e s aw c le a rl y t hr o ug h h is r e e l s
edhis doominlettersofflame not
eban ueting-c hamber buto erthe
nthattherainbowspans. Hisfeastwas
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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C O N C I L E D .
ness nolongere istedforhim. Hehad
ppetitesthatpleasuremusto erpass
ckleapalatecloyedwithsatiety and
sbeyondallmeasure sothatordinary
eful.Consciousthat atwillhewas
enthathecoulddesire knowing
sible hedidnotcaretoe erc iseit
e pressedw ishes tohismoste tra a-
feltahorriblethirstforlo e andwould
e ir p o we r t o gi e .
hingsa efaithandprayer the
ethatisnotof thisworld. H e
e position.
dpleasure andthoughtthatshook
mewouldha eo erwhelmedthe
butinhimtherewasapowerof
hepowerofthe sensationsthat
thinhima agueimmensityof long-
tisfy.H espenthisdays onout-
otra ersetheluminousf ieldsofspac e
newafarby intuiti eperc eption a
edge.H issouldriedup withinhim
edafter thingsthatcanneitherbe
orwhic hhec ouldnotc hoosebutc ra e.
s burnedw ithdesire hepantedfor
newallthings.
hemeoftheworldwasapparent
ginterestedhimnolonger hedidnot
scornthatmakesof amanof
sphin whoknowse erythingandsays
hingswithanunmo edc ountenanc e.
wishtocommunicatehisknowledge
hwithall thewealthoftheworld
kethe circleoftheglobe and
aninglessforhim.H efeltthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 15
potence amelancholywhich
ebythee erc iseof inf initepower
tothemalone.C astanierhad
theine tinguishableenergyofhate
t h e wa s a d e i l b u t a de i l
ome while atanisade il
dbeingdamnedbeyondredemption
ld likeadung-heap w ithhis
ereinthedesignsofGod.B ut
sfortune hadonehopelef t.
dmo efromonepoletotheother
yf romsidetosideinitsc age when
ossedhisprison hesawthe astim-
t. That isionof the nf initelef t
eehumanityanditsaf fairsasother
atefoolswholongfor thepower
irabilityfrom ahumanstandpoint
thede il spowertheyw illlikew ise
ndthattheywillbe doomedtoremain
whowillnolonger understandthem.
torywhodreamsofsettingParis on
tainment likeane hibitionofa
dsof atheatre doesnotsuspect
wer Pariswouldbecomeforhimaslittle
bythe roadsidetoahurrying
escienceswasforC astanier
fora manwhodoesnotknowthe
ernmentsweredespicableinhis
hadbeenin somesortadeplorable
n.Theearthhadgrowntoo nar-
rnalgiftslaid bareforhimthesecrets
seand foresawitsend.H ewas
nc all hea en inalllanguages
ldnolongerthinkofhea en.
ndthelookon hispredecessor s
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
thelifewithin thenheknewall
edhope thatgleamedinMelmoth s
ewthethirstthatburnedthoseredlips and
ugglebetweentwonaturesgrown
yethemightbeanangel andheknew
swasthefate ofasweetandgentle
smalicehasimprisonedinamisshapen
apac t sothatanother sw illmustset
n elope.
easestheardor withwhichaman
plorestheinfiniteofsentimentin a
astanierawoketof indthatoneidealay
anideawhichwasperhapsthe
eryfactthathehad bartered
sledhimto dwellinthoughtupon
rayandbelie e. O nthemorrowof
nteredintothesober possessionofhis
himfeelhimselfaprisoner lieknew
tpoets andprophets andgreat
tforthforusinsuc hmightywords
mingswordplungedintohis side
elmoth.Whathad becomeofhis
ingina mansionintheR ue erou
oomy dark damp andc oldabode.
ne ofthemostdismalstreetsin
ec tlikeallthestreetsthatlieatright
the eine andthehousesarein
sC astanierstoodonthethreshold
elf likethe aultedroof was
oflightedtapersshonebrilliantly
elyinginstate andaprieststood
uethathadbeenraised there.
sk w h yy o u ha e c o me s i r " t h e
stanier youaresolikeourpoor
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 17
B utifyouarehisbrother you
dhimgood-bye.Thegoodgentle-
ast.
C astanieraskedofoneof thepriests.
st " saidanoldpriest hepartly
ackpallthatc o eredthecatafal ue.
him sawoneof thosefac esthat
thesoulseemedtoshineforth from
gnglightandwarmthforothermen
arityw ithin. Thiswas ir ohn
anendthatmenmayen y andthat
s. Doyouknowwhat oythereisin
thatrepents H istearsofpenitenc e
wedwithoutc easing deathalonec hec ked
dweltinhim. H isburningwords
ereworthyof theProphet- ing. f
ha ene erheardamoredread-
helipsof this nglishgentleman
eardsuc hfer entandpassionateprayers.
easuresofhissinsmayha ebeen his
bysstoo erflowing.Thehandof
edoutabo ehim forhewascom-
ewassuc hhea enlybeauty inhisfac e.
edbytears theresonant oicethat
oheardit tookthetenderandcom-
whothemsel esha epassedthrough
edifiedthosewhoheard hiswords
wnto seethespectacleofaC hris-
irkneesashespokeofhea enlythings
fGod andga ethanksandpraise
ingnoworldlywealthtohisfamily
eaterblessing thanthisthathe
asoulamongtheblessed whow ill
irectyouinthepathtohea en.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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E C O N C I L E D .
i idimpressionuponC astanier
omthe housetotheC hurchof
eyingwhatmightbecalledadec reeof fate.
hadstupefiedhim.
inmorningsintheweek apreacher
waswonttoholdc onferenc es inthe
stratedthetruthsofthe C atholic
erationproclaimedtobeindiffer-
yanother oic enolesselo uent
ncehadbeenputoff toalaterhour
sfuneral soCastanierarri ed ustasthe
mi ingtheproofsofafuturee istenc e
c harmofelo uenceandforceofe pres-
himfamous. Theseedsofdi inedoctrine
rthemintheold dragoon intowhom
ndeed if thereisaphenomenonwell
isitnotthespiritualphenomenon
aithof thepeasant " Thestrength
selyw iththeamountofusethataman
aculties. implepeopleandsoldiers
class.Thosewhoha emarched
nnerofinstinct arefarmoreready
mindsandheartso erweariedwiththe
rntemperament hehad oinedthe
n andhadfollowedthe renc hflag
arsold. A sac ommontrooper he
anddayaf terday and asinduty
hishorsef irst andofhimselfaf ter-
dhismilitaryapprentic eship there-
isureinwhichtoreflecton thedestiny
ec ameanof fic erhehadhismento
eptfrombattlefieldto battlefield
ghtofwhatc omesaf terdeath. A
emandmuchthinking.Thosewho
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 19
f typoliticalendsin ol edandthe
on whocannotgrasppolitical
f campaign andcombinethescience
theadministrator areboundto
nc e themostboorishpeasantinthe
ranceisscarcelyinaworse
sebearthebruntofwar y ieldpassi e
tdirectsthem andstrikedownthe
e woodcutterfellstimberinthe
e ertionissucceededbytimesof
rthewaste.Theyfight anddrink
sleep thattheymaythebetterdeal
sof themindarenotgreatlye erc ised
e istenc e andthecharacterisas
eshownsuc henergyonthebattle-
ili ation mostof thosewhoha e
mtoha eac uirednoideas andto
c apac ity forgraspingnew ideas. To
ayoungergeneration thosewhomade
soterribleareas simpleaschildren
rkat hisworst andthecaptainof
ssc arcely f ittokeepamerchant s
f thisstamp therefore beinginno-
theirreasoningfaculties actupon
astanier scrimewasoneofthose
ny uestions that inordertodebate
ghtc allforits disc ussionbyclauses "
entarye pression.
ecrime thecruellyirresistible
ryhaddri enhimtoc ommitit no
I w illne erdothat " whenasiren
dthrowsherspellso erhim.
ponaconsciencenewlyawakened
hichthe renchR e olutionanda
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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E C O N C I L E D.
edC astaniertoneglect.Thesolemn
ehappyormiserableforalleternity "
impressionupon him becausehe
dshakenitlikeabarrentree bec ause
hings sothatitwasenoughthat
enshouldbeforbiddenhim andhe
ngelse. fitwereallowableto
sw ithsoc ialfollies Castanier spo-
abankerwho findingthathis
otobtainforhimanentranceinto
mustsethis heartuponentering
soc ialpri ilegesthathehasalready
n hiseyesfromthemomentwiienhe
oneislack ing.
werfulthan allthekingsonearth
ho like atan c ouldwrestlew ithGod
ainstoneof thepillarsintheC hurchof
eigheddownbythefeelingsandthoughtsthat
bsorbedinthethoughtofafuture the
ulfedMelmoth.
py w a s Me l mo t h " c r ie d C a s t an i er .
etainknow ledgethathewouldgoto
stpossiblechangehad beenwrought
orse eraldayshehadbeenade il
man animageof thefallenA dam
bodiedinall cosmogonies.But
toman sestateheretainedagerm
eensteepedinthe nf inite. Thepower
di inepower. Hethirstedforhea en
daf terthepleasuresofearth thatare
een oymentswhic hthef iendpromises
sofearthonalargersc ale buttothe
i s n o li m it . H e b e l ie e d i n Go d a n d
thetreasuresof theworldwasas
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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C O N C I L E D .
buthisfeelingof terrorsubsidedashe
sofmusicthathe hadcaughtfaintly
ginthechurch hethought and
doorway.B utasheli stenedmore
ureduponhimfromallsides he
e buttherewasnosignofanymusi-
t isionsofadistanthea enand
butitalso uic kenedtheremorsethat
ferment. H ewentonhisway
asmenwalkwhoarecrushedbeneath
w seeinge erythingw ithunseeing
dler stoppingw ithoutc ause mutter-
sof thetraf f ic mak ingnoef fortto
nkof timber.
ncebroughthimundertheinfluence
tsootheswhileitbruisestheheartso
towearalookofMelmoth some-
eofmadnessin thegreatness.A
distress mingledw iththee c ited
d beneathitall agnaw ingsenseof
orldcangi e.Thehumblestof
hat sawwithsuchdreadfulclear-
measureofhis anguish.H isbody
arfulstormthat shookhissoul as
etheblast. ikehispredec essor he
heburdenof life hewasafraidtodie
hell.Thetormentgrewintolerable.
hebethoughthimselfhowthatMel-
blessed hadmadetheproposalofan
thathehadacc eptedit others doubt-
ample forinanageproc laimed by
uenceof the athersof theChurc h
eligion itshouldbeeasyto finda
econditionsofthecontractinorder
es .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 23
reyoucan learnwhatkingswill
herenationsareweighedinthebalance
wherethe alueofago ernmentis
e- f ranc piece whereideasand
ande erythingisdiscounted where
nner borrowsonthesec urityofH is
thePopehasarunningac countthere.
houldgototraf f ic insouls
oyouslyon Change thinkingthatit
soulastoin estmoney inthe
dinarypersonwouldha efearedridic ule
perience.thatadesperatemantakes
prisonerlyingundersentenceof
madmanwhoshouldtellhimthat
berishhecouldescapethroughthe
sc redulous andc lingstoanideauntil
bornealongbythe currentclingsto
ishand.
atafternoonC astanierappeared
en whoweretransactingpri ate
ge. H ewaspersonallyknowntosomeof
ffectingtobein searchofan
nagedtopickupthec urrentgossipand
ngbillsforC laparon& Co. myboy.
undtoreturntheir acceptancesto
saidafatbankerinhisoutspokenway.
of t h ei r p ap e r l o o ko u t
ding indeepc onsultationwitha
nousrate atwhichheloanedmoney.
hinsearc hof thesaidC laparon a
ationfortakinghea yrisksthat
The money-lenderwalkedaway
gesturebetrayedthespec ulator s
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O N C I L E D .3 25
ed therewasasuddenoutburstof
n sintheassemblywheretheleast
rc tsattention allfaceswereturnedto
sedthesensation andashi er
ersatthe changethathadtaken
ingcrowdthatfillsthe tock
owntoeachotherbysight. They
ersroundacard-table. ome
llhowa manwillplayandthe condi-
f r om a s u r e y of h i s fa ce a n d th e t o ck
astc ard-table. v eryone therefore
ndC astanier. Thelatter likethe
hadbeenmuscularandpowerful his
hiscolorhigh.Thedignityand
c kaweintothemall theywon-
rhadc omebyit andnowtheybeheld
hispower shrunken wrink led aged and
laparonoutofthecrowdwiththe
e erf it hehadlookedlikean
efperiodofe citementthatthedrug
hisreturn heseemedtobeinthec ondi-
inwhichthepatientdiesafter the
besuf feringf romthehorribleprostration
eindulgenc einthedelightsofnar-
thathadupheldhimthroughhis
andthebodywasleft unaidedand
of remorseandthehea yburden
aparon stroublese eryonecould
reappeared ontheotherhand w ith
hisheadhighw iththeprideof u-
fromthe onemantotheother.
f fwithaneasymind oldman "
anier.
s e nd f o r a ca b a nd f o r a pr i es t , s e nd f o r
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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C O N C I L E D .
lpice answeredtheolddragoon
bstone.
reachedtheearsofse eralpeople
eeringamongthestockbrokers for
nmeansabeliefthat ascrapof
epresentsanestate andthelistof
e.
me t o r ep e nt " s a id C a s t a ni e r to h i ms e lf
atimpressedC laparon.
dyingman thespec ulatorwentto
hisbills andthemomentarysensa-
ongofbusiness menbythesudden
anishedlikethefurrowcutbya
ewsof thegreatestimportancekept
f commerceonthealert and
tsareatstake Mosesmightappear
s andhiscomingwouldscarcely
pun thegentlemanwhosebusinessit
ortswouldignorehise istence.
adehispayments fearsei edupon
eabouthis power.H ewenton
dof feredhisbargaintoothermeninem-
Thede il sbond togetherw ith
andpri ilegesappertainingthereunto
f thenotarywhosuc c eededC laparon
mofse enhundredthousandfrancs.
artedwiththeagreementwiththe
thousandfranc stoabuildingc on-
holikewisegotridofit toaniron
nofahundredthousandcrowns.
o c l oc k pe o pl e h ad c ea s ed t o b el i e e i n t he
urchaserswerelackingforwantof
holderof thebondwasahouse-painter
oor ofthebuildinginthe R ue
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 27
attimestockbrokerstemporarilycongre-
simplefellow c ouldnotthink
him. H e feltallanyhow " sohe
thome.
asidlersabouttownareaware isa
thswhoforlackof amistress
tonuponthewholese . O nthe
yrespectabledomiciletherein
uisitec reatureswhomithaspleased
erarest andmostsurpassingbeauty.
heyshouldallbe duchessesor
aremanymoreprettywomenintheworld
othemtoadorn theyarec ontent
bankerhappyat afi edprice.To
uphrasiabyname anunbounded
y sc lerk toaspire. nshort the
ofMaitreCrottat notary hadfallen
outhattwo-and-twentyc anfallinlo e.
emurderedthePopeandrun amuck
collegetoprocurethemiserable
payfora shawlwhichhadturned
atwhichpric eherwaiting-womanhad
ashouldbehis.Theinfatuatedyouth
adame uphrasia sw indows
irc ageatthe ardindesPlantes
beneathhiswaistcoatintheregion
wasf ittotearf romhisbosom butas
atthe elasticofhisbraces.
raisetenthousandfranc s heasked
akeof fw iththemoneythat mustpay
c on eyanc e Goodhea ens my
urchaser amanwithse enmillions
wouldf lingmyselfathisfeetandsay
thousandfranc sbelongingtoyou sir
ge and aminlo ew ith uphrasia
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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C O N C I L E D .
erisrich hew illpayyouback
eyounotyourselfbeentwenty-two
e B utthesebeggarly land-
H e w o u l d be u i te l i ke l y to g i e m e
insteadoftakingpityuponme.
eonlypossibletosellyoursoultothe
n ei t he r a G od n o r a de i l i t i s al l n on -
sandoldw i es talk . Whatshall
d t o se l l yo u r so u l to t h e de i l s i r "
whohado erheardsomethingthatthe
anha ethetenthousandfrancs.
c riedthec lerk ashestruc kabargain
tedthehouse-painter.
efranticclerkwenttofindthe
adame uphrasia sstaircase andas
wasinhim hedidnotc omedownfor
ngthethoughtofhellandofhispri i-
lo eandriotandforgetfulness for
ayallhis hopesofaparadiseto
retof the astpowerdisco ered
nglishman theof fspringofMathurin s
knd andthe ariousO rientalists
gistswhotakeaninterestin these
nddownto posteritytheproper
de il forthefollow ingsuf fic ient
f terthesef ren iednuptialsthe
alletbedinagarretinhismaster s
t-H onor6. hame thestupidgoddess
elf hadtakenpossessionofthe
enill hewouldnursehimself
tityofaremedyde isedbythesk illofa
thewallsofParis andsuccumbed
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .3 29
rdoseofmerc ury . Hisc orpsewasas
k de ilhadlef tunmistakabletrac es
oulditha ebeenA shtaroth
whomyoureferhas beencarried
y saidtheheadc lerk toaGerman
oin estigatethematteratfirsthand.
re d t o be l ie e i t a n sw e re d t he T e ut o n.
tu r ne d t he o t he r . T h e op i ni o n yo u a d a n ce
wordsof ac obB oehme. nthe
f TheThreefold ifeofMan/
athbroughtallthingstopassw itha
E , t he I A T i s t he s ec re t ma tr i w hi ch c om pr e-
enaturewhichis> formedbythe
dofGod.
s ir
s uotationafresh.
" saidthec lerks.
id t h e cl e rk . i a t lu
c i ta t io n f or y o ur s el e s s a id t h e
ndthepassageinthe Treatiseof the
' page75 theeditionwaspublished
twastranslatedinto renchbya
atadmirationforthe famousshoe-
oe m ak er w a s he s a id t h e he a d cl e rk .
id t h e Ge r ma n .
i n g of P r us s ia i n u i re d a B o e o -
a m pe d u p hi s p ro s e " s a id a t h ir d .
" c riedthefourth pointingtothe
hademonologistofthefirstrank
ofde iltry tobefoundina
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O N C I L E D .
ntawayw ithouttheleastideathat
fhim andfullyundertheimpres-
regardedB oehmeasacolossal
gstridesin ranc e " saidhetohim-
1 35 .
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .
ge .
eC ustine.
I f o rg e t th e e a ct y e ar a P a ri s ia n
ye tensi ebusinessrelationsw ithGer-
rparty inhonorofoneof thefriendsthat
ceandthatby correspondence a
sts foralongwhilebetweenmen
. Thefriend theseniorpartnerofsome
emberg wasastout good-natured
ningandof taste morepartic ularly in
s.H ewasatypicalN uremberger
c ountenanc eandamassi e s uare
rayfairhairshereandthere atypical
tainlessandnoble atherland sofer-
rs preser ingitsmannersuncor-
enin asions. Thestrangerlaughed
ely anddrankw ithmarkeden oy-
hampagneperhapsaswellas thepale
isberg. ikenearlye eryGermanin
wasnamedHermann andinthe
oesnothingw ithle ity hewasc om-
ker stable eatinghiswaythrough
cappetiterenownedallo er
hindeedwashismannerofbiddingadieu
atCarme.
d in itedse eralintimate
uest.Thesewereforthemost part
interspersedwithafewprettyand
oselight gracefultalkandfrankmanner
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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U S E .
anopenheartedness. A nd indeed if
as hadthepleasureofseeing this
ohadsheathedthe acti eclaws
lth thattheymightmakethebest
oy ingthepleasuresof life youwould
nyourhearttogrudgehighratesof
aulters. A manc annotalwaysbein
societyofpirates forinstanc e there
our nowandthenwhenyoumay
he blackflag.
thatbeforeM. Hermanngoeshew illtell
rillingGermanstory
erthedessertbya pale fair-
ohaddoubtlessbeenreadingH off-
a l t er c ot t s n o e l s. h e wa s t he
anirresistiblyc harminggirl whose
edattheGymnase shewaswild
here. Thedinnerpartyhad ust
ycontentandserenedisinclination
cellentdinnerinthecourseof
demandsha ebeenmadeuponthe
estsleanbackin theirchairsandplay
ades whiletheirwristsrepose
theperiodofdeclinewhensome
kneadacrumbofbreadbetween
nthesentimentalwriteillegibleinitials
ssert andthepenuriouscountthe
andarrangethemroundtheedge asa
upernumerariesatthebackofthe
stronomicalpleasureswhichB rillat-
e r u nn o ti c ed e h a us t i e l y as h e h as
therrespec ts.
eared.Thedessert likeas uadron
u i te d i so r ga n i e d d i sa r ra ye d f o rl o rn . n
nthe partofthemistressof the
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .333
shesstrayedaboutthetable. People
w iss iewsthatadornedthegraywalls
nefeltit tedious.Themanhas
mopewhilehedigestsagood dinner.
itsteepedinanindescribablec alm a
weenthetwoe tremesof thethinker s
tentofthe ruminatingbrute
ephysicalmelancholyofgastro-
taneouslytowardstheworthyGer-
htedtolistentoatale e enif itshould
eatificpause themeresoundof
otellsthestory issoothingtoour
emoreaidtopassi een oyment.
es watchedthefac es brightw ith
elightof thetapersandf lushedw ith
ferente pressionsproduc edpi uanteffec ts
eporcelainbasketsof f ruit andthe
pposite partic ularlystruc kmyimagina-
iddle-si edman tolerablystoutand
o f romhismannerandappearance seemed
d sofarasonecouldsee gif tedw ith
tofbrains. Hitherto hadnot
amomenthisfac e obscured tobesure
tometoundergoatotalc hange ittook
einedw ithpurplestreaks. oumightha e
untenanceofamaninthedeathagony.
tedf igureinadiorama hewasstaring
crystaldecanter-stopper buthe
them heseemedtobedeepin
plationofthefutureorofthe past.
bious-lookingfacemademethink.
s ke d m ys e lf . H a s h e t a ke n t oo m u ch
ythefallof thefunds shethinking
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-quest-of-the-absolute-la-recherche-de-labsolu-and-other-stories 373/416
U S E .
ook saidtoaladywhosat
erattentiontothestranger sfac e that
isitnot
we r ed i f i t we r e h e w ou l d be i n b et t er
grac efultossofherhead sheadded:
e erruinshimself w illtakethenewsto
hereccentricoldgentlemanworth
heusedtobeac ontractortotheim-
dagainasa businessspeculation but
happyforallthat. Hehasapretty
ery longtimehewouldnotrecogni e
sadac c identinaduel hewas
forhewasnotlikely toha eany
onc ethepoorgirlbec ameoneof
s.The lossofhisonlyson threw
eatgrief andhestillshowssigns of
ontractorlookedup andoureyes
mademeshudder itwassogloomyand
elifewassummedup inthatglance.
kedcheerful.He tookuptheglass
glyintothe mouthofthewaterde-
ble infrontofhim andturned
rmann.Themanwaspositi ely
tent andhad nodoubt nottwo
adbeenthink ingofnothing was
edtoha ethrownawaymypowersof
i toha etakenthisthic k-skulled
B utwhile wasmak ingmyphreno-
urewaste thegood-naturedGerman
snuffoffhisfaceandbegunhis
tdif fic ultmattertogi eitinthesame
onfre uentinterruptionsandwordydigres-
rittenitaf termyownfashion omitting
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .335
emberger snarrati e andhelpingmy-
etryand interestasitmaypossess
otherwriterswhoomitthe formula:
erman fromtheirtitle-pages.
A N D TH E D E D .
endemiaire intheyearV I I . of the
tethatc orrespondstothe2othofO c to-
twoyoungmenweremakingtheirway
alittletownonthelef tbankof the
f romCoblent . Thetra elershadset
ning andnowthedaywasdraw ing
ulartimea rencharmyunderc om-
eauwaskeepinginchecktheA ustrians
er. Thehead uartersof the
wereatCoblent , andoneof thedemi-
gereau sc orpswas uarteredin
ee renchmen. A tf irstsightof
oms w ithred el etfac ings their
eall theircapsc o eredw ithgreenoilc loth
cockade theGermanpeasants
eknownthemforapairofarmysur-
andofsterlingworth popularforthe
rmy butalsointhec ountries
ops. A tthattimemanyyoungmen
mtheirmedicalstudiesbyGeneral
onlaw notunnaturallypreferredtocon-
battlefieldtocompulsoryser icein
dtotheirantecedentsandunwarlike
amp studious ser ic eable peace-
goodamongsomanye ils andfound
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E .
elearnedofthe ariouscountries
ffranchisementoftheR epublic.
dedw itharouteof theroad andw ith
mmissionssignedby aC osteandB erna-
ayto ointhedemi-brigadetowhic h
hbelongedtowell-to-dofamiliesin
dtionsofgentlebreedingandofpro inc ial
oftheirinheritance.A curiosity
d broughtthemtotheseatof war
rentranc eonac ti eser ic e andthey
asfar as trasbourg.Maternal
emtolea ehomewitha erysc anty
eyfeltrichin thepossessionofafew
atatimewhenassignatshadreac hedthe
on thosefewlouismeantwealth for
m.
geons agedtwentyyearsatmost
otheromanc eof theirsituationw ithall
heyhadtra ersedthePalatinate
nninthe ualityofartists philosophers
weha easc ientif ic careerbeforeus
tthatagemanynatureswithinus and
eortra elingabout anassistantsurgeon
ationsofhis futurefameandfor-
epairhadbeencarriedawayby the
e erywell-readmanmustfeelatthe
wabiaandthebanksof theRhine
ologne. Theysawa igorousand
ulatinggreenlandscapefullofstrong
of feudaltimes ande erywhere
ouisX I V . andTurenneonce
ashes heapsofruinsbearwitness
aybe totheprudenc eof themonarc h
edthewonderfulcastleswhichoncewere
ermany. ouarri eatsomec on-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .337
d youunderstanditsdreaminess
wonderfulforest-landoftheirs full
ages pic tures ue albeitinruins.
adesomestay inB onnw ithtwo
tific knowledgeandpleasure. Thegrand
a ianarmyandofA ugereau sdi i-
inthe lec toralpalac eitself and
hadgonetoseetheirc omrades to
mendationtotheirc hiefs andtomake
ewiththelifeofarmysurgeons. B ut
thereaselsewhere theyparted
lpre udices anddisc o eredthat
yofbeautifulpublicbuildingsand
olumnsthatadornthe lectoralpal-
theyadmiredthemagnificenceof
foundfreshtreasuresofancientand
ep.
courseoftheirwanderingstowards
dthemo ersomehigherpeakamong
clear spaceintheforest ora
eyc aughtaglimpseof theRhine a
stone orinsomesettingof lu -
e s . v e r y a l le y f i el d -p a th a n d
mnscentsthatconducetomusings
gof theyear thetree-topswere
warmerhuesandshadesofbrown
buttheskywasblueandc loudless
weredry andshonelikethreadsofgold
te afternoonsunlight.
ndernac h thec ountrythroughwhic h
elinglay inasilenceasdeepasif
astethe beautifulland.Theywere
ngthesteepcragsof bluishgranite
etheeddyingRhine andbefore ery
slopingsidesof thera ineabo e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O U S E .
c oylyatitsfootontheri erbank
fortheR hineboatmen.
erybeautifulc ountry c riedoneof the
yname ashec aughtsightof the
rnachlyingclosetogetherlikeeggs
treesandflower-gardens.
eylookedat thehigh-pitchedroofs
eams atthebalc oniesandwooden
efuldwellings andattheboats
ythe uay.
ntionedthenameofProsperMag-
bor thearmy-c ontractor snatchedup
imselfoutaglassofwater anddrank
ceedingcalledmyattentionto
a w a sl i gh t u i e r i n hi s h an d s an d a t ra ce
ead.
t ra ct o r s n a me " i n u i re d o f my
r s a id s h e.
well e c laimed asthisunac count-
a l l " h e s ai d w i th a c ou r te o us g e st u re
amlistening " hesaid w ithanod
foralleyeswereturnedatonceupon
ungman sname " saidM. H ermann.
f romProsperMagnan sc onf idences learned
l i e l y a n d ra t he r t hi n . f y o u ha e
llc allhimWilhelmforthesakeofclearness
egoodGermantookuphistaleagain
nchassistantsurgeonw ithaGerman
soflocalcolorandof thedemandsof
etwoyoungfellowsreachedA ndernach
hey fancy ingthatitwastoolateto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .339
eirc hiefs makethemsel esknownand
eadyfullofsoldiers madeuptheir
nightof f reedominaninn abouta
etown.Theyhadseenit fromthe
adadmiredthewarmc olorsof thehouse
he sunset.Thewholebuilding
roduc edapi uanteffec tintheland-
eenagainstthecrowdof housesinthe
ightcoloragainsta backgroundof
hofsc arletbythegraywater sedge.
se ternaldec oration andc onse-
thewhimofthebuilderinsomeforgotten
obe literallyamatterofcustom
fortheinnhadanameamongtheRhine
edit. Thesoundofhorses hoofs
edH ousetothethreshold.
emen ' c riedhe alittlelateryouwould
doorslikemost ofyourcountrymen
theotherendofA ndernac h. The
siti elymustha eabedtosleepin
mtoof feryou. A sforthehorses
acorneroftheyard forthem
stenedmenthisday. ougentle-
hewentonaf terabriefpause.
c r i e d Pr o sp e r a n d we h a e h a d no t hi n g
i c tu a ls 1 s a id t h e la n dl o rd e r ki n g hi s h ea d
edHousefortenleaguesroundfor
allha eaban uetf itforaprinc e
Thattellsyoue erything.
eno ertheirtiredbeastsintothe
thimtoshoutin ainforthestablefolk
oomoftheinn. t. wassofullof
fromthepipesof aroomfulof
ouldnot makeoutwhatkindof
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E ,
mong butaftertheyhad satfor
putinprac ticethepatienc eof tra eled
henitisuselessto makeafuss they
itableaccessoriesofaGerman
loc k thetables potsofbeerandlong
oghthetobac cosmoke sodidthe
ews Germans andwhatnot w ith
thrownin.
afew renc hof f icersshonethroughthe
ndsabresclankedincessantlyuponthe
playingatc ards therest uarreled
weresilent ate ordrank andc ame
oman whoworetheblac k el et
mbroideredw ithsil er thepin-c ushion
c lasps andplaitedhairof thetypical
tumemadesofamiliarinall itsdetails
toowellknowntoneeddescrip-
etwofriendsandsoothedtheirimpatienc e
nterestin theirsupperwith ery
iminished thetra elerswentof fone
baccosmokeclearedaway.B ythe
tfortheassistantsurgeons andthe
neappeared itwasele eno c lock
Throughthestillness ofthenight
ntnoisesofhorsesstampingor
der therippleof theRhine the ague
nfull ofpeoplewhene eryone
andwindowsopenedorshut
murmurof oic es oranamewas
erhead.Duringthistimeof
whilethetwo renchmenwere
landlordengagedine tolling
l h i s R h i ne w i ne h i s wi f e a n d th e
thebenef itofhisguests thethree
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .341
egreeof interest thehoarseshoutsof
oundofa boatbeingmooredalong-
eeper doubtlessacc ustomedtobe
of theboatmen hurriedout
ithashort stoutman ac oupleof
gthemwithahea y aliseandse eral
ebaggagewasdepositedin theroom
s aliseandseatedhimselfwithout
ositethetwosurgeons.
nboard ' saidhetotheboatmen as
c onsidered thatw illbethebest
o ns h a e i n t he h o us e a re h e re b e fo r e
e la n dl o rd a n d he i n di c at e d th e r e nc h me n s
otac rustofbread andnotsomuchasa
a ut
wo u ld f i ll m y wi f e s t h im b le A s h a d
ustnow youc anha enobedbut
n andthisisthe onlyunoccupied
theshortpersonageglancedattheland-
datthetwo renchmen c autionand
nthee pressionofhisc ountenanc e.
aidM. Hermann interruptinghimself
twene erknewthisstranger sreal
wefoundoutf romhispapersthathe
apelle thathehadassumedthenameof
daratherlarge pin-factorysomewhere
ll.
hermanufac turersinthatpartof the
ho erc oat waistc oat andbreec hesof
highboots andabroadleatherbelt. H is
hismannersf rankandhearty and
foundit erydif fic ulttodisguisesome
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E .
or itmaybe c ruelan ieties. The
ttheGermanmerchantwasflying
arnedlateronthathisfactoryhadbeen
oftheunluckyaccidentsso
. B utinspiteof theuneasy look
re itsnaturale pressiondenoted
ture.He hadgoodfeatures anda
rsonaltraitwasathickneck so
ac kc ra at thatWilhelm ok ingly
notherglassof water.
sly in itedthemerc hanttosharetheir
rfelltow ithoutmoreado likeaman
canrepayapiec eofc i ility. H e
hef loor puthisfeetuponit tookoff
tothetable andlaiddownhisglo es
ithapairofpistols whichhec arried
uic kly laidac o erforhim and
heir hungersilentlyenough.
and thefliessotroublesomethat
ordtoopenthe windowthat
aytoletinf reshair. Thisw indow
r thatdroppedintoasocketon
ame andforgreatersecuritya
eshuttersrec ei edabolt. tso
tchedthelandlordunfastenthe
ngintothesepartic ulars " M. Her-
oughttodescribetheinternalarrange-
forthewholeinterestof thestory
nowledgeoftheplace.
cedoorsintheroom wherethese
ting.O neopenedontothe road
anktoA ndernac h and asmightbe
positetheinn therewasalittle ettywhere
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .343
nthadhiredfor his oyagewas
heotherdoorga eadmittanceto
utinby eryhighwalls andatthe
cattle forhumanbeingsoccupied
ensocarefullyboltedandbarred
thelandlordhadopenedthestreet-doorof
hemerchantandthe boatmen and
nedthew indowatProsperMagnan s
rk toshutthisdoor slippingthebolts
room wherethef riendsweretosleep
oomoftheinn andonlyseparated
rethehostandhostesswereprobably
sufficientlythinpartitionwall.The
tgoneouttof indanook insomemanger
f tsomewhereorother. tw illbe
hepublic room thelandlord sbed-
wereina mannerapartfromtherest
ngoftwogreatdogsin theyard
ad igilantandwakefulguardians.
s a n d wh a t a gl o ri o us n i gh t s a id W i l -
skywhenthe landlordhadbolted
soundtobeheardat themoment
ewater.
saidthemerc hant addressingthe rench-
f feryouabottleortwoofw inetowash
willrefreshusafter atiringday.
ndtheconditionofyourc lothes c an
youha ec omeagoodway.
pedtheproposal andthelandlord
entothe cellar doubtlesssituated
stablishment.Aboutthe timethat
sappeareduponthetable thelandlord s
gthesupper. hega eahousewife s
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E .
androundtheroom assuredherself
erythingtheywerelikely towant
en.Thefour booncompanions
ointheparty didnothearhergo
ong inthepausesof thechato er
eanocc asional erydistinc tsoundof
ethekitchenwhereshewassleep-
tillmoreresonantby reasonofthe
the guestssmile andtheland-
whentherewasnothinglef tonthe
cuits driedfruit andgoodw ine the
oung renc hmenmoreparticularly
eytalkedabouttheircountry their
f terawhilethec on ersationgrew
drewtearstothemerc hant seyes
sf ranknessandthesimplic ityofak indly
hebegantoimaginewhathismother
herson washereonthebankof
c a n se e h er ' h e sa i d s h e is r e ad i ng
thelastthingatnight hew illnot
eissuretosay Whereismypoor
" Thenifshehaswonafewsousat
aps ' headded oggingWilhelm s
tingtheminthebigred ar where
issa inguptobuythosethirtyac res
tlebitof landat esc he ille. The
methinglike si tythousandfrancs.
A h i f w e re t o h a e i t s om e
l l th e r es t o f my l i fe a t e s ch e i l le a n d wa n t
woftenmyfatherwantedthosethirty
eam thatwindsalongthroughthe
ll hediedandc ouldnotbuytheland.
manyandmanyatime
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .345
ha e n t y o u al s o yo u r ho c er a t in o t is
e s B u t i t a l l ca m et o m e as i t w as a n d n o w
ppedshortandsaidnomore.
t ' saidthelandlord whosecountenance
boughtabitof meadowlastyearthat
nthesetenyearspast.
asfolkwilltalkwhenw inehasun-
ndstruc kuponeof thosetra elers
ttlecharyofmakingona ourney
heyrosetogo totheirroomW il-
emerchant.
eof ferw ithouthesitation ' hesaid
ansleeptogether. tw illnotbethef irst
e pec t. ouaretheoldestamong
onoroldage.
dthelandlord therearese eralmattresses
laidonthefloorforyou ' andhewent
e usualclattercausedbythispre-
fer ' saidthemerchant addressingWil-
h e a dd e d l o we r in g h is o i ce a n d lo o ki n g
t wantedyoutomakeit. feelthat
and amnotsorrytof indmyself
c entyoungfellows two rench
e r f o r th e n ig h t. h a e a h u nd r ed
ddiamondsin that alise.
ecei edthisincautiouscommuni-
dlinessthatreassuredtheworthy
pedhisgueststo shiftoneofthe
enthingshadbeenarrangedascomfortably
emgood-nightandwentofftobed.
eons okedeachotherabouttheir
elm scaseofsurgicalinstru-
wn underthemattress toraisetheend
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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O U S E .
bolster ustasWalhenfer inan
ution bestowedhis aliseinalike
ngtosleeponourfortunesyouon
nmyc aseof instruments tremains
ewill bringmeinas muchmoneyas
o ' s a id t h e me r ch a nt . H o n e s t wo r k
gs butyoumustha epatienc e.
WalhenferandWilhelmfellasleep. B ut
sbedwas toohard orhehimself
ful orthroughsomeunluc kymoodof
ayw ideawake. mperceptiblyhis
ecouldthinkofnothingbut
ncsbeneaththemerchant spillow.
sandfranc swasa astfortuneready
goutthe moneyinendlessways
asweareallapttodow ithso
tbeforewedropoff tosleep whenindis-
seinourminds andnotseldomnight
cal i idnesstoourthoughts.
rosperMagnano ertoppedhismother s
hethirtyac resofmeadow andmar-
u ais towhosehandhec ouldnot
ine ualityof fortune. Withthis
olepleasantlifetime sawhimself
family ric h lookeduptointhe
ye enmayorofB eau ais. ThePic ard
astaboutforthemeansofreali ingthese
traordinarywarmthofimaginationhe
ime andgoldanddiamondswere
stinc tportionofa isionof themer-
litterda z ledhim. Hisheartbeatfast.
me nodoubt byharboringsuc h
pellof thegoldwasuponhim his
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .347
catedbyinsidiousreasonings.H e
erewasanyreasonwhythepoor
andimaginedhow itwouldha ebeen
ed. Toputitbrief ly heplottedouta
ompleteimpunity.
heotherbankof theRhine aboat
ows therewereboatmenthere he
oat f linghimintotheR hine esc ape
ac asement bribetheboatmen andgo
ide. H ee enwentsofarastoc ount
terityw iththeknife heknewofa
ictimbeforethesleepercouldutter
eadatthis point andagainhe
roseslowlyandnoiselessly.H e
dawakenednobody dressedand
Then withthefatallucidityof
satcertaincrises withtheheight-
dstrengthof willthatisne erlack-
onersinthee ec utionof theirde-
eironbars anddrewthemfromtheir
gainstthewall withouttheslightest
hisweighton totheshutterslest they
nedontheirhinges. nthepale
eetheob ectsintheroomwhere
rweresleeping.
hestoppedshortforamoment. His
hea ily thatthesoundseemedto
andhestoodlikeone dismayedashe
earforhisc oolness hishandsshook
ngonburningcoals.B utsofair
nthee ecutionofhisdesignthat
o idenceinthisdispensationoffate
hantthither.H eopenedthewin-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O U S E .
room tookuphisc ase andlooked
ntbestadaptedtohispurpose.
oo d b y th e b ed h e t ol d m e th i s , I
c tion unthink ingly .
dhisarm andwassummoningallhis
whensomethinglikea oic ec riedw ithin
esawalight. Hef lungdownthesur-
ed f ledintothene troom andstood
ndhorrorofhimselfc ameo erhim
ouldtrusthimself fearingtoyield
edhim hesprang uic klyoutof the
bytheRhine ac tingassentinel as
. A gainandagainhewalkedrestlessly
of tenalsohiswanderingsledhimto
whichtheyhaddescendedthatafter-
butsodeepwasthesilenc eof the
dreadofarousingthewatch-dogs
heRedH ouse andlostsightalto-
hewindowthat hehadleftopen.
lfout andsotoinduc esleep. et
derthecloudlesssky watchingthe
aybethatthepurenightairandthemel-
erwroughtuponhimand restored
nity. oberreasoncompletedthe
ort-li edmadness.H iseducation
a n d a b o e a l l th i ng s s o h e to l d me ,
fethathehadledbeneathhisfather s
hise ilthoughts. Hethoughtand
bowrestingona boulderbytheside
henheturnedtogoinagain hec ould
o h e sa i d b u t ha e w a tc he d o e r m il l io n s
ergedstrengthenedandtriumphant
neltin oyandecstasytothankGod
hearted andc ontentedasontheday
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .349
ntforthefirst time andfeltnot
causehehadspent thedaywithout
ordeed.
ntotheinn shutthewindowwithout
ly andwenttobedatonc e. Mindand
usted andsleepo erc amehim. He
on themattressbeforethedreamy
ssoundslumberc repto erhim when
consciouslifeebbsaway thoughtgrows
astcommunicationsofsenseto the
onsofadream.
iris saidProspertohimself. tis
thingadampmist
ountforthis stateofthingsby
encebetweentheoutsidetempera-
irandthec losedroom butbefore
yrecurringsound erymuchlike
maleakingtap.O nanimpulseof
tof risingandc allingthelandlord or
elm but forhismisfortune hebe-
denclockinthene troom
sthebeat ofthependulum and
is dimandconfusedideainhis
ater M. Taillefer askedthemaster
ebankertakeuptheemptydecanter
hhisstory aftertheslightinter-
reply .
" h e we n t on P r os p er M a gn a n wa s
se. tseemedtohimthathehad
hefeltthat iolentner oustremor
henwewaketoapainfulsensation
.Thethingthat takesplaceinus
start ' tousethec ommone pression
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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U S E .
estigated thoughitpresentsinter-
ogicalscience.Theterribleshock
oosuddenreunionofthetwonatures
ysapartwhilewesleep isusually
ot sofortheunluckyyoungsurgeon.
shairbristledhideouslyall atonce
odbetweenhisownmattressand
. TheunfortunateGerman sheadwas
bodywasstillonthebed allthisblood
.ProsperMagnansawW alhenfer s
sawredonthesheets thathehad
hisownhands sawhisownsurgeon s
intedawayontheblood-stained
dalreadyformythoughts ' hesaidtome
mselfagain hewassittinginac hair
nn agroupof renchsoldiers
anin uisiti eandinterestedc rowd.
ermentataR epublicanofficerwho
depositionsofse eralwitnesses
lreport herec ogni edthelandlord
boatmen andthemaidser ant. The
ythemurderer
d drewouthispocket-handker-
sforehead. H ismo ementswereso
ic edthem indeed alleyeswere
w ithak indofgreedy interest. The
elbowon thetable proppedhis
andlookedf i edlyatHermann.
sawnoin oluntarysignsofagitation
buthisfacewasgra eandc orpse-
ashehaddonewhilehewasplay ingw ith
ntusedbythemurdererlay onthe
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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S E .351
w ithProsper spoc ket-bookandpapers.
atthe youngsurgeonandatthese
guilt hehimselfappearedtobe
emedtoha enopowerofsightin
muroutsidemadeite identthata
ttheinn attractedbythenewsof
psbyaw ishtoc atc hasightof the
sentriespostedunder thewindows
eaponsroseo erthewhispered
nitself wasshutup thecourt-
ed.
erwhowasdrawingupthereport
perMagnanfeltsomeonegrasphis
ewhoitwasthatstoodbyhimamong
ndrecogni ed bytheuniformthat
rgeonof thedemi-brigade uarteredin
andmerc ilesswerethoseeyesthatthe
red andhisheaddroppedonto the
themenheld inegarforhimto
egainedc onsciousnessatonce buthis
ituteoflife andintelligencethat
pulse andspoketotheofficer:
e s a i d i t i s i mp o ss i bl e t o e a m in e t he m a n
himaway ' returnedthec aptain c ut-
andspeakingtoacorporalwhostood
hair.
undrel themanmuttered tryat
beforetheseGermanbeggars to
epublic .
osperMagnanc ametohissenses rose
ces butwhenthedooropened
andsawthepeoplecrowdingup
hiskneesbentunderhim hetot-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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U S E .
awbonesdeser estobeputanendto
c a n t y o u 1 s a id t h e tw o me n o n ei t he r
heleaned.
ar d t h e co w ar d H e r e h e c om es h e re
edasbyone oic e thec lamorous
emmedhimin insultingandre iling
ngthetimethatittook togofrom
etramplingfeetofthe crowdand
im themutteredtalkofthose
e themorningair thestreetsofA n-
murmurof thecurrentof theRhine
agueimpressions c onfusedanddim
sinc ehisawakening. A t timeshe
edtoe ist sohetoldmeafter-
so n u s t th e n " s a id M . H e r ma n n i n -
e areallenthusiastsattwenty.
c ountry andc ommandeda olun-
boutA ndernach.A shorttimepre-
dtofallinonenightw itha renchdetach-
n.Thereweretwohundred ofus
shadbetrayedme. wasthrowninto
hwhiletheydebatedwhetherornoto
awarningtothec ountry . The rench
eprisals butthemurderforwhic hthey
hemsel esonmeturnedouttoha e
he lectorate.Myfatherhadob-
eedays tomakeapplicationformy
eau whograntedit.
rMagnanassoonas c ameintothe
andthef irstsightofhimf illedmewith
aggard e hausted andblood-
therewasacertainfranknessin his
ofhisinnoc ence andmadeadeep
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
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S E .353
wasasifGermanystoodthere isibly
hthe long fairhairandblueeyes
e erypersonificationofthepros-
snomurderer buta ic tim. A s
asad bittersmilelituphisfac efor
itorygleamofsanitycrossedadisor-
ilewouldsurelynotbeseenona
n ne tsawtheturnkey askedhim
dawordsinc ehewentintohiscell. He
nhishands andsleepsorthinks
what hearthe renc hmensaying
-morrow andhewillbe shotwithin
ngeredalittleunderhisw indowsduring
e erc iseintheprison-yard. We
etoldme erysimplythestoryofhis
entlystraightforwardanswerstomydif-
rthatc on ersation nolongerdoubted
andobtainedthefa orofspendinga
y andsawhiminthiswayse eral
intothesecretofhis thoughts
sownopinion hewasatonc einnoc ent
redthehideoustemptationwhichhe
t andwasafraidthathe hadcom-
dwhilehewas awakeinanaccess
yo u r co m pa n io n s a id .
m i s in c ap a bl e h e c ri e d e h em e nt l y.
thesentenc e. graspedhishand
urst sofraughtwithyouthand
w as f r ig h te n ed w h en h e w ok e ' h e s ai d h e
enceofmindandf led
o u ' a s ke d . W h y i n t ha t c as e
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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U S E .
de forWalhenfer s alisewillnot
ntotears.
es h e cr ie d I a m n ot g ui lt y. c an no t
memberthedreams had. wasat
oners-base. c ouldnotha ec uthis
mingofrunningabout.
eamsofhopethat uietedhismind
stillfeltcrushedby theweightofre-
ngthefacthe hadraisedhis
econdemnedhimself andcon-
yguiltyafter committingthecrime
a m n ot a b a d fe l lo w ' h e c ri e d. O h p o o r
stnowsheishappilyplay ingatc ards
letapestriedroomathome. fshe
muchasraisedmyhandtotakeanother
w ou l d ki l l he r A n d a m i n pr i so n
f didnotk illtheman shall
mymother
hespoke. naw ildf itof f ren y
ards hesprangup and if had
m wouldha edashedhishead
e b e en t r ie d ' s a id . Y o u w il l b e
nnoc ent. A ndyourmother
hec riedw ildly mymotherw illhear
usedofmurder thatisthemainpoint.
likethatinlittleplaces andmypoor
esides amnotinnoc ent. Do
oletruth feelthat ha elostthe
ce.
ords hesatdown foldedhisarms
ehishead andf i edhiseyesgloomily
theturnkeyc ametobidmereturnto
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .355
emyc ompanionwhenhisdisc ourage-
st claspedhimina friendly
n ' said perhapsitw illa llc ome
sopinionc ansilenc eyourdoubts
steemyouandlo eyou. A c c eptmy
yheart ifyoucannotfeelatpeace
y aboutnineo c lock ac orporaland
ssistantsurgeon. heardthe
ootsteps andwenttothew indow
edthecourt. Ne ershall forgetthe
nythoughtsandforebodings nor
ribablysadandmelancholysweet-
nthatdumbsw if ttransferenc eof
eyedhistestamenttome helef this
howasbesidehimat thelast.
e b e en e r y ha r d to l i e t h ro u gh a
m butperhapsthepallorthato er-
nofanewly-ac uiredstoic ism based
lf . Perhapshefeltpurif iedbyre-
e piatehissininthisanguishand
af irmstep and noticedthathe
ntalstainsofbloodthat soiledhis
ainedmyhandswhile wasasleep
eeper hehadsaid adreadfuldespair
e.
wasabouttobetriedbyac ourt-
stogoforwardintwodays time
edemi-brigademeanttotrythe
elea ingA ndernac h.
tialwassitting wasinanagony
nbeforetheybroughtProsper
wastakingmypresc ribede erc ise
wme andrushedintomyarms.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E ,
h e s ai d . o s t b e yo n d ho p e v e r y on e
murderer
dproudly . Thisin usticehasc om-
my i n no ce n ce ' h e s ai d . f h a d
waysha ebeentroubled butmydeath
. B utisthereanythingbeyond
centuryspokeinthatsudden
bsorbedinthought.
ou t e ll t h em W h a t d id t h ey a s ky o u
tellthemthesimpletruthasyoutold
oraminute thenafterthebrief dread-
edw ithafe erishreadinessofspeec h
askedme Didyougooutof theinn
Y e s " t o l d th e m. H o w d i d y ou
ed andanswered Throughthe
mu s t ha e o p en e d it " Y e s "
t eryc autiously thelandlordheard
keonestupefiedallthe time.Theboat-
eenme walking sometimestowards
estowardstheforest. wenttoandfro
hadburiedthegoldanddiamonds.
e alisehasnotbeenfound. Then the
wasstrugglingagainstremorse.W hen-
ou t h t o s p ea k a m e rc i le s s o i ce s e em e d
nttodoit " verythingwasagainstme
wantedtoknowaboutmyc omrade and
tedhim. Thentheysaid O neofyou
yourcomrade theinnkeeperor
d windowswereshutfastthis
he y s ai d t ha t ' h e w e nt o n I h a d n o
nospiritlef tinme. wasmoresureof
saw erywellthattheythought
f themurder and wastheclumsier
toe plainthethingbysomnam-
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .357
armyfriend then gotmuddled and
readmysentenceinthe udges
esstoleacrosstheirfaces.Thatisall.
amtobeshotto-morrow do
' hesaid butofmypoormother.
ndlookeduptohea en. Heshedno
yandcontractedwithpain.
be r n ow T h e ot h er o n e wa s c al l ed r 6 d-
a m s ur e t ha t wa s t he n a me " M .
riumphantly .
y fairneighbor sfoot shemadea
acrossatM.Taillefer.Thesome-
handdroopedcarelesslyo erhiseyes
thoughtwe sawasmouldering
m y e ar a n d no w s up p os e t ha t h is
eglanceofentreatytobesilent. Her-
of rederic tolea emetomyfate. H e
Perhapsheishidingintheinn for
in theyardthatmorning.W hat
y itis headded af terapause.
somnambulism ne erwalkedinmy
andthen wasnotsi yearsold.
ot h is ' h e w en t o n s t ri k in g h is f o ot
ndtakewithmeallthe friendshipthat
ust dietw ic eo er doubtingthe
enweweref i eyearsold andlasted
andourstudentdays Whereis
eyes. Wec lingmorec loselytoa
e itseems
i n ' h e s a i d I w o u ld r a th e r be i n m y
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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O U S E .
emtoseemec ry ing. shallgobra ely
annotplaytheheroinseasonandoutof
ss t h at a m s or r y to l e a e m y l if e m y fa i r
didnotsleeplastnight remembered
hen wasac hild sawmyself run-
ws perhapsitwasthememoriesof
yruin. hadafuturebeforeme
. A do enmen asub- lieutenant
d y p r e s en t f i re a r o ll o f d ru m s a n d
t ur e n ow A h t h er e i s a Go d t h er e
ldbetoononsenic al.
rm puthisarmsaboutmeandheld
helasthumansoultowhom c anpour
ef reeagain ouw illseeyour
owwhetheryouareric horpoor but
areallthe worldforme.Theycannot
er. Wellandgoodthen when
o B e a u a i s. f m y mo t he r s ur i e s t he
th youwillfindher outandtellher
t o co m fo r t he r . h e w il l b el i e e y ou '
writetoheraswell butyouw illc arry
ushalltellherhowthatyouwerethelast
edbefore died. A h howshewill
other youwhoha estoodmyfriendat
silentforamomentortwo theburdenof
hea yforhimtobear. H erethey
hesaid theothersurgeonsandthe
nk frommeinhorror. B utforyou
nasecretbetweenmeandhea en.
hislastw ishesasasac redc harge. He
uttohim andwastouc hedbymy
oldierscamebackto takehim
gain.H ewasdoomed.
eformalitiesorcircumstancesthat
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .359
nd donotknowwhetherthere
ehertheyoungsurgeon sdefensewas
dprecedent buthepreparedto go
morrow andspentthatnightin
e s et f r ee t o -d a y ' h e s ai d s m il i ng w he n
oseehim. Thegeneralhassignedyour
andga edathimtoengra ehisfeatures
ossedhisface andhesaid ha e
A lln>ghtlong ha ebeenpray ing
cy ' andhelookedroundhisc ell. Y es
how ledw ithdespair rebelledagainst
throughthemostfearfulinwardc onf lic t.
amthinkingofwhatotherswillsayof
rmentthatweputon. mustgo
dso
E R E T R I B U T O N .
sanymore c riedthegirlwhohad
ttingshorttheN uremberger. want
n d to b e li e e t h at h e w as s a e d . f
theyshot him shouldnotsleep.
stto-morrow.
offeredhisarmtomyfair neighbor
Theyshothim didtheynot
y ou c o ul d
dame. tissomething eryghastly to
ingman yourownfriendwhoisnot
ischarge.Thepooryoungfellow
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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U S E .
me. He seemedtoha enolifebut
e ' h e s ai d t h at s h ou l d be a r hi s l as t
s ee h e r
miens wentto rancetotakethe
asinnoc ent Thatpilgrimagewaslike
e. B utMme. Magnanwasdead
c onsumption. burnedtheletter
notw ithoutdeepemotion. Perhaps
anhigh-flownsentimentality but
ymostsublimelysadintheeternal
oswallowupthosefarewellsuttered
etoanothergra e andheardbynone
elerinthedesertsurprisedbyabeast
a H ow ifsomeoneweretobring
f themeninthis drawing-room
hemurderer wouldnotthatbeanother
wo u ld y o u do
atand went.
ayoungman and erythoughtlessly "
ookatTaillefer therehesitsinalow
emoiselle anny ishandinghimac up
g. Howc ouldamurdererdisplaysuc h
sthat af terastorythatmustha ebeen
oks uitepatriarchal doeshenot "
skhimifhehasbeenw iththearmyin
c laimed.
w iththeaudac ityrarely lack ingin
ontemptsorcuriositygetsthebetter
wentacrosstothe army-contractor.
G e rm a ny M . Ta i ll e fe r " u o th s h e.
saucer.
o n e e r.
tyouraresay ing Taillefer protested
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
8/11/2019 The Quest of the Absolute- (La Recherche de L'Absolu), And Other Stories
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S E .361
. Y ouwereintheWagramc am-
the ic tualingestablishment
n sw e re d T ai l le f er w as t h er e t h a t on c e.
uhim heisagoodsortofman "
camebacktome.
d t o m ys e lf b e fo r e th i s e e n in g i s o e r
reroutof themireinwhic hheis
consciousnessthattakesplace
socommonplacethatnoonenotices
toundingdepthsbeneathit.Twomen
hoha esomecausetodisdainor to
psoneofthemknowssomethingwhich
ther perhapsitisac onditionof
t perhapsoneofthemismeditating
hof themareconsciousof thegulf that
toughttodi idethem. B eforethey
hingeachotherandabsorbedineach
anationoftheirthoughtseemsto distil
sture theyha eamagnetic influence.
asthemorepowerofattrac tion
tredorc ontempt. ikesomepriestwho
usewhereane ilspiritabides the
pic ious oneof them itishardto
andtheothersullen oneof themturns
tertrembles anditof tenhappensthat
s c ow a rd l y as t h e i c ti m . o r e r y fe w
t o ca u se p a in e e n i f it i s n ec es s ar y
passeso eramatterorforgi esf rom
eadofmakingatragicalscene.
iityofminds andapprehensi e-
therebeganamysteriousstruggle
ctorandmyself. v ersincemyin-
n sstoryhehadshunnedmyeyes.
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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U S E .
ookednoneof thepartyinthe
owwiththeine perienc ed anny
probably likeallc riminals hefelta
hinnoc ence asif themerepro -
ringhimpeacefora while.B ut
thersideof theroom stilll istenedto
rectga efasc inatedhim. Whenhe
tmeinturn unnotic ed oureyes
directly.Tailleferfoundthistorture
edtoputa stoptoitby betakinghim-
ac kedhisopponent hopingtolose
s hadw ished. Theotherplayer
n andtheguiltymanand werenow
a id a s h e de a lt t h e ca r ds w i ll y o u be s o
score He swepthisc ountersf rom
ily.Thelady myneighborat
ga eherasignif ic antglance.
r " asked addressingmyopponent
mily inB eau aisw ithwhom amwell
e t t h e ca r ds f a ll t u rn e d pa l e h i d hi s f ac e
neofhisbackerstofinish thegamefor
" h e g as p ed a m a fr a id
ntence. A n e pressionofhorrible
hisface andhehurriedoutof the
ehousefollowinghimwithwhat
iety . Myneighborand lookedat
ac ewaso erc astby indesc ribablesadness
nessinit.
e r y me r ci f ul " s h e a sk ed a s r o se
here hadbeenplay ingandlosing.
mbrasureofthewindowasshespoke.
toacceptthe powerofreadingall
P u b l i c D o m a i n
/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
a t h i t r u s t . o r g / a c c e
s s
_ u s e # p d
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S E .363
it Whyinterferewithman s ustice
es c ap e t he o n e w e s ha l l ne e r e sc a pe
ati eofapresidentofac ourtof
A n d y o u h a e a l l b u t do n e th e e e c u-
timulatingmyc uriosity " said you
m et h in k s h e an s we r ed .
tosc oundrelsandwoetotheunfor-
sdownonourkneesandworshipgold B ut
ec t saidw ithalaugh. P lease
ois ustc omingintotheroom.
ysagoataballattheNeapolitan
perately inlo e. orpity ssake tell
c ouldtellme
eTaillefer
oremyeyes c ouldsc arcelyhearthe
oic e.
rbroughtherhomeonlyawhileagofrom
asbeenfinishingher educationsome-
meherfatherwouldnotrec ogni e
odayforthef irsttime. heis ery
h
twiththewords. ustasshespoke
emedto comefromanad oining
eywere theyechoedfaintly through
ee r s o i ce " a s ke d . W e b ot h
nds andfearfulgroansreachedour
esshurriedtowardsus andclosedthe
ne s " s h e s ai d t o us . f M i le . T ai l le -
er itwouldbe uiteenoughtosend
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U S E .
hedrawing-room lookedfor
afew lowwordsinherear. Thegirl
edoorw ithane c lamation and
dagreatsensation.Thecard-parties
neaskedhisneighborwhathadhappened.
ouder andgroupswereformed.
b e ga n .
p u t in m y s ar c as t ic f r ie n d. Y o u
imwitha lightheart cansee.
e h a pp e ne d t o hi m
twastheladyof thehousewhospoke
mplaint c annotrec ollec tthenameof
sonhastoldmeaboutitof tenenough
s ei u r e.
intisit " askedane amining
g d re a df u l " s h e an s we r ed a n d th e
him.The agonymustbeterrible.
remember once poorman when
thec ountry wasobligedtogoto
asnottohearhim hisshrieksarefear-
self hisdaughterhadtoha ehim
tandtieddowntohisbed.Poor
eli ec reaturesinhisheadgnawinghis
saw ing shootingpainthatthrobs
e suf ferssofearfullyw ithhishead
tersthatthey usedtoapplyatone
ation butM. B rousson hispresent
hesaysthatitisner ousinflammation
oat andapplieslaudanumtothe
sinc etheybeganthistreatmentthe
re uent heseldomhasthemoftener
elateautumn. Whenhegetso erone
illeferalwayssaysthathewouldratherbe
nduresuchagonyagain.
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S E .365
f feredc onsiderably saidastock -
arty.
e r y ne a rl y d ie d " t h e la d y we n t on .
country-houseonsomeurgentbusi-
eathandperhaps forhelaystif fand
fortwenty-twohours. Theyonlysa ed
ath.
of tetanus askedthestockbroker.
returnedshe. H ehashadthecom-
itbeganwhilehewas withthe
adafallonaboat andasplinter
roussonhopestoc urehim. People
yha efoundoutawayof treatingit
thatyourunnorisks
ananyof theprec edingones rang
loodrancoldinour eins.
n ke r s w i fe w en t o n t h at i s u s t wh a t
moment. tmakesmestartonmychair
yner e. B utitisane traordinary
suf feringsuc hunspeakablepainashe
riskofhislife He eatsanddrinksas
littlerespitefromthatghastlytor-
ngefreaks. omeGermandoctor
ak indofgoutinthehead and
asprettymuc hthesame.
outourhostessandwentoutwith
nthadcomeforher. hewas
n D i eu s h e so b be d h o wc a n my
ea entodeser esuc hsufferingasthis
hher andsawherintothecarriage
edup insideit.Mile.Taillefer
dofherfather smoaningbyc o er-
kerchief.Unluckily hesawme
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U S E .
dfurtherdistorted ascreamof
a emeadreadfullook andthecar-
eningthatfolloweditwasto
nc eonmylifeandonmy iews.
lesforbademeto connectmyself
atterhowgoodahusbandandfather
mustneedsfallinlo ew ithMile. Tail-
rediblehowoftenchancedrewme
knew mightmeetV ic torine.
en hadpledgedmyself torenounceher
wouldf indmeho eringabouther. The
mmense. tga ethec olorofan
biddenlo e andac himericalre-
eof mybliss. scornedmyself
er ifbyac cidenthewasw ithhis
all bowedtohim.
ic torine beingsomethingmorethan
ead c harming andgif tedinnosmall
gintheleastablue-stoc k ing w ithoutthe
n.Thereisa certainreser ein
egraciousnessaboutherthatno
kedme or atanyrate sheallowedmeto
ertainsmilethatshekeptforme for
c egrewsweeterstill. O h shec ared
shipedherfather shewouldpraise
gentleness his ariousperfections
kesomanydaggersthrustinto my
cameanacc essoryaf terthefac t an
hichhadlaidthefoundationofthe
wasfaintoask forV ic torine s
eledabroad. wenttoGermanyand
c amebac kagain andV ic torinewas
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S E , 367
thanherwont. fshehadbeen
shouldha ebeensafe butnow
srekindledw ithe traordinary io-
weredegeneratingintomono-
toc on enea anhedrimofc onsc ienc esthat
amperedwith andsotoobtainsome
ehighermoralityandphilosophy.
ecomemorecomple sincemy
erday assembledthoseamongmy
uponasnotablyhonest sc rupulous
two nglishmen asec retarytothe
aretiredMinister inthec harac ter
m afewyoungmenstill underthe
es apriest anelderlyman myold
artedbeing whoga emethebestac -
ofmypropertythate ertrustee
intheannalsof thePalais anad o-
udgeinshort allsocialopinions
racticalwisdom.W ehadbegun
talk andadealofmirth ando er
toryplainlyandsimply suppressing
e , andaskedforsoundc ounsel.
i c e " s a id t o m yf r ie n ds a s c am e t o
y intothe uestionasif itwerea
eanurnandbilliardballsbrought
otefororagainstmymarriage the
e scrupulouslyobser ed.
llatonce.Thenthe notaryde-
drawup " healleged.
ingef fec tonmyguardian indeed
tof indaguardianforhimifhewasto
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O U S E .
saidtomyself . A manwhodoes
tellingmeprettyforciblywhat
ementroundthetable.A land-
bedtoafund forputtingaheadstone
e a n d pr o i d in g f or h i s fa m il y e -
i r tu e cr i me h a th i t s de g re e s.
id t h e Mi n is t er i n a l ow o i ce a s h e
ty askedaduke whoseproperty
atedfromProtestantsafterthe
d i ct o f N a n t es .
feet.
d th e mo u th p ie ce o f u s ti c e t h e ca s e
ultywhate er.MonsieurleDueis
statuteof limitations B egintoin-
afortune andwhereshouldweall
terofc onsc ienc e andnotof law .
asebeforesometribunal thec on-
ein whichtohearit.
te ha ingsaidhissay satdownand
e.Themanintrustedwith the
pel thegoodpriest spokene t.
k " h e s ai d w it h d ec i si o n. I f
sheiress marryher butc ontentyour-
roperty andgi eherfather smoney
oodthefatheronlymadeagreat
ademoneyf irst c riedoneof the
youmeetw ithe erywhere. A nditis
ery littlebitofgoodfortuneitall
ercanbe discussedisenoughto
methingswhichamancannotweigh
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S E .369
myguardian thinkingtoenlightenthe
runkengra ity.
esec retarytotheembassy .
ed t h e pr i es t e a ch m e an i ng u i te
scapedbeingelectedbyabarehundred
undredandf if ty - f i e rosene t.
he thisphenomenalmanifestation
one ofthemoststronglymarked
ontothenormalconditionofthings
eys.Thedecision therefore onan
ne temporaneouseffortofthecon-
eption adelicatediscriminationofthe
notunliketheflashesof insightthat
attersoftaste. etusputit to
t o t he o t e " c r ie d t he r e st o f t he p a rt y .
ithtwobilliard-ballsonewhite the
c olorof irginity wastoprosc ribe
infa orof it. Myscruplespre-
ng. Myfriendsbeingse enteenin
ec isi ema ority. We grewe c ited
edhisball intothenarrow-
whichholdsthenumberedballswhen
esat pool fortherewasacertain
of otingbyballotonanicepointof
etwasturnedouttherewerenine
dnotc omeasasurprise butit
the youngmenofmyownage
.Thereweree actlynineof
ughthadbeeninall theirminds.
dtomyself therewasaunanimousfeeling
irminds andanolessunanimous
m on g t he r e st H e r e i s a f i , a n d
t
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U S E .
er-in- law li e " oneofmyschool-
far-sightedthantherest carelessly
ather-in- law inthec ase " e -
my consciencespokesufficiently
dictsuperfluous. A ndif itspeaks
herearetheinducementsthatled
hetempterthisletterthat rec ei ed
drewac ardf rommypoc ket-book
stedtobepresent soitran atthefuneral
D R I C TA I L L E F E R ,
ompany sometimecontractorof
y l a te C h e a l ie r o f th e e g io n o fH o n o r
G o ld e n p u r C a p t a in o f t he i r st C o m -
eNationalGuard Paris:whodiedon
theRue oubert. Theintermentw ill
h a n d so f o rt h . O n b e h al f o f ' a n d
n ow c on t in u ed . w i ll u s t pu t
foreyou. Thereisun uestionablya
lefer sestates. Herfather sprop-
a ma . G ra n te d B u t t h en P r os p er
ati es and c ouldnotf indanytrac es
akerwhowasmurderedthatnight
shouldthefortunebereturned
t ur n ed H a e a n y ri g ht t o b et r ay
acc ident toaddase eredhumanhead
rriageportion togi eheruglydreams
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S E .371
usions tok illthefathershelo eda
herthatthereisadarkstainonall
a Dic tionaryofCasesofConsc ienc e
andfoundthereinnosolutionwhat-
nyoumakeareligiousfoundationfor
nand WalhenferandTaillefer now
teethc enturyofours A ndasfor
itutionorawardingperiodicpri es
ritableinstitutionsappearto meto
andthepri eof irtuewouldfallto
ouldthesein estments moreorless
eanyreparation A ndisitmyplace
a m i n lo e p a ss i on a te l y in l o e . M y
y life. f w ithoutanyapparentreason
ggirl ac customedtosplendorandele-
dantinallthelu uriesartc ande ise
oysRossini smusic attheB ouf fons
osethatsheshouldrobherselfof f if -
ncsforthebenefitof agedimbeciles
apatients shewouldlaughandturn
erconfidantewouldtakemefora wag
oortaste. f inanec stasyof lo e
mblelifeinac ottagebythe oire if
f o r my s a ke h e r li f e in P a ri s i t w ou l d
inw ith andprobablywouldendina
f o r s h al l l os e t he g i rl s h e ar t s h e is
ngandofprettydresses andfor
ntersomesmartstriplingofanof f i-
ustache whoshallplaythepiano
ndmountahorsegrac efully and shall
obedone Gentlemen ad ise
whohithertohadnotbreatheda
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S E .
nwithaPuritanicalc astof fac e notun-
Deans shruggedhisshoulders.
h e s ai d . W h a t m ad e y ou a s k
a u a i s "
1 31 .
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/ h t t p : / / w w w . h
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A K I
P u b l i c D o m a i n
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o na l i b ra r y a ci l it