Characters Discussed
Christiane Andermatt
Christiane Andermatt (kree-STYAHN ahn-dehr-MAHT), a young married woman who, while she is in the country taking some baths to cure her childlessness, meets Paul Brétigny, a friend of her brother, and has a love affair with him. At first, she will not listen to his supplications, but after a time she submits and has a baby girl by him. She becomes jealous when she discovers that, while she is pregnant, her lover has fallen in love with another woman. When her baby is born, she will have nothing to do with the child. Later, however, the baby attracts her; she becomes absorbed in it and is totally indifferent to her former lover.
Paul Brétigny
Paul Brétigny (pohl bray-teen-YEE), Christiane’s lover, who meets her when he goes to the country to recover from an unhappy love affair. He feels sorry for and falls in love with Charlotte Oriol, who has been rejected by Christiane’s brother, Gontran de Ravenel.
William Andermatt
William Andermatt, Christiane’s husband, a financier who decides to buy some land from a peasant and build baths to utilize the spring water, which supposedly has medicinal properties. Andermatt engages in many machinations in order to obtain the land and promote the baths.
Father Oriol
Father Oriol (ohr-
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