The TrialThe country will remember this celebrated trial for a long time tocome. Interest in the accused reached fever pitch; this was because his crime was astonishing and yet not atrocious. Even if ithad been, the young man was so handsome! His great destiny abruptly cut short heightened the pity felt for him. Will he be condemned? the women would ask the men of their acquaintanceand one could see them grow pale as they awaited the reply.
SAINTE-BEUVEAt length the day dawned so dreaded by Madame de Renal andMathilde.
The strange appearance of the town increased their terror, and did notleave even Fouque's stout heart unmoved. The whole Province hadswarmed into Besancon to witness the trial of this romantic case.
For some days past there had not been a bed to be had in the inns. ThePresident of the Assize Court was assailed with requests for cards of admission; all the ladies of the town wished to be present at the trial;Julien's portrait was hawked through the streets, etc., etc.
Mathilde was keeping in reserve for this supreme moment a letterwritten throughout in the hand of the Lord Bishop of ——. This Prelate,who controlled the Church in France and appointed Bishops, deigned toask for the acquittal of Julien. On the eve of the trial, Mathilde took thisletter to the all-powerful Vicar-General.
At the close of the interview, as she was leaving the room in a flood oftears: 'I answer for the verdict of the jury,' M. de Frilair told her, emerging at length from his diplomatic reserve, and almost showing signs ofemotion himself. 'Among the twelve persons charged with the duty offinding whether your protege's crime is proven, and especially whetherthere was premeditation, I number six friends devoted to my welfare, and I have given them to understand that it rested with them to raise meto the episcopate. Baron de Valenod, whom I have made Mayor of Verrieres, has entire control over two of his subordinates, MM. de Moirod andde Cholin. To tell the truth, chance has given us, for dealing with this affair, two jurors who are extremely disaffected; but, although Ultra-Liberals, they loyally obey my orders on great occasions, and I have sent wordasking them to vote with M. Valenod. I learn that a sixth juror of the industrial class, an immensely rich and garrulous Liberal, is secretly hoping for a contract from the Ministry of War, and no doubt he would notwish to vex me. I have let him know that M. Valenod has my last word.'
'And who is this M. Valenod?' said Mathilde, anxiously.
'If you knew him, you would have no doubt of our success. He is abold speaker, impudent, coarse, a man made to be the leader of fools.
1814 raised him from penury, and I am going to make him a Prefect. Heis capable of thrashing the other jurors if they refuse to vote as hewishes.'
Mathilde was somewhat reassured.
There was another discussion in store for her that evening. In ordernot to prolong a painful scene, the outcome of which appeared to himcertain, Julien was determined not to open his mouth.
'My counsel will speak, that is quite sufficient,' he said to Mathilde. 'Asit is, I shall be all too long exposed as a spectacle to my enemies. Theseprovincials are shocked by the rapid advancement which I owe to you,and, believe me, there is not one of them that does not wish for my conviction, except that he will cry like a fool when I am led to the scaffold.'
'They wish to see you humiliated, it is only too true,' replied Mathilde,'but I do not believe that they are cruel. My presence in Besancon and thespectacle of my grief have interested all the women; your handsome facewill do the rest. If you say but one word before your judges, the wholecourt will be on your side,' etc., etc.
The following morning at nine o'clock, when Julien came down fromhis prison to enter the great hall of the Law Courts, it was with the utmost difficulty that the gendarmes succeeded in clearing a passagethrough the immense crowd that packed the courtyard. Julien had sleptwell, he was quite calm, and felt no other sentiment than one of philosophical piety towards this crowd of envious persons who, withoutcruelty, were ready to applaud his sentence of death. He was quite surprised when, having been detained for more than a quarter of an houramong the crowd, he was obliged to admit that his presence was inspiring a tender pity in the assembly. He did not hear a single unpleasant remark. 'These provincials are less evil-minded than I supposed,' hesaid to himself.
On entering the court, he was struck by the elegance of the architecture. It was pure gothic, with a number of charming little pillars carvedin stone with the most perfect finish. He imagined himself in England.
But presently his whole attention was absorbed in twelve or fifteenpretty women who, seated opposite the dock, filled the three galleriesabove the bench and the jurybox. On turning round towards the publicseats, he saw that the circular gallery which overhung the well of thecourt was filled with women; most of them were young and seemed tohim extremely pretty; their eyes were bright and full of interest. In therest of the court, the crowd was enormous; people were struggling at thedoors, and the sentries were unable to preserve silence.
When all the eyes that were looking for Julien became aware of hispresence, on seeing him take his place on the slightly raised bench reserved for the prisoner, he was greeted with a murmur of astonishmentand tender interest.
One would have said that morning that he was not yet twenty; he wasdressed quite simply, but with a perfect grace; his hair and brow werecharming; Mathilde had insisted on presiding in person over his toilet.
His pallor was intense. As soon as he had taken his seat on the bench, heheard people say on all sides: 'Lord, how young he is! … ' 'But he is aboy.' 'He is far better looking than his portrait.'
'Prisoner,' said the gendarme seated on his right, 'do you see those sixladies who are on that balcony?' The gendarme pointed to a little gallerywhich jutted out above the amphitheatre in which the jury was placed.
'That is the Prefect's lady,' the gendarme continued; 'next to her, Madamela Marquise de M —— ; that one loves you dearly. I heard her speak tothe examining magistrate. Next to her is Madame Derville.'
'Madame Derville,' exclaimed Julien, and a vivid blush suffused hisbrow. 'When she leaves the court,' he thought, 'she will write to Madamede Renal.' He knew nothing of Madame de Renal's arrival at Besancon.
The witnesses were quickly heard. At the first words of the speech forthe prosecution made by the counsel for the prosecution, two of theladies seated on the little balcony burst into tears. 'Madame Derville isnot so easily moved,' thought Julien. He noticed, however, that she wasextremely flushed.
The counsel for the prosecution was labouring an emotional point inbad French about the barbarity of the crime that had been committed;Julien noticed that Madame Derville's neighbours showed signs ofstrong disapproval. Several of the jury, evidently friends of these ladies,spoke to them and seemed to reassure them. 'That can only be a goodsign,' thought Julien.
Until then he had felt himself penetrated by an unmixed contempt forall the men who were taking part in this trial. The insipid eloquence ofthe counsel for the prosecution increased this sense of disgust. Butgradually the sereneness of Julien's heart melted before the marks of interest of which he was plainly the object.
He was pleased with the firm expression of his counsel. 'No fine language,' he murmured to him as he stood up to speak.
'All the emphasis stolen from Bossuet, which has been displayedagainst you, has helped your case,' said the counsel. And indeed, he hadnot been speaking for five minutes before almost all the ladies had theirhandkerchiefs in their hands. The counsel, encouraged by this, addressed the jury in extremely strong language. Julien shuddered, he feltthat he was on the point of bursting into tears. 'Great God! What will myenemies say?'
He was about to yield to the emotion that was overpowering him,when, fortunately for himself, he caught an insolent glance from M.
Valenod.
'That wretch's eyes are ablaze,' he said to himself; 'what a triumph forthat vile nature! Had my crime led to this alone, I should be bound to abhor it. Heaven knows what he will say of me to Madame de Renal!'
This thought obliterated all the rest. Shortly afterwards, Julien was recalled to himself by sounds of approval from the public. His counsel hadjust concluded his speech. Julien remembered that it was the correctthing to shake hands with him. The time had passed quickly.
Refreshments were brought to counsel and prisoner. It was only thenthat Julien was struck by a curious circumstance: none of the women hadleft the court for dinner.
'Faith, I am dying of hunger,' said his counsel, 'and you?'
'I am also,' replied Julien.
'Look, there is the Prefect's lady getting her dinner, too,' his counselsaid to him, pointing to the little balcony. 'Cheer up, everything is goingwell.' The trial was resumed.
As the President was summing up, midnight struck. He was obliged topause; amid the silence of the universal anxiety, the echoing notes of theclock filled the court.
'Here begins the last day of my life,' thought Julien. Presently he felthimself inflamed by the idea of duty. He had kept his emotion in checkuntil then, and maintained his determination not to speak; but when thePresident of the Assizes asked him if he had anything to say, he rose. Hesaw in front of him the eyes of Madame Derville, which, in the lamp-light, seemed to shine with a strange brilliance. 'Can she be crying, byany chance,' he wondered.
'Gentlemen of the Jury,'My horror of the contempt which I believed that I could endure at themoment of my death, impels me to speak. Gentlemen, I have not thehonour to belong to your class, you see in me a peasant who has risen inrevolt against the lowliness of his station.
'I ask you for no mercy,' Julien went on, his voice growing stronger. 'Iam under no illusion; death is in store for me; it will be a just punishment. I have been guilty of attempting the life of the woman mostworthy of all respect, of all devotion. Madame de Renal had been like amother to me. My crime is atrocious, and it was premeditated. I have,therefore, deserved death, Gentlemen of the Jury. But, even were I lessguilty, I see before me men who, without pausing to consider what pitymay be due to my youth, will seek to punish in me and to discourageforever that class of young men who, born in an inferior station and in asense burdened with poverty, have the good fortune to secure a soundeducation, and the audacity to mingle with what the pride of rich peoplecalls society.
'That is my crime, Gentlemen, and it will be punished with all themore severity inasmuch as actually I am not being tried by my peers. Ido not see, anywhere among the jury, a peasant who has grown rich, butonly indignant bourgeois … '
For twenty minutes Julien continued to speak in this strain; he saideverything that was in his heart; the counsel for the prosecution, who aspired to the favour of the aristocracy, kept springing from his seat; but inspite of the somewhat abstract turn which Julien had given the debate,all the women were dissolved in tears. Madame Derville herself had herhandkerchief pressed to her eyes. Before concluding, Julien returned tothe question of premeditation, to his repentance, to the respect, the filial and unbounded adoration which, in happier times, he had felt for Madame de Renal … Madame Derville uttered a cry and fainted.
One o'clock struck as the jury retired to their waiting-room. None ofthe women had left their seats; several of the men had tears in their eyes.
The general conversation was at first most lively; but gradually, as thejury delayed their verdict, the feeling of weariness spread a calm overthe assembly. It was a solemn moment; the lamps burned more dimly.
Julien, who was dead tired, heard them discussing round him whetherthis delay augured well or ill. He noticed with pleasure that everyonewas on his side; the jury did not return, and still not a woman left thecourt.
Just as two o'clock had struck, a general stir was audible. The littledoor of the jury-room opened. M. le Baron de Valenod advanced with agrave, theatrical step, followed by the rest of the jury. He coughed, thendeclared that on his soul and conscience the unanimous opinion of thejury was that Julien Sorel was guilty of murder, and of murder with premeditation: this verdict inferred a sentence of death; it was pronounced amoment later. Julien looked at his watch, and remembered M. de Lavalette; it was a quarter past two. Today is Friday,' he thought.
'Yes, but this is a lucky day for Valenod, who is sentencing me … I amtoo closely guarded for Mathilde to be able to effect my escape, like Madame de Lavalette … And so, in three days, at this same hour, I shallknow what to think of the great hereafter.'
At that moment, he heard a cry and was recalled to the things of thisworld. The women round him were sobbing; he saw that every face wasturned towards a little gallery concealed by the capital of a gothic pilaster. He learned afterwards that Mathilde had been hidden there. Asthe cry was not repeated, everyone turned back to look at Julien, forwhom the gendarmes were trying to clear a passage through the crowd.
'Let us try not to give that rascal Valenod any food for laughter,'
thought Julien. 'With what a contrite and coaxing air he uttered the verdict that involved the death penalty! Whereas that poor president, eventhough he has been a judge for all these years, had tears in his eyes whenhe sentenced me. What a joy for Valenod to have his revenge for our oldrivalry for Madame de Renal! And so I shall never see her any more! It isall finished … A last farewell is impossible between us, I feel it … Howhappy I should have been to express to her all the horror I feel for mycrime!
'These words only: I feel that I am justly condemned.'