"It was then that Grandjean,
within whom an intense hatred of Marseilles was growing, had decided on
coming to Paris, to live there for good." The day after their arrival
Grandjean was seized with illness, and after eight days he died, leaving
his wife with one daughter, a young girl of ten. Helene, who was a woman
of singular beauty, had no friends in Paris except Abbe Jouve and his
half-brother M. Rambaud, but from them she received much kindness.
Her daughter Jeanne was far from strong, having inherited much of the
hereditary neurosis of her mother's family, along with a consumptive
tendency from that of her father. A sudden illness of the girl led to an
acquaintance with Doctor Deberle, and this ripened into love between
him and Helene, though considerations of duty kept them apart. Meantime,
Helene had discovered the beginnings of an intrigue between Madame
Deberle and M. Malignon, and in order to break it off was herself placed
in such a compromising position towards Doctor Deberle that he became
her lover. The discovery of the fact by Jeanne, whose jealous love of
her mother amounted to a mania, led to the child's illness and death,
and to her mother's bitter repentance.
Pages:
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374