An Artifice

by Guy de Maupassant

　　

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The old doctor sat by the fireside, talking to his fair patient who waslying on the lounge. There was nothing much the matter with her, exceptthat she had one of those little feminine ailments from which prettywomen frequently suffer--slight anaemia, a nervous attack, etc."No, doctor," she said; "I shall never be able to understand a womandeceiving her husband. Even allowing that she does not love him, thatshe pays no heed to her vows and promises, how can she give herself toanother man? How can she conceal the intrigue from other people's eyes?How can it be possible to love amid lies and treason?"The doctor smiled, and replied: "It is perfectly easy, and I can assureyou that a woman does not think of all those little subtle details whenshe has made up her mind to go astray."As for dissimulation, all women have plenty of it on hand for suchoccasions, and the simplest of them are wonderful, and extricatethemselves from the greatest dilemmas in a remarkable manner."The young woman, however, seemed incredulous."No, doctor," she said; "one never thinks until after it has happened ofwhat one ought to have done in a critical situation, and women arecertainly more liable than men to lose their head on such occasions:"The doctor raised his hands. "After it has happened, you say! Now Iwill tell you something that happened to one of my female patients, whomI always considered an immaculate woman."It happened in a provincial town, and one night when I was asleep, inthat deep first sleep from which it is so difficult to rouse us, itseemed to me, in my dreams, as if the bells in the town were sounding afire alarm, and I woke up with a start. It was my own bell, which wasringing wildly, and as my footman did not seem to be answering the door,I, in turn, pulled the bell at the head of my bed, and soon I heard abanging, and steps in the silent house, and Jean came into my room, andhanded me a letter which said: 'Madame Lelievre begs Dr. Simeon to cometo her immediately.'"I thought for a few moments, and then I said to myself: 'A nervousattack, vapors; nonsense, I am too tired.' And so I replied: 'As Dr.Simeon is not at all well, he must beg Madame Lelievre to be kind enoughto call in his colleague, Monsieur Bonnet.' I put the note into anenvelope and went to sleep again, but about half an hour later the streetbell rang again, and Jean came to me and said: 'There is somebodydownstairs; I do not quite know whether it is a man or a woman, as theindividual is so wrapped up, but they wish to speak to you immediately.They say it is a matter of life and death for two people.' Whereupon Isat up in bed and told him to show the person in."A kind of black phantom appeared and raised her veil as soon as Jean hadleft the room. It was Madame Berthe Lelievre, quite a young woman, whohad been married for three years to a large a merchant in the town, whowas said to have married the prettiest girl in the neighborhood."She was terribly pale, her face was contracted as the faces of insanepeople are, occasionally, and her hands trembled violently. Twice shetried to speak without being able to utter a sound, but at last shestammered out: 'Come--quick--quick, doctor. Come--my--friend has justdied in my bedroom.' She stopped, half suffocated with emotion, and thenwent on: 'My husband will be coming home from the club very soon.'"I jumped out of bed without even considering that I was only in mynightshirt, and dressed myself in a few moments, and then I said: 'Didyou come a short time ago?' 'No,' she said, standing like a statuepetrified with horror. 'It was my servant--she knows.' And then, aftera short silence, she went on: 'I was there--by his side.' And sheuttered a sort of cry of horror, and after a fit of choking, which madeher gasp, she wept violently, and shook with spasmodic sobs for a minute:or two. Then her tears suddenly ceased, as if by an internal fire, andwith an air of tragic calmness, she said: 'Let us make haste.'"I was ready, but exclaimed: 'I quite forgot to order my carriage.''I have one,' she said; 'it is his, which was waiting for him!' Shewrapped herself up, so as to completely conceal her face, and we started."When she was by my side in the carriage she suddenly seized my hand, andcrushing it in her delicate fingers, she said, with a shaking voice, thatproceeded from a distracted heart: 'Oh! if you only knew, if you onlyknew what I am suffering! I loved him, I have loved him distractedly,like a madwoman, for the last six months.' 'Is anyone up in your house?'I asked. 'No, nobody except those, who knows everything.'"We stopped at the door, and evidently everybody was asleep. We went inwithout making any noise, by means of her latch-key, and walked upstairson tiptoe. The frightened servant was sitting on the top of the stairswith a lighted candle by her side, as she was afraid to remain with thedead man, and I went into the room, which was in great disorder. Wettowels, with which they had bathed the young man's temples, were lying onthe floor, by the side of a washbasin and a glass, while a strong smellof vinegar pervaded the room."The dead man's body was lying at full length in the middle of the room,and I went up to it, looked at it, and touched it. I opened the eyes andfelt the hands, and then, turning to the two women, who were shaking asif they were freezing, I said to them: 'Help me to lift him on to thebed.' When we had laid him gently on it, I listened to his heart and puta looking-glass to his lips, and then said: 'It is all over.' It was aterrible sight!"I looked at the man, and said: 'You ought to arrange his hair a little.'The girl went and brought her mistress' comb and brush, but as she wastrembling, and pulling out his long, matted hair in doing it, MadameLelievre took the comb out of her hand, and arranged his hair as if shewere caressing him. She parted it, brushed his beard, rolled hismustaches gently round her fingers, then, suddenly, letting go of hishair, she took the dead man's inert head in her hands and looked for along time in despair at the dead face, which no longer could smile ather, and then, throwing herself on him, she clasped him in her arms andkissed him ardently. Her kisses fell like blows on his closed mouth andeyes, his forehead and temples; and then, putting her lips to his ear, asif he could still hear her, and as if she were about to whisper somethingto him, she said several times, in a heartrending voice:'Good-by, my darling!'"Just then the clock struck twelve, and I started up. 'Twelve o'clock!'I exclaimed. 'That is the time when the club closes. Come, madame, wehave not a moment to lose!' She started up, and I said:'We must carry him into the drawing-room.' And when we had done this,I placed him on a sofa, and lit the chandeliers, and just then the frontdoor was opened and shut noisily. 'Rose, bring me the basin and thetowels, and make the room look tidy. Make haste, for Heaven's sake!Monsieur Lelievre is coming in.'"I heard his steps on the stairs, and then his hands feeling along thewalls. 'Come here, my dear fellow,' I said; 'we have had an accident.'"And the astonished husband appeared in the door with a cigar in hismouth, and said: 'What is the matter? What is the meaning of this?''My dear friend,' I said, going up to him, 'you find us in greatembarrassment. I had remained late, chatting with your wife and ourfriend, who had brought me in his carriage, when he suddenly fainted, andin spite of all we have done, he has remained unconscious for two hours.I did not like to call in strangers, and if you will now help medownstairs with him, I shall be able to attend to him better at his ownhouse.'"The husband, who was surprised, but quite unsuspicious, took off hishat, and then he took his rival, who would be quite inoffensive for thefuture, under the arms. I got between his two legs, as if I had been ahorse between the shafts, and we went downstairs, while his wife held alight for us. When we got outside I stood the body up, so as to deceivethe coachman, and said: 'Come, my friend; it is nothing; you feel betteralready I expect. Pluck up your courage, and make an effort. It willsoon be over.' But as I felt that he was slipping out of my hands, Igave him a slap on the shoulder, which sent him forward and made him fallinto the carriage, and then I got in after him. Monsieur Lelievre, whowas rather alarmed, said to me: 'Do you think it is anything serious?'To which I replied: 'No,' with a smile, as I looked at his wife, who hadput her arm into that of her husband, and was trying to see into thecarriage."I shook hands with them and told my coachman to start, and during thewhole drive the dead man kept falling against me. When we got to hishouse I said that he had become unconscious on the way home, and helpedto carry him upstairs, where I certified that he was dead, and actedanother comedy to his distracted family, and at last I got back to bed,not without swearing at lovers."The doctor ceased, though he was still smiling, and the young woman, whowas in a very nervous state, said: "Why have you told me that terriblestory?"He gave her a gallant bow, and replied:"So that I may offer you my services if they should be needed."

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