A Woman's Life Page #27

"A Woman's Life" (French: "Une vie") by Guy de Maupassant tells the poignant story of Jeanne, a young noblewoman in the 19th century, as she navigates the complexities of love, marriage, and societal expectations. Spanning her life from a romanticized youth to a disillusioned adulthood, the novel explores themes of gender, class, and the harsh realities faced by women. Through Jeanne's experiences, Maupassant critiques the constraints imposed by society and highlights the emotional turmoil that often accompanies personal choices. The narrative is both a reflection on the individual's struggle for autonomy and a subtle commentary on the limitations placed on women of the era.

								

her memory was entirely gone.

"See, she is conscious," said the stout man.

The baroness began to cry, and the big man said:

"Come, come, madame le baronne; I assure you there is no longer any
danger, but you must not talk to her; just let her sleep."

It seemed to Jeanne that she lay for a long time in a doze, which became
a heavy sleep if she tried to think of anything. She had a vague idea
that the past contained something dreadful, and she was content to lie
still without trying to recall anything to her memory. But one day, when
she opened her eyes, she saw Julien standing beside the bed, and the
curtain which hid everything from her was suddenly drawn aside, and she
remembered what had happened.

She threw back the clothes and sprang out of bed to escape from her
husband; but as soon as her feet touched the floor she fell to the
ground, for she was too weak to stand. Julien hastened to her
assistance, but when he attempted to raise her, she shrieked and rolled
from side to side to avoid the contact of his hands. The door opened,
and Aunt Lison and the Widow Dentu hurried in, closely followed by the
baron and his wife, the latter gasping for breath.

They put Jeanne to bed again, and she closed her eyes and pretended to
be asleep that she might think undisturbed. Her mother and aunt busied
themselves around her, saying from time to time:

"Do you know us now, Jeanne, dear?"

She pretended not to hear them, and made no answer; and in the evening
they went away, leaving her to the care of the nurse. She could not
sleep all that night, for she was painfully trying to connect the
incidents she could remember, one with the other; but there seemed to be
gaps in her memory which she could not bridge over. Little by little,
however, all the facts came back to her, and then she tried to decide
what she had better do. She must have been very ill, or her mother and
Aunt Lison and the baron would not have been sent for; but what had
Julien said? Did her parents know everything? And where was Rosalie?

The only thing she could do was to go back to Rouen with her father and
mother; they could all live there together as they used to do, and it
would be just the same as if she had not been married.

The next day she noticed and listened to all that went on around her,
but she did not let anyone see that she understood everything and had
recovered her full senses. Towards evening, when no one but the baroness
was in her room, Jeanne whispered softly:

"Mother, dear!"

She was surprised to hear how changed her own voice was, but the
baroness took her hands, exclaiming:

"My child! my dear little Jeanne! Do you know me, my pet?"

"Yes, mother. But you mustn't cry; I want to talk to you seriously. Did
Julien tell you why I ran out into the snow?"

"Yes, my darling. You have had a very dangerous fever."

"That was not the reason, mamma; I had the fever afterwards. Hasn't he
told you why I tried to run away, and what was the cause of the fever?"

"No, dear."

"It was because I found Rosalie in his bed."

The baroness thought she was still delirious, and tried to soothe her.

"There, there, my darling; lie down and try to go to sleep."

But Jeanne would not be quieted.

"I am not talking nonsense now, mamma dear, though I dare say I have
been lately," she said. "I felt very ill one night, and I got up and
went to Julien's room; there I saw Rosalie lying beside him. My grief
nearly drove me mad, and I ran out into the snow, meaning to throw
myself over the cliff."

"Yes, darling, you have been ill; very ill indeed," answered the
baroness.

"It wasn't that, mamma. I found Rosalie in Julien's bed, and I will not
stay with him any longer. You shall take me back to Rouen with you."

The doctor had told the baroness to let Jeanne have her own way in
everything, so she answered:

"Very well, my pet."

Jeanne began to lose patience.

"I see you don't believe me," she said pettishly. "Go and find papa;
perhaps he'll manage to understand that I am speaking the truth."

The baroness rose slowly to her feet, dragged herself out of the room
with the aid of two sticks, and came back in a few minutes with the
baron. They sat down by the bedside, and Jeanne began to speak in her
weak voice. She spoke quite coherently, and she told them all about
Julien's odd ways, his harshness, his avarice, and, lastly, his
infidelity.

The baron could see that her mind was not wandering, but he hardly knew
what to say or think. He affectionately took her hand, like he used to
do when she was a child and he told her fairy tales to send her to
sleep.

"Listen, my dear," he said. "We must not do anything rashly. Don't let
us say anything till we have thought it well over. Will you promise me
to try and bear with your husband until we have decided what is best to
be done?"

"Very well," she answered; "but I will not stay here after I get well."

Then she added, in a whisper: "Where is Rosalie now?"

"You shall not see her any more," replied the baron.

But she persisted: "Where is she? I want to know."

He owned that she was still in the house, but he declared she should go
at once.

Directly he left Jeanne's room, his heart full of pity for his child and
indignation against her husband, the baron went to find Julien, and said
to him sternly:

"Monsieur, I have come to ask for an explanation of your behavior to my
daughter. You have not only been false to her, but you have deceived her
with your servant, which makes your conduct doubly infamous."

Julien swore he was innocent of such a thing, and called heaven to
witness his denial. What proof was there? Jeanne was just recovering
from brain fever, and of course her thoughts were still confused. She
had rushed out in the snow one night at the beginning of her illness, in
a fit of delirium, and how could her statement be believed when, on the
very night that she said she had surprised her maid in her husband's
bed, she was dashing over the house nearly naked, and quite unconscious
of what she was doing!

Julien got very angry, and threatened the baron with an action if he did
not withdraw his accusation; and the baron, confused by this indignant
denial, began to make excuses and to beg his son-in-law's pardon; but
Julien refused to take his outstretched hand.

Jeanne did not seem vexed when she heard what her husband had said.

"He is telling a lie, papa," she said, quietly; "but we will force him
to own the truth."

For two days she lay silent, turning over all sorts of things in her
mind; on the third morning she asked for Rosalie. The baron refused to
let the maid go up and told Jeanne that she had left. But Jeanne
insisted on seeing her, and said:

"Send someone to fetch her, then."
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