Escal Vigor. Georges Eekhoud
soon as she had set eyes upon Henry de Kehlmark, she vowed in her heart to become mistress of Escal-Vigor.
Henry was a handsome cavalier, a bachelor, fabulously rich the report went, and as well-born as the King. Cost what it might he should marry this haughty female. Nothing easier than to make herself beloved by him. Had she not turned the heads of all the young villagers? The proudest would have yielded to any terms in order to win her. She would like, forsooth, to see if a man would refuse her, when once she was only willing to surrender herself to him!
Claudie already knew, through having caught sight of her in the park or on the shore, that the Count was accompanied by a young woman, his housekeeper, or rather his mistress. This illicit connection indeed had put the finishing touch to minister. Bomberg's holy wrath. But Claudie was not overmuch disturbed by the presence of this person. Kehlmark did not seem to make much of her. As a proof, the young lady had not even appeared at table. Claudie flattered herself she could get her dismissed and, if necessary, replace her until the marriage should take place; for she was confident enough of her power, to give herself up to Kehlmark and compel him afterwards to marry her. Besides, our Jordaenesque[1] female looked upon as only very insignificant that pale, weak, little, woman, whose person, lean and suggestive of anaemia, was devoid of all those robust corporal attractions that rustics prize so highly.
No, the Count of the Dike would not long hesitate between that mincing-mannered young lady and the superb Claudie, the most dazzling female in Smaragdis, aye, the most dazzling in all Kerlingalande.
During the dinner, she took the measure of the man, with the wanton looks and perspicacity of a Bacchante, while she estimated the furniture and the plate at the same time with the eye of an auctioneer, or of a village notary. The value of the estate had long been known to her, as to everybody else in the village. This large triangular vale, bounded on two sides by dikes, and on the third by an iron gate and wide ditches, represented, with the dependent farms and woods, almost a tenth of the entire island. And further, public rumour ascribed to Kehlmark possessions in Germany, in the Netherlands, and in Italy.
It was also reported that his grandmother, the dowager, had left him nearly three millions of florins invested in the funds. No more was necessary for Claudie to consider Kehlmark highly eligible as a husband. Perhaps, if he had not been rich and titled, she would have preferred him somewhat more stout-limbed and full-blooded. But she never tired of admiring his elegance, his aristocratic features, his ladylike hands, his fine ultramarine eyes, his silken moustache, and his carefully trimmed beard. Even what the Dykgrave sometimes showed of reserve or timidity in his character, of languor or melancholy, was by no means displeasing to the gross-minded woman. Not that she was subject to sentimentalism: nothing, on the contrary, was further from her extremely coarse character; but because Kehlmark's moments of reverie seemed to her to betray a weak nature, a passive disposition, she would rule all the more easily over his person and his property.
Yes, this noble personage should prove malleable and ductile to the last degree. How, otherwise, would he have submitted so long to the yoke of that makeshift of a "miss," whom the over-expeditious Claudie was already not far from regarding as an intruder? The reasoning which the sturdy wench indulged in was not entirely devoid of logic: "If he has allowed himself to be ensnared and dominated by that impertinent minx, how much more quickly would he be subjugated by a proper sort of woman?"
Henry's manners were not adapted to undeceive her. He displayed a feverish gaiety the whole of the time, the gaiety almost of a man too deeply preoccupied with his thoughts and seeking distraction; he tormented and excited his fair neighbour at the table with such persistence that she believed she had already attained her ends. This recklessness on Kehlmark's part went so far as to scandalise the few squires invited to these eccentric "love-feasts," but they concealed their feelings, and although laughing inwardly at this ridiculous gathering, which they had consented to attend only out of regard for the rank and fortune of the Dykgrave, they affected, in his presence, to consider the idea of this house-warming as supremely aesthetic, and loudly expressed their admiration. We leave it to be guessed in what terms they told the story of this unseemly masquerade to the minister and his wife, whose flock was made up of these over-grave and ultra-pedantic noblings together with a few bigoted ladies. One after the other they had their carriages called and slipped quietly away with their prudish wives and daughters. The company but enjoyed themselves all the better for their departure.
The Count, who drew and painted like a professional artist, amused himself over the coffee by making a rather smart and pretty sketch of Claudie, which he offered to her, after it had been passed round for the astonishment of the natives, who were more and more delighted with the frank manners of their young Dykgrave. Michel Govaertz, was particularly raised to the seventh heaven flattered by the Count's attentions to his favourite child. Each time Henry had raised his glass to hers, when drinking, nor did he cease to compliment her on her costume: "It becomes you admirably!" said he. "How much more natural you appear in such garments than that lady down there, who gets herself decked out at Paris!"
And, with a look, he pointed out a baroness dolly-vardened up and lavishly dressed out to the nines, seated at the other end of the table, and who, flanked by a couple of free-and-easy going sailors, had maintained, ever since the soup had been served, a disgusted pout and a haughty silence.
"Fie!" Claudie had replied, "you're not in earnest, Monsieur le Comte. It is well that you prescribed to us the costume of the country, otherwise I should have dressed myself up as much as our ladies of Upperzyde."
"I implore you," replied the Count, "beware of such tasteless finery; it would be committing an act of treason!"
And thereupon, he launched out into a panegyric of the national costumes, naively adapted to the particular circumstances of the country, according to differences of nationality and race.
"Dress," he declared, "completes the human type. Let us have our special style of clothing just as we have our special flora and fauna!" his picturesque words seeming to paint and pourtray beautiful human forms harmoniously draped.
At the height of his ethological lecture he perceived that the young peasant girl was indeed listening, but without at all understanding the meaning of his enthusiasm.
In order to divert her, he took upon himself to show her the various apartments of the newly restored château, chock-full of souvenirs and relics. Claudie took the Count's arm, and leading the way, he invited the other villagers to follow, file after file. Claudie's eyes, like two burning coals, devoured the gold of the frames, of the panellings, and of the candelabra, the feudal tapestries, the panoplies of rare arms, but remained unmoved by the art, the taste, the fine ordonnance of these luxurious accessories. Nude nobles, painted or sculptured, among others copies of the young men of Buonarotti surrounding, as with a frame the celebrated compositions on the ceiling of the Sixtine chapel,[2] only struck her on account of their absolute nakedness. Throwing her head backwards she would burst out into a bold, vulgar laugh, or else, covering her face, she pretended to be shocked, whilst her bosom meanwhile rose and swelled; and Kehlmark could feel her trembling and panting against his hips. Michael Govaertz followed in their steps with the lively but bewildered band of villagers. Some of the ignorant clowns made comments on the canvasses of masters, smacking their jaws at one another and, in front of the mythological nudities, indicated their choice with a wink of the eye and even other significant gestures.
Several times the Burgomaster turned round and recommended them to adopt more seemly behaviour.
As he returned from his vain endeavour to recall them to decency, he said: "Someone who is not pleased to see you among us, Count, is our minister, Dom Balthus Bomberg."
"Oh really now!" replied the Dykgrave. "How can I possibly offend him? I do not attend church, it is true, but I believe I know as much about the question of religion as he does, and as for real genuine virtue, I get along well with good men of all creeds. That reminds me, Dom Balthus declined my invitation to-day, giving me to understand that such promiscuous meetings were repugnant to his character. There's evangelicalism for you! He's a nice man to his parishioners! Isn't he?"
"Do you know he has already preached