Had he reflected on the mental condition of Marie-Gaston, he might have guessed the truth.As it was, he felt completely bewildered; but not committing the blunder of losing his time in useless conjectures, he went on without a moment's delay to Hanwell, which establishment is only about nine miles from London, pleasantly situated at the foot of a hill on the borders of Middlesex and Surrey.
After a long detention in the waiting-room, he was at last enabled to see his friend at a moment when Marie-Gaston's insanity, which for several days had been in the stages of mania, was yielding to the care of the doctor, and showed some symptoms of a probable recovery.As soon as Sallenauve was alone with the organist, he inquired the reason that led him to follow him; and he heard, with some emotion, the news of the intrigues which Maxime de Trailles had apparently organized against him.Returning to his original suspicions, he said to Jacques Bricheteau,--"Are you really sure that that person who declared himself my father was the Marquis de Sallenauve, and that I am truly his son?""Mother Marie-des-Anges and Achille Pigoult, by whom I was warned of this plot, have no more doubt than I have of the existence of the Marquis de Sallenauve; this gossip with which they threaten you has, in my judgment, but one dangerous aspect.I mean that by your absence you are giving a free field to your adversaries.""But," replied the deputy, "the Chamber will not condemn me without a hearing.I wrote to the president and asked for leave of absence, and I took the precaution to request de l'Estorade, who knows the reason of my absence, to be kind enough to guarantee me, should my absence be called in question.""I think you also wrote to Madame de l'Estorade, didn't you?""I wrote only to her," replied Sallenauve."I wanted to tell her about the great misfortune of our mutual friend, and, at the same time, Iasked her to explain to her husband the kind service I requested him to do for me.""If that is so," said Bricheteau, "you need not count for one moment on the l'Estorades.A knowledge of this trick which is being organized against you has reached their ears and affected their minds, I am very sure."He then related the reception he had met with from Madame de l'Estorade, and the uncivil remarks she had made about Sallenauve, from which he concluded that in the struggle about to take place no assistance could be relied on from that direction.
"I have every reason to be surprised," said Sallenauve, "after the warm assurances Madame de l'Estorade has given me of an unfailing good-will.However," he added, philosophically, "everything is possible in this world; and calumny has often undermined friendship.""You understand, therefore," said Bricheteau, "that it is all-important to start for Paris, without a moment's delay.Your stay here, all things considered, is only relatively necessary.""On the contrary," said Sallenauve, "the doctor considers that my presence here may be of the utmost utility.He has not yet let me see the patient, because he expects to produce some great result when I do see him.""That is problematical," returned Jacques Bricheteau; "whereas by staying here you are compromising your political future and your reputation in the most positive manner.Such a sacrifice no friendship has the right to demand of you.""Let us talk of it with the doctor," said Sallenauve, unable to deny the truth of what Bricheteau said.
On being questioned, the doctor replied that he had just seen symptoms in the patient which threatened another paroxysm.
"But," cried Sallenauve, eagerly, "you are not losing hope of a cure, are you, doctor?""Far from that.I have perfect faith in the ultimate termination of the case; but I see more delay in reaching it than at first Iexpected," replied the doctor.
"I have recently been elected to our Chamber of deputies," said Sallenauve, "and I ought to be in my seat at the opening of the session; in fact, my interests are seriously concerned, and my friend Monsieur Bricheteau has come over to fetch me.If therefore I can be sure that my presence here is not essential--""By all means go," said the doctor."It may be a long time before Icould allow you to see the patient; therefore you can leave without the slightest self-reproach.In fact, you can really do nothing here at present.Trust him to Lord Lewin and me; I assure you that I shall make his recovery, of which I have no doubt, a matter of personal pride and self-love."Sallenauve pressed the doctor's hand gratefully, and started for London without delay.Arriving there at five o'clock, the travellers were unable to leave before midnight; meantime their eyes were struck at every turn by those enormous posters which English puffism alone is able to produce, announcing the second appearance in Her Majesty's theatre of the Signora Luigia.The name alone was enough to attract the attention of both travellers; but the newspapers to which they had recourse for further information furnished, as is customary in England, so many circumstantial details about the prima donna that Sallenauve could no longer doubt the transformation of his late housekeeper into an operatic star of the first magnitude.
Going to the box-office, which he found closed, every seat having been sold before mid-day, Sallenauve considered himself lucky to obtain two seats from a speculator, at the enormous cost of five pounds apiece.
The opera was "La Pazza d'Amore" of Paesiello.When the curtain rose, Sallenauve, who had spent the last two weeks at Hanwell, among the insane, could all the more appreciate the remarkable dramatic talent his late housekeeper displayed in the part of Nina.Even Bricheteau, though annoyed at Sallenauve's determination to be present, was so carried away by the power of the singer that he said to his companion rather imprudently,--"Politics have no triumphs as that.Art alone is deity--""And Luigia is its prophet!" added Sallenauve.
