A Just Man

Chapter 9 - The Brother As Depicted By the Sister

In order to furnish an idea of the private establishment of the Bishop of D——, and of the manner in which those two sainted women subordinated their actions, their thoughts, their feminine instincts even, which are easily alarmed, to the habits and purposes of the Bishop, without his even taking the trouble of speaking in order to explain them, we cannot do better than transcribe in this place a letter from Mademoiselle Baptistine to Madame the Vicomtess de Boischevron, the friend of her childhood. This letter is in our possession.

D——, Dec. 16, 18—.

MY GOOD MADAM: Not a day passes without our speaking of you. It is our

established custom; but there is another reason besides. Just imagine,

while washing and dusting the ceilings and walls, Madam Magloire has

made some discoveries; now our two chambers hung with antique paper

whitewashed over, would not discredit a chateau in the style of yours.

Madam Magloire has pulled off all the paper. There were things beneath.

My drawing-room, which contains no furniture, and which we use for

spreading out the linen after washing, is fifteen feet in height,

eighteen square, with a ceiling which was formerly painted and gilded,

and with beams, as in yours. This was covered with a cloth while this

was the hospital. And the woodwork was of the era of our grandmothers.

But my room is the one you ought to see. Madam Magloire has discovered,

under at least ten thicknesses of paper pasted on top, some paintings,

which without being good are very tolerable. The subject is Telemachus

being knighted by Minerva in some gardens, the name of which escapes

me. In short, where the Roman ladies repaired on one single night. What

shall I say to you? I have Romans, and Roman ladies [here occurs an

illegible word], and the whole train. Madam Magloire has cleaned it all

off; this summer she is going to have some small injuries repaired, and

the whole revarnished, and my chamber will be a regular museum. She has

also found in a corner of the attic two wooden pier-tables of ancient

fashion. They asked us two crowns of six francs each to regild them, but

it is much better to give the money to the poor; and they are very ugly

besides, and I should much prefer a round table of mahogany.

I am always very happy. My brother is so good. He gives all he has to

the poor and sick. We are very much cramped. The country is trying in

the winter, and we really must do something for those who are in need.

We are almost comfortably lighted and warmed. You see that these are

great treats.

My brother has ways of his own. When he talks, he says that a bishop

ought to be so. Just imagine! the door of our house is never fastened.