Eve, distracted, sprang to her lover’s arms, and kissed him tenderly, as she answered through her tears:
“Do as you would do if you were alone; I will work to earn the money.”
In spite of the most impassioned kiss ever given and taken by betrothed lovers, David left Eve overcome with trouble, and went out to Lucien.
“Do not worry yourself,” he said; “you shall have your two thousand francs.”
“Go in to see Postel,” said Mme. Chardon, “for you must both give your signatures to the bill.”
When Lucien and David came back again unexpectedly, they found Eve and her mother on their knees in prayer. The women felt sure that Lucien’s return would bring the realization of many hopes; but at the moment they could only feel how much they were losing in the parting, and the happiness to come seemed too dearly bought by an absence that broke up their life together, and would fill the coming days with innumerable fears for Lucien.
“If you could ever forget this sight,” David said in Lucien’s ear, “you would be the basest of men.”
David, no doubt, thought that these brave words were needed; Mme. de Bargeton’s influence seemed to him less to be feared than his friend’s unlucky instability of character, Lucien was so easily led for good or evil. Eve soon packed Lucien’s clothes; the Fernando Cortez of literature carried but little baggage. He was wearing his best overcoat, his best waistcoat, and one of the two fine shirts. The whole of his linen, the celebrated coat, and his manuscript made up so small a package that to hide it from Mme. de Bargeton, David proposed to send it by coach to a paper merchant with whom he had dealings, and wrote and advised him to that effect, and asked him to keep the parcel until Lucien sent for it.
In spite of Mme. de Bargeton’s precautions, Chatelet found out that she was leaving Angouleme; and with a view to discovering whether she was traveling alone or with Lucien, he sent his man to Ruffec with instructions to watch every carriage that changed horses at that stage.
“If she is taking her poet with her,” thought he, “I have her now.”
Lucien set out before daybreak the next morning. David went with him. David had hired a cabriolet, pretending that he was going to Marsac on business, a little piece of deception which seemed probable under the circumstances. The two friends went to Marsac, and spent part of the day with the old “bear.” As evening came on they set out again, and in the beginning of the dawn they waited in the road, on the further side of Mansle, for Mme. de Bargeton. When the seventy-year old traveling carriage, which he had many a time seen in the coach-house, appeared in sight, Lucien felt more deeply moved than he had ever been in his life before; he sprang into David’s arms.
“God grant that this may be for your good!” said David, and he climbed into the shabby cabriolet and drove away with a feeling of dread clutching at his heart; he had terrible presentiments of the fate awaiting Lucien in Paris.
ADDENDUM
Note: Two Poets is part one of a trilogy. The second part is A Distinguished Provincial at Paris and details the further adventures of Lucien. Part three is titled Eve and David and continues their story. In other addendum references parts one and three are combined under the title of Lost Illusions.
The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy.
Bargeton, Madame de (see Chatelet, Baronne du)
Cerizet
Eve and David
A Man of Business
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
The Middle Classes
Chardon, Madame (nee Rubempre)
Eve and David
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
Chatelet, Sixte, Baron du
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
The Thirteen
Chatelet, Marie-Louise-Anais de Negrepelisse, Baronne du
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
The Government Clerks
Cointet, Boniface
Eve and David
The Firm of Nucingen
The Member for Arcis
Cointet, Jean
Eve and David
Courtois
Eve and David
Courtois, Madame
Eve and David
Desplein
The Atheist’s Mass
Cousin Pons
The Thirteen
The Government Clerks
Pierrette
A Bachelor’s Establishment
The Seamy Side of History
Modeste Mignon
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
Honorine
Gentil
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
Grozier, Abbe
The Commission in Lunacy
Hautoy, Francis du
Eve and David
Maucombe, Comte de
Letters of Two Brides
Montriveau, General Marquis Armand de
The Thirteen
Father Goriot
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
Another Study of Woman
Pierrette
The Member for Arcis
Negrepelisse, De
The Commission in Lunacy
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
Petit-Claud
Eve and David
Pimentel, Marquis and Marquise de
Eve and David
Postel
Eve and David
Prieur, Madame
Eve and David
Rastignac, Baron and Baronne de (Eugene’s parents)
Father Goriot
Rastignac, Laure-Rose and Agathe de
Father Goriot
The Member for Arcis
Rubempre, Lucien-Chardon de
Eve and David
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
The Government Clerks
Ursule Mirouet
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
Sechard, Jerome-Nicolas
Eve and David
Sechard, David
Eve and David
A Distinguished Provincial At Paris
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
Sechard, Madame David
Eve and David
A Distinguished Provincial At Paris
Scenes from a Courtesan’s Life
Senonches, Jacques de
Eve and David
Senonches, Madame Jacques de
Eve and David
Stanhope, Lady Esther
The Lily of the Valley