two poets-第8节

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　manners　and　customs　of　cities　divided　into　the　upper　and　lower　town；　wherefore　it　is　necessary　to　enter　here　upon　some　topographical　details；　and　this　so　much　the　more　if　the　reader　is　to　comprehend　the　position　of　one　of　the　principal　characters　in　the　storyMme。　de　Bargeton。

The　old　city　of　Angouleme　is　perched　aloft　on　a　crag　like　a　sugar…　loaf；　overlooking　the　plain　where　the　Charente　winds　away　through　the　meadows。　The　crag　is　an　outlying　spur　on　the　Perigord　side　of　a　long；　low　ridge　of　hill；　which　terminates　abruptly　just　above　the　road　from　Paris　to　Bordeaux；　so　that　the　Rock　of　Angouleme　is　a　sort　of　promontory　marking　out　the　line　of　three　picturesque　valleys。　The　ramparts　and　great　gateways　and　ruined　fortress　on　the　summit　of　the　crag　still　remain　to　bear　witness　to　the　importance　of　this　stronghold　during　the　Religious　Wars；　when　Angouleme　was　a　military　position　coveted　alike　of　Catholics　and　Calvinists；　but　its　old…world　strength　is　a　source　of　weakness　in　modern　days；　Angouleme　could　not　spread　down　to　the　Charente；　and　shut　in　between　its　ramparts　and　the　steep　sides　of　the　crag；　the　old　town　is　condemned　to　stagnation　of　the　most　fatal　kind。

The　Government　made　an　attempt　about　this　very　time　to　extend　the　town　towards　Perigord；　building　a　Prefecture；　a　Naval　School；　and　barracks　along　the　hillside；　and　opening　up　roads。　But　private　enterprise　had　been　beforehand　elsewhere。　For　some　time　past　the　suburb　of　L'Houmeau　had　sprung　up；　a　mushroom　growth　at　the　foot　of　the　crag　and　along　the　river…side；　where　the　direct　road　runs　from　Paris　to　Bordeaux。　Everybody　has　heard　of　the　great　paper…mills　of　Angouleme；　established　perforce　three　hundred　years　ago　on　the　Charente　and　its　branch　streams；　where　there　was　a　sufficient　fall　of　water。　The　largest　State　factory　of　marine　ordnance　in　France　was　established　at　Ruelle；　some　six　miles　away。　Carriers；　wheelwrights；　posthouses；　and　inns；　every　agency　for　public　conveyance；　every　industry　that　lives　by　road　or　river；　was　crowded　together　in　Lower　Angouleme；　to　avoid　the　difficulty　of　the　ascent　of　the　hill。　Naturally；　too；　tanneries；　laundries；　and　all　such　waterside　trades　stood　within　reach　of　the　Charente；　and　along　the　banks　of　the　river　lay　the　stores　of　brandy　and　great　warehouses　full　of　the　water…borne　raw　material；　all　the　carrying　trade　of　the　Charente；　in　short；　had　lined　the　quays　with　buildings。

So　the　Faubourg　of　L'Houmeau　grew　into　a　busy　and　prosperous　city；　a　second　Angouleme　rivaling　the　upper　town；　the　residence　of　the　powers　that　be；　the　lords　spiritual　and　temporal　of　Angouleme；　though　L'Houmeau；　with　all　its　business　and　increasing　greatness；　was　still　a　mere　appendage　of　the　city　above。　The　noblesse　and　officialdom　dwelt　on　the　crag；　trade　and　wealth　remained　below。　No　love　was　lost　between　these　two　sections　of　the　community　all　the　world　over；　and　in　Angouleme　it　would　have　been　hard　to　say　which　of　the　two　camps　detested　the　other　the　more　cordially。　Under　the　Empire　the　machinery　worked　fairly　smoothly；　but　the　Restoration　wrought　both　sides　to　the　highest　pitch　of　exasperation。

Nearly　every　house　in　the　upper　town　of　Angouleme　is　inhabited　by　noble；　or　at　any　rate　by　old　burgher；　families；　who　live　independently　on　their　incomesa　sort　of　autochthonous　nation　who　suffer　no　aliens　to　come　among　them。　Possibly；　after　two　hundred　years　of　unbroken　residence；　and　it　may　be　an　intermarriage　or　two　with　one　of　the　primordial　houses；　a　family　from　some　neighboring　district　may　be　adopted；　but　in　the　eyes　of　the　aboriginal　race　they　are　still　newcomers　of　yesterday。

Prefects；　receivers…general；　and　various　administrations　that　have　come　and　gone　during　the　last　forty　years；　have　tried　to　tame　the　ancient　families　perched　aloft　like　wary　ravens　on　their　crag；　the　said　families　were　always　willing　to　accept　invitations　to　dinners　and　dances；　but　as　to　admitting　the　strangers　to　their　own　houses；　they　were　inexorable。　Ready　to　scoff　and　disparage；　jealous　and　niggardly；　marrying　only　among　themselves；　the　families　formed　a　serried　phalanx　to　keep　out　intruders。　Of　modern　luxury　they　had　no　notion；　and　as　for　sending　a　boy　to　Paris；　it　was　sending　him；　they　thought　to　certain　ruin。　Such　sagacity　will　give　a　sufficient　idea　of　the　old…world　manners　and　customs　of　this　society；　suffering　from　thick…headed　Royalism；　infected　with　bigotry　rather　than　zeal；　all　stagnating　together；　motionless　as　their　town　founded　upon　a　rock。　Yet　Angouleme　enjoyed　a　great　reputation　in　the　provinces　round　about　for　its　educational　advantages；　and　neighboring　towns　sent　their　daughters　to　its　boarding　schools　and　convents。

It　is　easy　to　imagine　the　influence　of　the　class　sentiment　which　held　Angouleme　aloof　from　L'Houmeau。　The　merchant　classes　are　rich；　the　noblesse　are　usually　poor。　Each　side　takes　its　revenge　in　scorn　of　the　other。　The　tradespeople　in　Angouleme　espouse　the　quarrel。　〃He　is　a　man　of　L'Houmeau！〃　a　shopkeeper　of　the　upper　town　will　tell　you；　speaking　of　a　merchant　in　the　lower　suburb；　throwing　an　accent　into　the　speech　which　no　words　can　describe。　When　the　Restoration　defined　the　position　of　the　French　noblesse；　holding　out　hopes　to　them　which　could　only　be　realized　by　a　complete　and　general　topsy…turvydom；　the　distance　between　Angouleme　and　L'Houmeau；　already　more　strongly　marked　than　the　distance　between　the　hill　and　plain；　was　widened　yet　further。　The　better　families；　all　devoted　as　one　man　to　the　Government；　grew　more　exclusive　here　than　in　any　other　part　of　France。　〃The　man　of　L'Houmeau〃　became　little　better　than　a　pariah。　Hence　the　deep；　smothered　hatred　which　broke　out　everywhere　with　such　ugly　unanimity　in　the　insurrection　of　1830　and　destroyed　the　elements　of　a　durable　social　system　in　France。　As　the　overweening　haughtiness　of　the　Court　nobles　detached　the　provincial　noblesse　from　the　throne；　so　did　these　last　alienate　the　bourgeoisie　from　the　royal　cause　by　behavior　that　galled　their　vanity　in　every　possible　way。

So　〃a　man　of　L'Houmeau；〃　a　druggist's　son；　in　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　house　was　nothing　less　than　a　little　revolution。　Who　was　responsible　for　it？　Lamartine　and　Victor　Hugo；　Casimir　Delavigne　and　Canalis；　Beranger　and　Chateaubriand。　Davrigny；　Benjamin　Constant　and　Lamennais；　Cousin　and　Michaud；all　the　old　and　young　illustrious　names　in　literature　in　short；　Liberals　and　Royalists；　alike　must　divide　the　blame　among　them。　Mme。　de　Bargeton　loved　art　and　letters；　eccentric　taste　on　her　part；　a　craze　deeply　deplored　in　Angouleme。　In　justice　to　the　lady；　it　is　necessary　to　give　a　sketch　of　the　previous　history　of　a　woman　born　to　shine；　and　left　by　unlucky　circumstances　in　the　shade；　a　woman　whose　influence　decided　Lucien's　career。

M。　de　Bargeton　was　the　great…grandson　of　an　alderman　of　Bordeaux　named　Mirault；　ennobled　under　Louis　XIII。　for　long　tenure　of　office。　His　son；　bearing　the　name　of　Mirault　de　Bargeton；　became　an　officer　in　the　household　troops　of　Louis　XIV。；　and　married　so　great　a　fortune　that　in　the　reign　of　Louis　XV。　his　son　dropped　the　Mirault　and　was　called　simply　M。　de　Bargeton。　This　M。　de　Bargeton；　the　alderman's　grandson；　lived　up　to　his　quality　so　strenuously　that　he　ran　through　the　family　property　and　checked　the　course　of　its　fortunes。　Two　of　his　brothers　indeed；　great…uncles　of　the　present　Bargeton；　went　into　business　again；　for　which　reason　you　will　find　the　name　of　Mirault　among　Bordeaux　merchants　at　this　day。　The　lands　of　Bargeton；　in　Angoumois　in　the　barony　of　Rochefoucauld；　being　entailed；　and　the　house　in　Angouleme；　called　the　Hotel　Bargeton；　likewise；　the　grandson　of　M。　de　Bargeton　the　Waster　came　in　for　these　hereditaments；　though　the　year　1789　deprived　him　of　all　seignorial　rights　save　to　the　rents　paid　by　his　tenants；　which　amounted　to　some　ten　thousand　francs　per　annum。　If　his　grandsire　had　but　walked　in　the　ways　of　his　illustrious　progenitors；　Bargeton　I。　and　Bargeton　II。；　Bargeton　V。　（who　may　be　dubbed　Bargeton　the　Mute　by　way　of　distinction）　should　by　rights　have　been　born　to　the　title　of　Marquis　of　Bargeton；　he　would　have　been　connected　with　some　great　family　or　other；　and　in　due　time　he　would　have　been　a　duke　and　a　peer　of　France；　like　many　another；　whereas；　in　1805；　he　thought　himself　uncommonly　lucky　when　he　married　Mlle。　Marie…Louise…Anais　de　Negrepelisse；　the　daughter　of　a　noble　long　relegated　to　the　obscurity　of　his　manor…house；　scion　though　he　was　of　the　younger　branch　of　one　of　the　oldest　families　in　the　south　of　France。　There　had　been　a　Negrepelisse　among　the　hostages　of　St。　Louis。　The　head　of　the　elder　branch；　however；　had　borne　the　illustrious　name　of　d'Espard　since　the　reign　of　Henri　Quatre；　when　the　Negrepelisse　of　that　day　married　an　heiress　of　the　d'Espard　family。　As　for　M。　de　Negrepelisse；　the　younger　son　of　a　younger　son；　he　lived　upon　his　wife's　property；　a　small　estate　in　the　neighborhood　of　Barbezieux；　farming　the　land　to　admiration；　selling　his　corn　in　the　market　himself；　and　distilling　his　own　brandy；　laughing　at　those　who　ridiculed　him；　so　long　as　he　could　pile　up　silver　crowns；　and　now　and　again　round　out　his　estate　with　another　bit　of　land。

Circumstances　unusual　enough　in　out…of…the…way　places　in　the　country　had　inspired　Mme。　de　Bargeton　with　a　taste　for　music　and　reading。　During　t