Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen of Amusement Only. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: by Christine g. Amusement Only by Richard marsh A Vision
Speaker 1: of the Night Chapter one, Asleep, Charley, do you believe
Speaker 1: in Dreams? It was in the Great Hall of the
Speaker 1: Pure Spring at spa. The band was playing. The Motley crowd,
Speaker 1: which gathers in the seasoned spa to drink or not
Speaker 1: to drink. The waters were talking, smoking, drinking coffee something stronger,
Speaker 1: looking at the papers, or listening to the music. Among
Speaker 1: the crowd were Dreerald Lovell and his friend Charles Warren.
Speaker 1: At the particular moment in which mister Lovell put his question,
Speaker 1: mister Warren was puffing rings of cigarette smoke into the air.
Speaker 1: Ask me, he said, with distinct irreverence. Another a queer
Speaker 1: thing happened to me last night. If you have any
Speaker 1: malicious intention of inflicting on me a dream, young man,
Speaker 1: there'll be a row. I have an aunt too, dreams.
Speaker 1: She's a dreaming thought. She's always dreaming. As she tells
Speaker 1: her dreams such dreams, ye goths, the men mention of
Speaker 1: the word dreams. The nightmare figure of my aunt writes
Speaker 1: to my mind's eye, So beware. But I'm not sure
Speaker 1: that this was a dream anyhow. Just listen if I must,
Speaker 1: said mister Warren, And he sighed. I dreamt that a
Speaker 1: woman kissed me. If only I could dream such a thing,
Speaker 1: some men have all the luck. The queer thing was
Speaker 1: that it was so real. I dreamt that a woman
Speaker 1: came into my room. She came to my bedside. She
Speaker 1: stood looking down upon me as I slept. Suddenly she
Speaker 1: stooped and kissed me. That same instant I awoke. I
Speaker 1: felt her kiss still tingling on my lips. I could
Speaker 1: have sworn that some one had just kissed me. I
Speaker 1: sat up in bed and called out to know if
Speaker 1: any one was there. I got up and lit the
Speaker 1: gas and searched the room. There was nothing and no one.
Speaker 1: It was a dream. If it was, it was the
Speaker 1: most vivid dream I remember to have heard of. Certainly
Speaker 1: the most vivid dream I ever dreamt. I saw the
Speaker 1: woman so distinctly, and her face as she stooped over me,
Speaker 1: with laughter in her eyes. To begin with, it was
Speaker 1: the most beautiful face I ever saw, and hers were
Speaker 1: the most beautiful eyes. The whole thing had impressed me
Speaker 1: so intensely that I took my sketchbook and made a
Speaker 1: drawing of her. Then and there, I have my sketch
Speaker 1: book in my pocket. Here is a drawing. Mister Lovell
Speaker 1: handed his open sketchbook to his friend. It was open
Speaker 1: at the page on which was the drawing of a
Speaker 1: woman's face. When mister Warren's eyes fell on thistraying, he
Speaker 1: sat up in his chair with a show of sudden interest. Gerald,
Speaker 1: I say, you'll excuse me saying so, But I didn't
Speaker 1: think you were capable of anything so good as this.
Speaker 1: Do you know that this is the best drawing of
Speaker 1: yours I have ever seen? Young man? I believe it is.
Speaker 1: It looks to me. I don't want to flatter you,
Speaker 1: Goodness knows you can set enough already, But it looks
Speaker 1: to me as though it were a genuine bit of inspiration.
Speaker 1: Joking apart, it seems to me almost as if it
Speaker 1: were an inspiration. I wish an inspiration of the same
Speaker 1: kind would come to me. I'd be considerably grateful even
Speaker 1: for a nightmare. Do you know what I should do this.
Speaker 1: I should use it for a picture. I thought of
Speaker 1: doing something of the kind myself, just the study of
Speaker 1: a woman's face, and you might call it. The title
Speaker 1: would be Upper Site, A vision of the night. A
Speaker 1: good idea I will. And mister Lovell did when he
Speaker 1: returned to his Chelsea studio. He chose a moderate sized canvas,
Speaker 1: and he began to paint on it a woman's face,
Speaker 1: just a woman's face and nothing more. She was looking
Speaker 1: a little downwards, as a woman might look who was
Speaker 1: about to stoop to kiss some one lying asleep on bed,
Speaker 1: say a sleeping child, And she glanced from the canvas
Speaker 1: with laughing eyes. Mister Warren came in to look at
Speaker 1: it several times while it was progressing. When it was finished,
Speaker 1: he regarded it for some moments in silent contemplation. I
Speaker 1: call that, he declared, sentiously with what he supposed, perhaps errendiously,
Speaker 1: to be a Yankee twoe, a genuine work of art.
Speaker 1: I do the thing, young man. If you poll were
Speaker 1: that were your compliments or without em to the President,
Speaker 1: fellows and assachates of the Royal Academy, I'll bet you
Speaker 1: five to one. It hung his prediction was verified. It
Speaker 1: was hung. It was the first of mister Lovell's pictures
Speaker 1: which ever had been hung, which made the fact none
Speaker 1: the less gratifying to mister Lovell. It was hung very well, too, considering,
Speaker 1: and it attracted quite a considerable amount of attention in
Speaker 1: its way. It was sold on the opening day. That
Speaker 1: fact was not displeasing to mister Lovell. One morning, about
Speaker 1: the middle of June, a card was brought in to
Speaker 1: mister Lovell while he was working in his studio. On
Speaker 1: it was inscribed a name VI Conte de Mierret. The
Speaker 1: card was immediately followed by its owner, a tall, slightly built,
Speaker 1: a gentleman, unmistakably a foreigner. He saluted mister Lovell with
Speaker 1: a bow which was undoubtedly Parisian, mister Gerard Leven. The
Speaker 1: accent was French, but for a Frenchman the English was fair.
Speaker 1: I am Gerald Lovell. Ah, that is good. You are
Speaker 1: a gentleman, mister Lovell, whom I particularly wished to see.
Speaker 1: The stranger had been carrying his stick in one hand,
Speaker 1: and he sat in the other. These he now deposited
Speaker 1: upon one chair, himself replaced upon a second. Uninvited, he
Speaker 1: crossed his legs. He folded his black cloved hands in
Speaker 1: front of him. I believe, mister Horlovell, that we are
Speaker 1: not strangers, you and I. Mister Lovell glanced at the card,
Speaker 1: which he still was holding. You are there, vicomte de miriere.
Speaker 1: I am I am afraid it is unpardonable remissnance on
Speaker 1: my part. But I am afraid that if I have
Speaker 1: ever had the pleasure of meeting you before, it is
Speaker 1: a pleasure which has escaped my memory. It is not
Speaker 1: that we have ever met before. No, it is not
Speaker 1: that it is my name to which you are not
Speaker 1: a stranger. Mister Lovell glanced again at the card your name.
Speaker 1: I am afraid, vicomte, that I do not remember having
Speaker 1: ever heard your name before. Ah? Is that so? The
Speaker 1: stranger regarded his polished boots. He spoke as if he
Speaker 1: were addressing himself to them. Is it possible that she
Speaker 1: can have given another name? No, it is not possible.
Speaker 1: She is capable of many things. I do not believe
Speaker 1: she is capable of that. He looked up again at
Speaker 1: mister Lovell. My business with you, mister Lovell, is of
Speaker 1: rather a peculiar kind. You will think, perhaps that mine
Speaker 1: is rather a singular Errand I have come to ask
Speaker 1: you to acquaint me with the resident of my wife.
Speaker 1: Whether did you say, with the residence of your wife?
Speaker 1: That is what I said. I have come to ask
Speaker 1: you to acquaint me with the residence of my wife.
Speaker 1: The artist stared. But so far as I am aware,
Speaker 1: I do not know your wife. That is absurd. I
Speaker 1: do not say, mister Lovell, that you are conscious of
Speaker 1: the absurdity. But still it is a I was not
Speaker 1: aware that you are acquainted with my wife until I
Speaker 1: learned the fact this morning at your academy, at our academy,
Speaker 1: precisely upon the worlds of your academy of painting, mister Lovell.
Speaker 1: Mister Lovell began to wonder if his visitor was not
Speaker 1: an amiable French lunatic. Is that not rather a singular
Speaker 1: place in which to learn such a fact. It is
Speaker 1: a singular place. It is a very singular place, indeed.
Speaker 1: But that has nothing to do with the matter. It is,
Speaker 1: as I say, you have a picture, mister Lovell, at
Speaker 1: the academy I have it is a portrait. Pardon me,
Speaker 1: it is not a portrait. Pardon me, mister Lovell. In
Speaker 1: my turn, it is a portrait. As a portrait, it
Speaker 1: is a perfect portrait. It is a portrait of my wife,
Speaker 1: of your wife. You are dreaming, you flatter me, mister Lovell.
Speaker 1: Is it that you suppose I am an embathy? I'm
Speaker 1: not a feature of a wife familiar to her husband,
Speaker 1: very good, I am the husband of my wife. Your picture,
Speaker 1: mister Lovell, is a portrait of my wife. I cannot
Speaker 1: but think you have mistaken some other picture for mine.
Speaker 1: Mine is simply a study of a woman's faith. It
Speaker 1: is called a vision of the night precisely, and the
Speaker 1: vision of the night is my wife. It is impossible,
Speaker 1: do I understand you to say, mister Lovell, of a
Speaker 1: thing which I say, is so that it is impossible?
Speaker 1: The Vicomte rose, His voice had a very significant intonation.
Speaker 1: Mister Lovell resented it. I do not know, Vicomte, that
Speaker 1: I am called upon to explain to you, But in
Speaker 1: faith of your remarkable statement, I will volunteer an explanation.
Speaker 1: I saw the faith which I have painted in a dream. Indeed,
Speaker 1: is that so? What sort of dream was it in
Speaker 1: which you saw my wife's face? Mister Lovell? The young
Speaker 1: man flushed the strangest tone was distinctly offensive. It was
Speaker 1: in a dream which I dreamed last August at Spa. Ah,
Speaker 1: this is crees. At what hotel were you stopping last
Speaker 1: August at Spa at the Hotel de Flandre. Though I
Speaker 1: don't know why you ask, so we approached your point.
Speaker 1: At last last August, my wife and I we were
Speaker 1: at Spa. We stayed my wife and I at the
Speaker 1: Hotel de Flandre. It was at the Hotel de Flandrey
Speaker 1: my wife left me. I have never seen her since. Perhaps,
Speaker 1: mister Gerald Blauvel, you will be so good as to
Speaker 1: inform me what sort of dream it was in which
Speaker 1: she saw my wife's face at the Hotel la Flandre
Speaker 1: last August at Spa. Mister Lovell hesitated. He perceived that
Speaker 1: caution was advisable. He felt that if he entered into
Speaker 1: minute particulars of his dream there might be a misunderstanding
Speaker 1: with the vicomte. So he temporized, or he endeavored to.
Speaker 1: I have already he told you that I saw the
Speaker 1: face in my picture in a dream. It is the
Speaker 1: simple fact that I have no other explanation to offer.
Speaker 1: Is that, sir? That is so very good so far,
Speaker 1: mister Gerald Lovell, I thought it possible that you might
Speaker 1: have some explanation of this kind to offer. I was
Speaker 1: at the academy with a friend when I perceived my
Speaker 1: wife's portrait on the wolves, and that is what painted
Speaker 1: by a mister Gerald Lovell. I said to my friend,
Speaker 1: I will go to this mister Lovell, and I will
Speaker 1: ask him, among other things, who authorized him to exhibit
Speaker 1: my wife's portrait in the absence of a husband in
Speaker 1: a place of public resort, as if it were an advertisement.
Speaker 1: My friend proposed to accompany me, but I said no,
Speaker 1: I will go first of all alone. I will see
Speaker 1: what sort of explanation mister gerald Lovell has to offer.
Speaker 1: If it is not a satisfactory explanation, then we will
Speaker 1: go together. You and I. I go to seek my friend,
Speaker 1: mister Lovell. He is not very far away. Shortly we
Speaker 1: will return. Then I will request of your courtesy and
Speaker 1: explanation of that very curious dream in which you saw
Speaker 1: my wife's face at the Hotel de Flandres. Mister Lovell,
Speaker 1: I wish you in till then good day. The vicomte
Speaker 1: withdrew with the same extremely courtious salutation with which she
Speaker 1: had entered the artist left alone, looked at his visitor's card,
Speaker 1: which he still retained in his hand, with a very
Speaker 1: puzzled expression of countenance. If the Vicomte de me Rey returns,
Speaker 1: it strikes me, there'll be a little interesting conversation. He
Speaker 1: laid down the card. He resumed the work which had
Speaker 1: been interrupted, But the work hung fire. Paint to paint,
Speaker 1: not only with his hand, but with his brain. Mister
Speaker 1: Lovell's brain was just then preoccupied. It was a dream.
Speaker 1: And yet, as I told Warren at a time, it
Speaker 1: certainly was the most vivid dream I ever dreamt. Deserting
Speaker 1: his canvas, began to move about the room, Supposing it
Speaker 1: wasn't a dream, and the woman was a creature of
Speaker 1: flesh and blood, and she must have come into my
Speaker 1: room and kissed me while I slept. I'll swear that
Speaker 1: some one kissed me. By jove, the Vicomte won't like
Speaker 1: to be all a tale like that, as he says,
Speaker 1: a man ought to know his own wife's face when
Speaker 1: he sees it, even in a portrait. And if the
Speaker 1: picture is a portrait of his wife, then it was
Speaker 1: his wife who came into my room and kissed me.
Speaker 1: But whatever made her do a thing like that. There's
Speaker 1: no knowing what things some woman will do. I rather
Speaker 1: fancy that I ought to have made a few inquiries
Speaker 1: before I took it for granted that there was nothing
Speaker 1: but a dream. They would have been able to tell
Speaker 1: me at the hotel if the original of my dream
Speaker 1: had been staying there as it is. Unless her mind
Speaker 1: my peace and cues, I rather fancy there'll be a
Speaker 1: row ador, may I enter? Mister Lovell was standing with
Speaker 1: his back to the door. The inquiry, therefore, was addressed
Speaker 1: to him from behind. The voice in which was uttered
Speaker 1: was feminine, and the accent foreign. The artist turned and stared,
Speaker 1: for there, peeping through the partly open door was the
Speaker 1: woman of his dream. There cannot be the slightest doubt
Speaker 1: about it. Although the head was covered with the latest
Speaker 1: thing in Parisian hats, there was no mistaking when one
Speaker 1: once had seen it, as he had seen it, that
Speaker 1: lovely face, those laughing eyes. He stared and gaped. The
Speaker 1: lady seemed to take his silence to imply consent. She
Speaker 1: advanced into the room. You are, mister gerald loovl. As
Speaker 1: she came into the room, he perceived that she was
Speaker 1: not only most divinely fair, but most divinely tall. Her figure,
Speaker 1: clad in the most recent coquetries of Paris, was the
Speaker 1: most exquisite thing in figures he had lately seen. So
Speaker 1: completely had she taken his faculties of astonishment by storm
Speaker 1: that he could only stammer a response, you are the
Speaker 1: painter of my portrait. For the life of him, not
Speaker 1: what to say. But if you are, mister Gierolovell, it
Speaker 1: is certain that you are. Besides, I see it in
Speaker 1: your faith that I s a genius in your eyes,
Speaker 1: mister Lovell, how a might you thank you for the
Speaker 1: honor you have done me. Moving to him, she held
Speaker 1: out to him her hand. He gave her his. She
Speaker 1: retained it, or rather part of it, in her small palm.
Speaker 1: If I am ever destined to attain immortality, it is
Speaker 1: to your brush it will be owing, monsieur, permit me
Speaker 1: to salute the master. Before he had an inkling of
Speaker 1: her intention, she raised his hand and touched it with
Speaker 1: her lips. He withdrew it quickly, Madame, She exhibited no
Speaker 1: signs of discomposure. I was at your academy with a
Speaker 1: friend not half an hour ago. I beheld mylds of
Speaker 1: me deo crecy. Suddenly I saw my face, my own faith,
Speaker 1: glancing at me from the walls ah culples, Sire, But
Speaker 1: my face, how many times more lovely, how many times
Speaker 1: more beautiful? My face depicted by the hand of a
Speaker 1: great artist, by the brush of a poet. Indeed, Genius, monsieur,
Speaker 1: you have placed only ten thousand obligations. She gave him
Speaker 1: the most sweeping courtesy with which she ever had been favored,
Speaker 1: and in her eyes was laughter. All the time he
Speaker 1: was recovering his presence of mind. He felt that it
Speaker 1: was time to put a stop to the lady's flow
Speaker 1: of flowery language. He was about to do so when
Speaker 1: a question she put to him again sent half his
Speaker 1: sense's flying. There is one thing which I wished to
Speaker 1: ask you, monsieur, When and where did I see to
Speaker 1: you for my portrait. I do not remember to have
Speaker 1: had the pleasure and the honor of meeting you before.
Speaker 1: The lady's laughing eyes were fixed intently on his face.
Speaker 1: And yet as I look at you, a sort of
Speaker 1: chadwy recollections come to me of a previous encounter. It
Speaker 1: is very strange, monsieur, Where was it we encountered you?
Speaker 1: And I, madam, Seeing how evidently he was at a
Speaker 1: loss of four words, she put out her hand to him,
Speaker 1: as if to give him courage. Do not be afraid.
Speaker 1: Tell me where was it that you saw me? I
Speaker 1: saw you in a dream, A dream, monsieur. To hear
Speaker 1: you speak, it is like a poem. Monsieur, Why did
Speaker 1: you dream this dream in which you dreamt of me?
Speaker 1: It was last year at Spa. It spar that horrible place.
Speaker 1: I did not find it a horrible place. No, was
Speaker 1: it that dream which you dreamt of me? When she
Speaker 1: rubbed it of its aura, he did not speak. He
Speaker 1: allowed her to infair a compliment, but he did not
Speaker 1: profer one. But Monsieur, I was only at Spa one afternoon,
Speaker 1: in a single night. It was that night I dreamed
Speaker 1: of you you dreamed. How tell me about this dream?
Speaker 1: I dreamed that she came into my room while I
Speaker 1: was asleep in bed and kissed me. She continued to
Speaker 1: look at him intently a moment longer, as if she
Speaker 1: did not recognize the full meaning of his words. Then
Speaker 1: let us do her justice. The blood rushed to her face,
Speaker 1: her cheeks flamed fiercely red. With her hands, she wheeled
Speaker 1: her eyes. She gave a little cry, Ah, mon dieu,
Speaker 1: it was you, I remember, kill aaurere. There was silence
Speaker 1: before she removed her hands from her eyes. She turned away.
Speaker 1: She stood with her back towards him, trifling with a
Speaker 1: brush which she had placed upon the table. She spoke
Speaker 1: scarcely above a whisper, Monsieur, I thought you were asleep.
Speaker 1: I was asleep. I saw you in a dream. Then
Speaker 1: did did I wake you? You must have done. I
Speaker 1: woke you. Must forgive me, saying so with a kiss
Speaker 1: tingling on my lips, the lady put her hands off
Speaker 1: to her eyes again. The dream had been so vivid
Speaker 1: I could not understand it. I got up to see
Speaker 1: if any one was in the room, if you had
Speaker 1: caught me. There was no one. But so acutely had
Speaker 1: your face impressed itself on my imagination that I took
Speaker 1: my sketch book and made a drawing of it. Then
Speaker 1: then there in the morning I showed this drawing to
Speaker 1: a friend. He advised me to use it for a picture.
Speaker 1: I did. That picture is a vision of the night.
Speaker 1: It is the most extraordinary thing, monsieur. You will suppose
Speaker 1: I am a very peculiar person. It is but a
Speaker 1: lame explanation I have to offer of that I am
Speaker 1: but too conscious. But such as it is, I entreat
Speaker 1: that you will suffer me to give it to you. Monsieur.
Speaker 1: I am married. Mister Lovell bowed. He did not mention
Speaker 1: that he was aware of that already to the most
Speaker 1: capricious husband in the world, to a husband to my love,
Speaker 1: but whom I cannot respect. Mister Lovell thought that that
Speaker 1: was good from her. He is a man who is
Speaker 1: extremely deficile. Monsieur. I do not think you have a
Speaker 1: word which expresses what I would say in English. He
Speaker 1: is extremely jealous. He is enraged that his wife should
Speaker 1: use the eyes which are in her head. The very
Speaker 1: day in which we arrived at Spa, we had a
Speaker 1: dreadful quarrel. I will not speak of the treatment to
Speaker 1: which I was subjected. It is enough to say that
Speaker 1: he locked the door so that I should not leave
Speaker 1: the room. He wished to make of me a prisoner, Monsieur.
Speaker 1: Directly he was gone, I perceived that there were two
Speaker 1: doors or to the room, the one which he had locked,
Speaker 1: and another which I tried. I found that it was open, Monsieur.
Speaker 1: When the prisoner decides to escape. He escapes by any
Speaker 1: road which offers. I was a prisoner. I desired to escape.
Speaker 1: I made you of the only rod which I could find.
Speaker 1: I entered the door. I found myself in a room
Speaker 1: in which there was, how shall I say it, in
Speaker 1: which there was a man asleep, Monsieur, it was you.
Speaker 1: It must be owned that at this point the lady
Speaker 1: certainly did look down. I was that night in a
Speaker 1: wicked mood. I glanced at you. I perceive that you
Speaker 1: were but a boy with the level flushed. He did
Speaker 1: not consider himself a boy, but a handsome boy. She
Speaker 1: peeped at him with malicious laughter in her eyes. I
Speaker 1: regarded myself as your mother, or your sister, or your guardian. Angel.
Speaker 1: Monsieur will perceive how much I am the elder. Again,
Speaker 1: a glance of laughing malice from those bewitching eyes. I
Speaker 1: am afraid it is too try that I approached the
Speaker 1: sleeping lips. There was silence, then, so softly that her
Speaker 1: listener was only able to catch the words. I pray
Speaker 1: that Monsieur will forgive me. There is nothing for which
Speaker 1: madame needs forgiveness. Monsieux, but says so to give me pleasure.
Speaker 1: But one thing, Monsieur must permit me to observe. If
Speaker 1: every woman were to be rewarded as I have been
Speaker 1: for what I did, half the woman in France would
Speaker 1: commit a similar little In this question, mister Lovell was silent.
Speaker 1: He did not know exactly what to say. Monsieur will
Speaker 1: permit me to regard him from this day forward as
Speaker 1: my friend, mister a Giraard Lavelle. Permit me to introduce
Speaker 1: it to you, the vicomtesse to mere re, the lady
Speaker 1: favored him with another sweeping courtesy. I've already the pleasure
Speaker 1: of being acquainted with Madame's name. From whom did you
Speaker 1: learn it from the people at the hotel? I but
Speaker 1: learned it a few minutes before Madame herself came here.
Speaker 1: So from whom I learned it from? The Vicomte de
Speaker 1: Mearet di vi Conte de Meret, my husband. Are you
Speaker 1: acquainted with him? Then I can scarcely claim to be
Speaker 1: acquainted with the Vicomte. It seems, Madame, that this has
Speaker 1: been a morning of coincidences. It would appear that just
Speaker 1: before Madame perceived my little picture at the academy, the
Speaker 1: Vicomte de Meirere perceived it too, truly, but how magnificent.
Speaker 1: The lady clasped her hands in a little ecstasy. The
Speaker 1: Vicomte de meire Rey did not seem to consider it magnificent.
Speaker 1: He took a distinctly contrary view. But that is sertain.
Speaker 1: He requested me to furnish him with your address. When
Speaker 1: I informed him that I was not acquainted with Madame,
Speaker 1: he desired to know who had authorized me to send
Speaker 1: your portrait to a public exhibition. When I informed him
Speaker 1: that I was not acquainted with Madame, he desired to
Speaker 1: know who had authorized me to send me your portrait
Speaker 1: to a public exhibition. I observed that I was not
Speaker 1: aware that it was a portrait of Madame, since the
Speaker 1: face in the picture was but the study of a
Speaker 1: face which I had seen in a dream, in a dream.
Speaker 1: You did not tell him the little history I entered
Speaker 1: into no particulars. I entreat you, monsieur, not to tell
Speaker 1: in the history. There will be a scandal. He is
Speaker 1: so quick to misconceive. I will endeavor to observe Madame's souchius.
Speaker 1: It is like a little romance. It is not, monsieur.
Speaker 1: Perhaps I should explain myself a little further. That night,
Speaker 1: she emphasized that and left my husband. In effect, he
Speaker 1: had become unbearable. I have seen and heard nothing of
Speaker 1: him since, but I am beginning to become conscious of
Speaker 1: a desire to meet him again. I know not why,
Speaker 1: I suppose when one loves one's husband, truly one wishes
Speaker 1: to meet him. Monseigneur, I do not wish our reconciliation
Speaker 1: to be inagoiserated by a quarrel. No I entreat you, monsieur,
Speaker 1: not to recount to him that little history. I should
Speaker 1: inform Madame that I expect the vicomte to mearet to
Speaker 1: return return where here when very shortly, with a friend.
Speaker 1: In fact, unless I am mistaken, he comes already. The
Speaker 1: lady listened. It is Philippe's voice, mon dieu. He must
Speaker 1: not find me here, but madame ah the screen. It
Speaker 1: is like a face at the pelais royal? Is it
Speaker 1: not the fact? I will be your model, monsieur behind
Speaker 1: the screen, madame. Before he could interpose to prevent her,
Speaker 1: the lady vanished behind the screen. The door of the
Speaker 1: studio opened, and the Vicomte de Mireraa entered, accompanied by
Speaker 1: his friend. End of Chapter one, of A Vision of
Speaker 1: the Night recording by Christine G in Oslong, Norway, the
Speaker 1: twenty first of January two thousand and twelve, Chapter fourteen
Speaker 1: of Amusement Only. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
Speaker 1: to volunteire, please visit Librivok's Daughter Org recording by Christine g.
Speaker 1: Amusement Only by Richard marsh A Vision of the Night,
Speaker 1: Chapter two and Awake. The Vicomte's friend was a gentleman,
Speaker 1: of a figure which is not uncommon in France even
Speaker 1: to day. His attitude suggested that Ramrod he breathed powder
Speaker 1: and shot, and he bristled. What shall we say with
Speaker 1: Bayonet's the last person in the world with whom a
Speaker 1: modern Briton should have a serious difference of opinion? The
Speaker 1: ideas of that sort of person upon matters which involve
Speaker 1: a difference of opinion are in such contrast to ours.
Speaker 1: The Vicomte performed the ceremony of introduction, mister Gerald Blauvel,
Speaker 1: permit me to introduce you to your courtiers consideration, my friend,
Speaker 1: Monsieur Victor Berigny. Monsieur Beerigny bowed sremoniously. Mister Lowell only nodded.
Speaker 1: His thoughts were behind the screen. The Vicomte turned to
Speaker 1: his friend, Victor. I have explained to you that I
Speaker 1: have already had the pleasure of an interview with mister
Speaker 1: Gerald Lavelle Monsieur Brigny Bowed. I have also explained to
Speaker 1: you that I have desired him to inform me by
Speaker 1: whose authority he exhibits a portrait of my wife in
Speaker 1: a public exhibition. To that he has replied that his picture,
Speaker 1: A Vision of the Knight, is not a portrait of
Speaker 1: my wife. I request you, Victor, to state, in mister
Speaker 1: gerald Lovell's presence, whether that picture, in your opinion, is
Speaker 1: or is not a portrait of my wife. Certainly it
Speaker 1: is a portrait. Mister Beerygney's accent was more marked than
Speaker 1: the Vicomte's, but still he did speak English. I thank you, Victor.
Speaker 1: It remains from me to once more request, in your presence,
Speaker 1: mister gerald Lovell to explain saining how it was that
Speaker 1: he happened to dream of the face of my wife
Speaker 1: lost August in the Hotel de Flandre et Spa. Mister
Speaker 1: Gierraald Blovel, I have the honor to wait your explanation.
Speaker 1: The Vicomte, his aunts crossed upon his chest, his left
Speaker 1: foot a little protruding, his head thrown back, awaited the explanation.
Speaker 1: Mister Lovell's thoughts ran screenwards. What a deuce shall I
Speaker 1: do if he discovers her behind the screen, Monsieur, I
Speaker 1: am waiting. If he does discover her, there'll be a row.
Speaker 1: I am still waiting, mister Geraldlovell. With each repetition of
Speaker 1: the statement, the Vicomte's tone became more assidulated. The artist
Speaker 1: arrived at a sudden resolution. Then I am afraid, the
Speaker 1: Vicomte that you will have to wait. The Vicomte looked
Speaker 1: at the artist with an evident inclination to add a
Speaker 1: cubit to his own stature. Is it possible that I
Speaker 1: understand your meaning, mister Gerald loovel My language is sufficiently
Speaker 1: simple in France, Monsieur Gerald Lavelle, and archrist is supposed
Speaker 1: to be a gentleman, and so in England, Vicomte. And therefore,
Speaker 1: when an artist is interrupted at his work by another gentleman,
Speaker 1: he feels himself at liberty to beg that other gentleman
Speaker 1: to excuse him. Mister Lovell, waved his hand affably in
Speaker 1: the direction of the door. The vicomte's countenance assumed a
Speaker 1: peculiar pallor you are racurious person, mister Gerald levelle his
Speaker 1: friend in the post Philip, you have better leave the
Speaker 1: matter to me, Monsieur Berigny approached the painter with a
Speaker 1: ramrod down his back. They have the honor, monsieur, your
Speaker 1: request for you the name of a frant o a friend?
Speaker 1: What for ah, Monsieur to arrange the preliminaries? What preliminaries?
Speaker 1: Is it that Monsieur amuses himself? Is it possible that
Speaker 1: you suppose that I am going to fight a duel?
Speaker 1: Monsieur intends then to offer an explanation to my friend,
Speaker 1: Monsieur Brigny. I do not wish to say to you
Speaker 1: anything uncourteous, for anything unworthy an English gentleman. But I
Speaker 1: do beg you to believe that because you choose to
Speaker 1: be an idiot and your friend chooses to be an idiot,
Speaker 1: it does not follow that I choose to be an
Speaker 1: idiot too, Monsieur. One other observation, I have not seen
Speaker 1: much of you, Monsieur Brigny, but that little has not
Speaker 1: disposed me to see more. May I therefore ask you
Speaker 1: to leave my studio, monsieur, or must I turn you out?
Speaker 1: Turn me out? The Vicomte had been listening to this
Speaker 1: little dialog. He now turned towards his friend. Ah, my friend,
Speaker 1: it is as he says, you will tearn you out
Speaker 1: necking crop, as the English say, he will throw you
Speaker 1: down the stairs. You will give half a bricket your
Speaker 1: head to help you on your way. Then when you
Speaker 1: require satisfaction, you will reserve you to a magistrate. You
Speaker 1: will summon him. It will be in the papers. He
Speaker 1: will be fined half a crown. That is how they
Speaker 1: managed this affairs in England. It is true, but among gentlemen,
Speaker 1: ah Madame fou La in England nowadays. De Renald gentleman,
Speaker 1: mister Lovell moved a step towards Monsieur Burigny. I have
Speaker 1: asked you, asked the gentleman to leave my studio, monsieur,
Speaker 1: your coward. The painter's eyes gleamed, but he kept his
Speaker 1: temper pretty well. Considering you appear to have been taught
Speaker 1: singularly ill manners in your native country, sir, I will
Speaker 1: endeavor to teach you better man as hair. Are you
Speaker 1: going or must I eject you Polisson? That was Monsieur
Speaker 1: Burigny's answer. There was just a momentary hesitation. Then, grasping
Speaker 1: Monsieur Burigny firmly by the shoulders, mister Lovell began to
Speaker 1: move him more rapidly than gently in the direction of
Speaker 1: the door. The Vicomte came forward with the evident intention
Speaker 1: of interposing. There would probably have been a slightly undignified
Speaker 1: scramble had not a diversion been created by the opening
Speaker 1: of the door and the entrance of mister Warren. That
Speaker 1: gentleman glanced from one person to another. I beg your pardon,
Speaker 1: he observed. I hope I don't intrude. Mister Lovell laughed
Speaker 1: a little forcidly. His complexion was distinctly ruddy. Not at all.
Speaker 1: I wish you had come in sooner. The most ridiculous
Speaker 1: thing has happened. Indeed, I have an eye for the ridiculous.
Speaker 1: You know that picture of mine a vision of the
Speaker 1: night I've heard of it. This gentleman says that it's
Speaker 1: a portrait of his wife. Mister Lovell pointed to the
Speaker 1: Vicomte de mire Rey. No, then in that case, this
Speaker 1: gentleman's wife came into your bedroom in the middle of
Speaker 1: the night and kissed you. Wasn't it, mister Warren spoke
Speaker 1: in the innocence of his heart. But at that moment
Speaker 1: mister Lovell could have struck his boyhood's friend. There was
Speaker 1: a listener behind the screen. The young gentleman's cheeks grew crimson,
Speaker 1: as the ladies had done a few minutes ago. He
Speaker 1: was conscious, too, that the vicomte's unfriendly eyes were fixed
Speaker 1: upon his face. So that is it you you? The
Speaker 1: vicomte moved a step forward, then checked himself. Tell me,
Speaker 1: we'll raise my wife. At this instant, mister Lovell could
Speaker 1: have told him, but he refrained. I declined to give
Speaker 1: you any information of any kind. Whatever you decline. The
Speaker 1: Vicomte raised his hand. He would have struck the artist.
Speaker 1: Mister Warren interposed to avert a blow. He declines, for
Speaker 1: a very simple reason that he has never seen your wife.
Speaker 1: Isn't that so? Gerald? Mister Lovell hesitated. He scarcely saw
Speaker 1: his way to a denial while the lady was behind
Speaker 1: the screen. You see he does not even direre to lie.
Speaker 1: Don't talk nonsense, Gerald, Why don't you tell the man
Speaker 1: that you have never seen the woman in your life.
Speaker 1: I repeat that I declined to give this person any
Speaker 1: information of any kind. Whatever you decline. The vicomte uttered
Speaker 1: the words in a kind of strangled screech. His patience
Speaker 1: was exhausted. He seemed to think that he was being
Speaker 1: subjected to treatment which was more than flesh and blood
Speaker 1: could bear. He rushed at mister Lovell. Mister Lovell, probably
Speaker 1: forgetting himself on the impulse of the moment, or he
Speaker 1: would have been more careful, swung the vicomte round against
Speaker 1: the screen. It tottered, reeled, and raising a cloud of dust.
Speaker 1: It fell with a bang to the floor. It was
Speaker 1: a leaf out of Sheridan. For an instant the several
Speaker 1: members of that little party did not distinctly realize what
Speaker 1: it was that had happened. Then they saw there was
Speaker 1: a pause, a curious pause. Their attitudes betrayed a charming
Speaker 1: diversity of emotions. The Vicomte, his coat a little disarrange,
Speaker 1: owning to the somewhat rough handling which he had just received,
Speaker 1: stood and glared Monsieur Berrigny more ramrody than ever. Stad
Speaker 1: Mister Warren gasped mister Lovell's quickened, breathing, crimson cheeks and
Speaker 1: flashing eyes seemed to suggest that his breast was a
Speaker 1: tumult of conflicting feelings. The lady, whose present had been
Speaker 1: so unexpectedly revealed, stood behind the fallen screen with the
Speaker 1: most charming air of innocence in the world, and she smiled.
Speaker 1: It was she who broke the silence. She held out
Speaker 1: her hand to the vicomte. Bonjour, philipp ah. The Vicomte
Speaker 1: threw himself away with a sort of shuddering exclamation. Aunt
Speaker 1: you and Nette, it is you. It cannot be, my
Speaker 1: dear Philip. Why not? Why not? Why not? She asks?
Speaker 1: Why not? The Vicomte held out his hands as though
Speaker 1: he appealed to the eternal varieties. Tretre yes once more?
Speaker 1: Is woman false and man betrayed? The Vicomte's gesture was
Speaker 1: worthy of the tragic stage in France. The lady still
Speaker 1: held out her hand, and still she smiled, My dear Philip,
Speaker 1: try comedy comedy, Ah, yes, I will try comedy, the
Speaker 1: comedy of a revenge. The Vicomte distinctly rolled his arse.
Speaker 1: He turned to mister Lovell, I will kill you, even
Speaker 1: though for killing you by the law of England. I
Speaker 1: am hanged, victorch verise my hat. The vicomte put his
Speaker 1: question to his friend with a peculiar coldness. Monsieur Burgny
Speaker 1: shrugged his shoulders. How should I know? It is not
Speaker 1: a question of a hat, as you say, It is
Speaker 1: not a question of a hat, It is a question.
Speaker 1: The vicomte moved towards mister Lovell. Of that he raised
Speaker 1: his hand with the intention of striking the artist on
Speaker 1: the cheek. Mister Lovell never flinched, but the lady, rushing forward,
Speaker 1: caught her husband by the wrist. She looked at him,
Speaker 1: still with laughter in her eyes. Try not to be insane.
Speaker 1: The vicomte glared at her with a glare, which at
Speaker 1: least was characteristic. Why do I not kill her? Why
Speaker 1: the lady only smiled. They say that the woman is
Speaker 1: the void of humor. How we sit then? Sometimes with
Speaker 1: the man you, Philip, are always thinking of the port
Speaker 1: Saint Martin I of the beuf Parisians. The Vicomte turned
Speaker 1: to his friend Victor, Why do I not kill his woman?
Speaker 1: Monsieur Berrigny only shrugged his shoulders, possibly because he was
Speaker 1: not ready with a more adequate reply. The lady turned
Speaker 1: to the artist. Monsieur, I offer you ten thousand apologies,
Speaker 1: which my husband will one day offer you himself as
Speaker 1: becomes a gentleman of Franz. The vicomte repeated his inquiry, Victor,
Speaker 1: why do I not kill his woman? Only a shrugging reply.
Speaker 1: The lady went on, you have immortal my poor face. Monsieur,
Speaker 1: my husband insults you. In return, the Vicomte folded his
Speaker 1: arms across his chest. It is a certain, victor that
Speaker 1: she still lives. One night, monsieur, my husband locked me
Speaker 1: in my room. He designed to make of me a prisoner. Why, ah,
Speaker 1: do not ask me why? When he had left me,
Speaker 1: I escaped not by the door which he had locked,
Speaker 1: but by a door he had not noticed. This door
Speaker 1: led into an apartment in which there was a stranger sleeping.
Speaker 1: I was but an instant in that department, but the
Speaker 1: instant in which it was necessary to paustrue. The sleeper
Speaker 1: never spoke to me. He never saw me with his
Speaker 1: walking eyes. But even in his sleep, my poor frightened
Speaker 1: face so flushed upon his brain that even in his
Speaker 1: waking hours, it haunted him, so that he made of
Speaker 1: it a picture, a picture of that vision of the night.
Speaker 1: The vicomte approached closer to his friend. He addressed him
Speaker 1: in a sort of confidential but still distinctly ordered side Victor,
Speaker 1: is it possible that this is true? I beg my
Speaker 1: friend that of me, whould belosk nothing, monsieur. This morning
Speaker 1: I was at your academy. I saw my own countenance
Speaker 1: looking at me from the walls. For the first time,
Speaker 1: I learned that my poor, frightened woman's face had repaired
Speaker 1: to a sleeping stranger in the vision of the night. Oh, monsieur, monsieur.
Speaker 1: The lady covered her face with her hands. It would
Speaker 1: perhaps be rush to say that she cried, but at
Speaker 1: least she seemed to cry, and if it was only seeming,
Speaker 1: she did it very well. Victor again inquired the vicomte
Speaker 1: of his friend. Is it possible that this is true? Monsieur?
Speaker 1: Brigny wagged his finger in the Vicomte's face. De morie
Speaker 1: ig now becomes a questions of rats. The vicomte laid
Speaker 1: his hand on his companion's arm. One instant tvictor still
Speaker 1: one instant more. The lady uncovered her eyes, which actually
Speaker 1: worth parking with tears continued to address the artist. Monsieur,
Speaker 1: I will not speak to you of my love for
Speaker 1: my husband, my Philip. I will not speak to you
Speaker 1: of how we have been parted for a year, a
Speaker 1: whole long year, mon dieu, monsieur, mon dieu. I will
Speaker 1: not speak to you of how every instant of that
Speaker 1: long long year I have thought of him, Of how
Speaker 1: I have yearned for him, of how I have longed
Speaker 1: for one touch of his hand, one verse from his lips,
Speaker 1: one glance from his eyes. No, monsieur, I will not
Speaker 1: speak to you of all these things, and for one
Speaker 1: reason that with me all things are finished. I go,
Speaker 1: never to return again. My faith you have made immortal.
Speaker 1: The rest of me will perish. For the woman whose
Speaker 1: heart is broken. The remains but one place, the grave.
Speaker 1: It is to that place I go. The lady had
Speaker 1: become as tragic as her husband, even more so in
Speaker 1: her way. She moved across room with the air of
Speaker 1: a tragedy. Queen Parisian the Vicomte was visibly affected, and
Speaker 1: he fastened a convulsive clutch upon Monsieur, bering his arm. Victor,
Speaker 1: tell me what shall I do? Advice in me? Oh,
Speaker 1: my friend, this is a critical moment in my life.
Speaker 1: It is impossible that I should let her go. Antjnette,
Speaker 1: the vicomte advanced just in time between the lady and
Speaker 1: the door. Monsieur, I entrait of you, this last boon
Speaker 1: to let me go. You have insulted me in the
Speaker 1: presence of a stranger for me. Therefore nothing else remains.
Speaker 1: You have inquired if you should kill me. No, Philip,
Speaker 1: you need not kill me. It is myself I will
Speaker 1: kill Antjoonnette. I am no longer Antoinette. I am the
Speaker 1: woman whose happiness you have destroyed. It is only when
Speaker 1: I am dead that you will learn what is written
Speaker 1: on my heart for you, Antjoonnette. The strong man's voice faltered, Antoinette,
Speaker 1: and I never tend to be giving. There was a
Speaker 1: moment's pause. Then the lady held out both her hands. Philip,
Speaker 1: my heart, my soul, Thou treasure of my life, Thou
Speaker 1: stor on my existence? Is it possible that the cloud
Speaker 1: should have interposed itself between the thy path and mine.
Speaker 1: He took her in his arms. He pressed her to
Speaker 1: his breast. Monsieur Brigny turned away from his attitude. It
Speaker 1: almost seemed as if the soldier the man of ramrods
Speaker 1: who in bayonets wiped away a tear. Philip, take care,
Speaker 1: or you will range my hat, and Jeunette, my beautiful
Speaker 1: my own Philip, do you not think you should apologize?
Speaker 1: Take care, my friend, or you certainly will arrange my
Speaker 1: hat to the stranger who has made demand told the
Speaker 1: face of the woman who loved you better than her life,
Speaker 1: my friend, take care, who has made her repairl canvas
Speaker 1: so much more beautiful than she is in life. No, Antoinette,
Speaker 1: that I will not have. It is impossible beauty such
Speaker 1: as yours is not to be rendered by a painter's brache.
Speaker 1: If that be so, all the more reason why we
Speaker 1: should be grateful to mister Lovell for endeavoring the impossible.
Speaker 1: The lady peeped at mister Lovell with the quaintest malice
Speaker 1: in her eyes. Certainly, Antournette, there is something in what
Speaker 1: you say. And after all, it is a charming painting,
Speaker 1: I say, Victor, when I saw it, there can be
Speaker 1: no doubt. As a painting it is charming. Did I
Speaker 1: not say so? Monsieur Burigny inclined his head with his handkerchief.
Speaker 1: The vicomte smoothed his mustache. He advanced towards mister Lovell. Monsieur,
Speaker 1: a Frenchman, a true Frenchman, seldom errs. On those rare
Speaker 1: occasions in which he errs, he is always willing, under
Speaker 1: proper conditions, to confess his error. Monsieur, I perceive that
Speaker 1: I have done you an injustice. For the injustice which
Speaker 1: I have done you, I desire to apologize. Mister Lovell smiled.
Speaker 1: He held out his hand, My dear fellow, there's nothing
Speaker 1: for which you need apologize. The Vicomte grasped the artist's
Speaker 1: hand in both of his. My dear friend, he cried.
Speaker 1: Philip whispered, the lady into her husband's air. Do you
Speaker 1: not think that you would like mister Lovell and his
Speaker 1: friend to favor us with their company at luncheon? The
Speaker 1: Vicomte seemed to think you would. They lunched together all
Speaker 1: the five why not? End of chapter two of A
Speaker 1: Vision of the Night recording by Christine g in a
Speaker 1: Slow Norway the twenty first of January two thousand and twelve,