What was Mireille doing between 1794 and 1798?

(NOTE: page numbers refer to the hardcover edition)

There are four years (actually a little more than four years) where we don't see Mireille. After we see her in England in January 1794 (p. 427-443), we don't see her again until she's in Russia in October 1798 (p. 504). I wonder why there is such a big gap; it almost makes me think that there was something in the 1200-page manuscript about what Mireille was doing in those years, but that it got left out of the final version of The Eight. I have no way of knowing this, though. So, what was Mireille doing in that time? There are a few hints, but we have to guess the rest. Here are my own ideas.

The first question to ask is: where was Mireille during those years? There are several possibilities: England, Algeria, Russia, and France. She could have spent some time in each of these places during those four years. It seems to me that she spent quite a bit of time in England because she got to know Blake rather well; she needed his permission in order to see Newton's papers at Cambridge (p. 541). Also, in November 1796, the abbess knows that Mireille is alive, because "the letter of credit she'd sent via Charlotte Corday had been drawn upon not once, but many times--on the bank in London." (p. 470). The abbess wants Zubov, who is going into exile, to communicate with Mireille through that bank in London. So it seems that Mireille is still in England in November 1796.

We don't know, however, if she stayed in England continuously between January 1794 and November 1796, without going anywhere else. My opinion is that she didn't; I think she went back to the desert in Algeria at least once during that time. She certainly got to know that part of the desert very, very well. Also, Shahin was with her for all of this time; as we know, he had a family in the desert, and we would think he would want to see his family again at least once in those four years. Of course, he might have gone back by himself, but this is unlikely; he felt that he needed to protect Mireille and, especially, her son, so I don't think he would have left them. Did Mireille go back to France at all during those years? It's possible, especially since she would be in less danger after Robespierre's execution in July 1794. I do not think she went back to David's house, though; David had been a supporter of Marat and Robespierre. My own opinion is that David turned against Mireille after she killed Marat, but I could be wrong. Certainly, we do not know of a time when Mireille goes back to David's house after she kills Marat. She probably did go back to France at some time, though; it was certainly on the way from England to Russia.

When did Mireille leave for Russia? We don't know, but on p. 506 we find out that, when Mireille finds her in 1798, the abbess had been in prison for two years: "Two years of which Mireille had spent every hour, every minute, trying to discover her location." This means that Mireille started looking for the abbess as soon as Zubov gave her the message, late in 1796. How long did it take to get from England to Russia in 1798? I don't know, but it seems like it would take a long time. (Can anyone help me out here? I would appreciate it.) Anyway, my guess is that Mireille spent most of 1797 and 1798 on the way to Russia and, after she got to Russia, trying to find out where the abbess was.

How did Mireille meet Alexander of Russia? She had met him before October 1798, when we see her in Russia, since he's hiding Mireille, her son, and Shahin in a hut in the forest (p. 504). Probably, Zubov gave her a letter of introduction to Alexander when Zubov met her in England. I still wish we knew more about how Mireille met Alexander, though.

My last question is: what else did Mireille do during those years? I'm sure that she and Shahin taught her son many things; Shahin taught him several languages, including Arabic and Kabyle, and Mireille told him the whole story of the Montglane Service. It was probably during this time that Mireille began to realize that her son had magic powers and could see into the future. Did Mireille begin to read Newton's papers when she was in England between 1794 and 1796? It's possible; it's not clear exactly when she started reading Newton's papers. I also think she saw Wordsworth again during that time; Blake suggests this to Wordsworth: "But somehow I think we'll hear from her again." (p. 442). Did Mireille learn Russian on the way from England to Russia? There was no need to, since everyone she talked to in Russia spoke French; she and Alexander speak French to each other (p. 505). She does learn it at some point, since by the time she's 200 years old she speaks perfect Russian. Mireille seems to be good at languages; when she's in England, she speaks very good English, and I'm sure that Shahin taught her Arabic and Kabyle. My guess is that she learned Russian relatively quickly, too, and she certainly had a good opportunity to learn it on the way to Russia.

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Copyright 1997 Vicki Kondelik.