"Yes--why not?" said the smith, speaking to himself; "why may not all this be the work of the same hand? The superior of a convent may have a private understanding with an abbe--but, then, for what end?"
"Explain yourself, Agricola," said the girl."And then,--where did you get your wound? Tell me that, I conjure you."
"It is of my wound that I am just going to speak; for in truth, the more I think of it, the more this adventure of the young lady seems to connect itself with other facts."
"How so?"
"You must know that, for the last few days, singular things are passing in the neighborhood of our factory.First, as we are in Lent, an abbe from Paris (a tall, fine-looking man, they say) has come to preach in the little village of Villiers, which is only a quarter of a league from our works.The abbe has found occasion to slander and attack M.Hardy in his sermons."
"How is that?"
"M.Hardy has printed certain rules with regard to our work, and the rights and benefits he grants us.These rules are followed by various maxims as noble as they are simple; with precepts of brotherly love such as all the world can understand, extracted from different philosophies and different religions.But because M.Hardy has chosen what is best in all religions, the abbe concludes that M.Hardy has no religion at all, and he has therefore not only attacked him for this in the pulpit, but has denounced our factory as a centre of perdition and damnable corruption, because, on Sundays, instead of going to listen to his sermons, or to drink at a tavern, our comrades, with their wives and children, pass their time in cultivating their little gardens, in reading, singing in chorus, or dancing together in the common dwelling-
house.The abbe has even gone so far as to say, that the neighborhood of such an assemblage of atheists, as he calls us, might draw down the anger of Heaven upon the country--that the hovering of Cholera was much talked of, and that very possibly, thanks to our impious presence, the plague might fall upon all our neighborhood."
"But to tell such things to ignorant people," exclaimed Mother Bunch, "is likely to excite them to fatal actions."
"That is just what the abbe wants."
"What do you tell me?"
"The people of the environs, still more excited, no doubt by other agitators, show themselves hostile to the workmen of our factory.Their hatred, or at least their envy, has been turned to account.Seeing us live all together, well lodged, well warmed, and comfortably clad, active, gay, and laborious, their jealousy has been embittered by the sermons, and by the secret manoeuvres of some depraved characters, who are known to be bad workmen, in the employment of M.Tripeaud, our opposition.All this excitement is beginning to bear fruit; there have been already two or three fights between us and our neighbors.It was in one of these skirmishes that I received a blow with a stone on my head."
"Is it not serious, Agricola?--are you quite sure?" said Mother Bunch, anxiously.
"It is nothing at all, I tell you.But the enemies of M.Hardy have not confined themselves to preaching.They have brought into play something far more dangerous."
"What is that?"
"I, and nearly all my comrades, did our part in the three Revolutionary days of July; but we are not eager at present, for good reasons, to take up arms again.That is not everybody's opinion; well, we do not blame others, but we have our own ideas; and Father Simon, who is as brave as his son, and as good a patriot as any one, approves and directs us.Now, for some days past, we find all about the factory, in the garden, in the courts, printed papers to this effect: `You are selfish cowards; because chance has given you a good master, you remain indifferent to the misfortunes of your brothers, and to the means of freeing them; material comforts have enervated your hearts.'"
"Dear me, Agricola! what frightful perseverance in wickedness!"
"Yes! and unfortunately these devices have their effect on some of our younger mates.As the appeal was, after all, to proud and generous sentiments, it has had some influence.Already, seeds of division have shown themselves in our workshops, where, before, all were united as brothers.A secret agitation now reigns there.Cold suspicion takes the place, with some, of our accustomed cordiality.Now, if I tell you that I am nearly sure these printed papers, thrown over the walls of our factory, to raise these little sparks of discord amongst us, have been scattered about by the emissaries of this same preaching abbe--would it not seem from all this, taken in conjunction with what happened this morning to the young lady, that M.Hardy has of late numerous enemies?"
"Like you, I think it very fearful, Agricola," said the girl; "and it is so serious, that M.Hardy alone can take a proper decision on the subject.As for what happened this morning to the young lady, it appears to me, that, immediately on M.Hardy's return, you should ask for an interview with him, and, however delicate such a communication may be, tell him all that passed."
"There is the difficulty.Shall I not seem as if wishing to pry into his secrets?"
"If the young lady had not been followed, I should have shared your scruples.But she was watched, and is evidently in danger.It is therefore, in my opinion, your duty to warn M.Hardy.Suppose (which is not improbable) that the lady is married; would it not be better, for a thousand reasons, that M.Hardy should know all?"
"You are right, my good sister; I will follow your advice.M.Hardy shall know everything.But now that we have spoken of others, I have to speak of myself--yes, of myself--for it concerns a matter, on which may depend the happiness of my whole life," added the smith, in a tone of seriousness, which struck his hearer."You know," proceeded Agricola, after a moment's silence, "that, from my childhood, I have never concealed anything from you--that I have told you everything--absolutely everything?"
