The Ghost of Monsieur Scarron

Twelve

163 Twelve the rain continued all that night, and all the next day, and all the day after that. the city was purified as it had not been in months. Pentecost dawned fair on a refreshed world, and on Pentecost it was announced in the churches that on the very day and hour of the descent of the shrine to the cathedral a great victory had been awarded the King’s army in Catalonia. in profound gratitude to God, the King requested the archbishop of Paris to have a Te Deum sung on June the ninth in the cathedral. on that day the King would present to the cathedral the sixteen Spanish banners which were being sent to him from Catalonia by the Duc de noailles. on the evening of that day there would be feux de joie throughout the city and dancing in the streets. By the afternoon of the ninth Paul was nearly desperate in his need to speak to Marianne alone. what had begun for him as a game, a test of skill and ingenuity, had become with that kiss in the rain a passion from which he suffered. he found no consolation in the company of the girl from the Pont neuf. what he felt for Marianne eclipsed the memory of what he had felt for his master’s wife in auxerre, and yet, as Marianne avoided him, and invoked, at such times as it was necessary for them to be alone together, the full authority of her position as mistress of the shop, he was reminded of the 164 Janet Lewis woman at auxerre, and the bitterness of that rejection was added to his new bitterness. Because Marianne had responded to his kiss he made her responsible for his suffering. he felt that he deserved an accounting , but he could not get her to himself long enough to place his accusation. She took shelter from him in the presence of her husband. She had run from him, that evening in the rain; she had run from knowledge of herself. But she was no green girl. he had given her time to regain her courage. She should now let him approach her. She should admit her passion honestly; and if she felt herself too good to accept his love, she should at least stand still and hear his reproaches. For several days he devised speeches by which he might bring her to terms. then he decided to give her what she was giving him, silence and the back of her hand. he could renounce her. She was not the most attractive woman he had ever seen. he had intended, and he still intended, to keep out of trouble. She had asked for that kiss, standing there with her hair uncovered, her bodice wet through and clinging to her breasts, smiling like a wild girl. But the betrayal at auxerre worked in him like a poison, until he began to feel unsure of the thing he was most sure of. he must touch her once more to reassure himself, and then he could turn his back on her. he was never once concerned that she might speak to Jean against him. on wednesday evening, while Jean was still in the bindery, Paul made a pretext to enter the kitchen, and, approaching Marianne before she could escape, said quickly: “you know where i live?” “i know the name of the street.” he made an impatient gesture with his hand, as if to say that was not enough. 165 T H E G H O S T O F M O N S I E U R S C A R R O N “i will wait for you tonight in the Place de Grève. i will wait all evening.” it had been a day like Pentecost, the air light and pure, the sunlight brilliant. white clouds had sailed across the city, and at sunset grey ones floated, edged with gold in a pale gold sky. the air was soft. heat exhaled from the stones of the city as from a healthy animal body. Paul patrolled the Place de Grève, from one end to the other. he did not know by what street she would arrive, if she came. he made allowance for the time it would take her to give Jean his supper, and then made a further allowance for her hesitation, for accident...