(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.
Copyright 1997 Vicki Kondelik.
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