Chapter 17

New consultations. The treachery of Bouge and Nicolas.

I returned the next morning to the garden, and to my usual position. Nicolas and Bouge joined me in conversation. Several of the garden came to chat,  asking how I was, expressing their good wishes for my recovery. I told them that I was improved, but needed more time for the remedy to work. The doctors eventually went to their patients, and I stayed another three quarters of an hour.

I thanked the owner for his kindness, and then went to Nicolas, who I found with Bouge. I asked Mr. Bouge if I should continue my exercises, and he said that they needed to be done for a while, and I would only continue to improve my position. One of them talked about having  a circle of magnetized ladies at his house, the other that he had also magnetized a number of them himself, and this physical application had produced the greatest effects. [1]

Nicolas looked at me, then turned to Bouge and laughed, “I want to make him dance with the bear, or with the great bear.” Bouge was surprised, and asked why. “I’d like to, because it would amuse him.” [2]

They continued joking about the physical effect of magnetism, which I didn’t know enough about to take part.  I took my leave, and went to visit some old friends, who were always happy to see me. They asked about my health, and how the magnetic exercises the doctors had prescribed were going. Likely they were more interested in the two doctors than anything else.  I said that I was getting better and better, but in truth, there was no change, I felt more or less the same.

[1] This makes more sense if you substitute “hypnotized” for “magnetized,” the two may be bragging. But this entire passage (53-55)  has been challenging, any help appreciated. 

[2] Something in this is entirely lost:

“J’ai envie de le faire danser avec l’ourse ou avec la grande ourse. M. Bouge fut surpris de cette proposition et lui en demanda le motif. Je le veux bien, répondit le docteur, c’est qu’il faut l’amuser. “ 

This seems to translate as something like “I’d like to make him dance with the bear or the big bear. Mr. Bouge was surprised by this proposal and asked him why. I’d like to,“ replied the doctor, ”it’s because I want to amuse him.” This could be Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, it seems unlikely that it would literally be a bear, but I can’t even guess at this paragraph. Perhaps it’s an idiomatic expression. Perhaps M.B. is somewhat insane and made this up, which absolutely happens and always baffles me when it does. I truly don’t know. I believe it’s meant to sound strange and sinister to M.B. though, since the chapter’s theme is betrayal.