gone.
Immediately, no longer able to control herself, Maria Theresia burst into tears in Mesmer’s arms.
“I hate them all! You can’t let them examine me. I won’t let them touch me!”
Mesmer stroked her hair sadly.
“I promise they won’t do a thing to you. But you cannot avoid answering their questions. We’ll prepare for them. You’ll pass their tests with flying colors!”
She held on to him.
“How will I play the piano?”
Mesmer looked at her tenderly.
“It is just a question of time.”
“But the Empress seems very eager to hear me play. And the Empress is not to be kept waiting.”
Mesmer held her against him.
“We’ll invent a contagious disease for you. No one will dare come see you ... Except for me.”
His burst of laughter managed to reassure her. But he was worried. Joseph Anton was ill-disposed toward him. Mesmer detected a certain jealousy that would undermine the sympathy Paradis had shown him until now. He feared that the father’s feelings might make him turn a blind eye to reason. From now on, Mesmer’s career would depend on the performance of his famous patient.
Chapter 17
T HE TRAINING TO WHICH M ESMER SUBJECTED HER WAS equal to that of a professional athlete. He watched over the quality of her sleep and regulated the rest for her eyes. He prevented her from playing the piano so that she would not be overtaken by melancholy. He selected various objects, the names of which she knew and which she could easily identify, to place in the large drawing room where he planned to invite his colleagues. He had her memorize the names of certain colors and match them to corresponding words. He made sure that the same colors figured significantly in the room, in the hue of a curtain, a book, a bouquet of flowers, or a brooch pinned to her dress. He also made sure to position the curtains so the drawing room would not be too bright, for daylight sometimes gave her headaches. He walked with her in the garden to make her complexion hearty. He was in a state of constant tension as he awaited, day after day, his colleagues’ arrival.
These preparations justified the time he devoted to Mademoiselle Paradis. Madame Mesmer had decided to spend the winter with relatives in London, so he and his patient no longer had to hide from anyone except the staff—though Anna was nobody’s fool.
Maria Theresia was less anxious. Mesmer’s daily presence was magical, stimulating. Perfectly self-assured for the first time ever, she felt only contempt for her future visitors. She was ready to receive them and to submit to their examinations and interrogations.
Her only fear was no longer being able to play the piano. The dread was such that for the time being she preferred not to go near a keyboard. “Afterwards,” she said. “We’ll see afterwards.” This “afterwards” comprised everything that she preferred not to think about: the piano, her parents, her absolute refusal to live with them again, her terror of no longer being able to live with Mesmer. Afterwards was the future, which she did not trust at all. The present fulfilled her. For the first time in her life, she had found her place in the world.
Chapter 18
T HE FIRST PERSON TO COME TO EVALUATE M ARIA Theresia’s progress was a Court doctor, Herman de Ost. Mesmer, who considered Ost a friend, was enormously relieved. They had an amicable relationship. Professor de Ost had always encouraged Mesmer to continue his research for a new kind of medicine.
Ost spent two hours with Maria Theresia. He was charmed by her enthusiasm and admired her ability to distinguish between objects. He left convinced of her progress.
“Although I cannot say that her vision is excellent, I am certain that she is no longer blind and recommend wholeheartedly that she continue being treated by Professor Mesmer.”
Such was the wording of his report, the optimism of which was not well received by Professor Barth, the famous oculist specializing in cataract
Immediately, no longer able to control herself, Maria Theresia burst into tears in Mesmer’s arms.
“I hate them all! You can’t let them examine me. I won’t let them touch me!”
Mesmer stroked her hair sadly.
“I promise they won’t do a thing to you. But you cannot avoid answering their questions. We’ll prepare for them. You’ll pass their tests with flying colors!”
She held on to him.
“How will I play the piano?”
Mesmer looked at her tenderly.
“It is just a question of time.”
“But the Empress seems very eager to hear me play. And the Empress is not to be kept waiting.”
Mesmer held her against him.
“We’ll invent a contagious disease for you. No one will dare come see you ... Except for me.”
His burst of laughter managed to reassure her. But he was worried. Joseph Anton was ill-disposed toward him. Mesmer detected a certain jealousy that would undermine the sympathy Paradis had shown him until now. He feared that the father’s feelings might make him turn a blind eye to reason. From now on, Mesmer’s career would depend on the performance of his famous patient.
Chapter 17
T HE TRAINING TO WHICH M ESMER SUBJECTED HER WAS equal to that of a professional athlete. He watched over the quality of her sleep and regulated the rest for her eyes. He prevented her from playing the piano so that she would not be overtaken by melancholy. He selected various objects, the names of which she knew and which she could easily identify, to place in the large drawing room where he planned to invite his colleagues. He had her memorize the names of certain colors and match them to corresponding words. He made sure that the same colors figured significantly in the room, in the hue of a curtain, a book, a bouquet of flowers, or a brooch pinned to her dress. He also made sure to position the curtains so the drawing room would not be too bright, for daylight sometimes gave her headaches. He walked with her in the garden to make her complexion hearty. He was in a state of constant tension as he awaited, day after day, his colleagues’ arrival.
These preparations justified the time he devoted to Mademoiselle Paradis. Madame Mesmer had decided to spend the winter with relatives in London, so he and his patient no longer had to hide from anyone except the staff—though Anna was nobody’s fool.
Maria Theresia was less anxious. Mesmer’s daily presence was magical, stimulating. Perfectly self-assured for the first time ever, she felt only contempt for her future visitors. She was ready to receive them and to submit to their examinations and interrogations.
Her only fear was no longer being able to play the piano. The dread was such that for the time being she preferred not to go near a keyboard. “Afterwards,” she said. “We’ll see afterwards.” This “afterwards” comprised everything that she preferred not to think about: the piano, her parents, her absolute refusal to live with them again, her terror of no longer being able to live with Mesmer. Afterwards was the future, which she did not trust at all. The present fulfilled her. For the first time in her life, she had found her place in the world.
Chapter 18
T HE FIRST PERSON TO COME TO EVALUATE M ARIA Theresia’s progress was a Court doctor, Herman de Ost. Mesmer, who considered Ost a friend, was enormously relieved. They had an amicable relationship. Professor de Ost had always encouraged Mesmer to continue his research for a new kind of medicine.
Ost spent two hours with Maria Theresia. He was charmed by her enthusiasm and admired her ability to distinguish between objects. He left convinced of her progress.
“Although I cannot say that her vision is excellent, I am certain that she is no longer blind and recommend wholeheartedly that she continue being treated by Professor Mesmer.”
Such was the wording of his report, the optimism of which was not well received by Professor Barth, the famous oculist specializing in cataract
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