juana-第3节

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contradict　his　apparent　coldness；　he　could　not　refrain；　at　a　moment

when　Perez　turned　his　head　to　expectorate；　from　casting　a　rapid　glance

at　the　young　girl；　whose　sparkling　eyes　met　his。　Then；　with　that

science　of　vision　which　gives　to　a　libertine；　as　it　does　to　a

sculptor；　the　fatal　power　of　disrobing；　if　we　may　so　express　it；　a

woman；　and　divining　her　shape　by　inductions　both　rapid　and　sagacious；

he　beheld　one　of　those　masterpieces　of　Nature　whose　creation　appears

to　demand　as　its　right　all　the　happiness　of　love。　Here　was　a　fair

young　face；　on　which　the　sun　of　Spain　had　cast　faint　tones　of　bistre

which　added　to　its　expression　of　seraphic　calmness　a　passionate　pride；

like　a　flash　of　light　infused　beneath　that　diaphanous　complexion；

due；　perhaps；　to　the　Moorish　blood　which　vivified　and　colored　it。　Her

hair；　raised　to　the　top　of　her　head；　fell　thence　with　black

reflections　round　the　delicate　transparent　ears　and　defined　the

outlines　of　a　blue…veined　throat。　These　luxuriant　locks　brought　into

strong　relief　the　dazzling　eyes　and　the　scarlet　lips　of　a　well…arched

mouth。　The　bodice　of　the　country　set　off　the　lines　of　a　figure　that

swayed　as　easily　as　a　branch　of　willow。　She　was　not　the　Virgin　of

Italy；　but　the　Virgin　of　Spain；　of　Murillo；　the　only　artist　daring

enough　to　have　painted　the　Mother　of　God　intoxicated　with　the　joy　of

conceiving　the　Christ；the　glowing　imagination　of　the　boldest　and

also　the　warmest　of　painters。



In　this　young　girl　three　things　were　united；　a　single　one　of　which

would　have　sufficed　for　the　glory　of　a　woman：　the　purity　of　the　pearl

in　the　depths　of　ocean；　the　sublime　exaltation　of　the　Spanish　Saint

Teresa；　and　a　passion　of　love　which　was　ignorant　of　itself。　The

presence　of　such　a　woman　has　the　virtue　of　a　talisman。　Montefiore　no

longer　felt　worn　and　jaded。　That　young　girl　brought　back　his　youthful

freshness。



But；　though　the　apparition　was　delightful；　it　did　not　last。　The　girl

was　taken　back　to　the　secret　chamber；　where　the　servant…woman　carried

to　her　openly　both　light　and　food。



〃You　do　right　to　hide　her；〃　said　Montefiore　in　Italian。　〃I　will　keep

your　secret。　The　devil！　we　have　generals　in　our　army　who　are　capable

of　abducting　her。〃



Montefiore's　infatuation　went　so　far　as　to　suggest　to　him　the　idea　of

marrying　her。　He　accordingly　asked　her　history；　and　Perez　very

willingly　told　him　the　circumstances　under　which　she　had　become　his

ward。　The　prudent　Spaniard　was　led　to　make　this　confidence　because　he

had　heard　of　Montefiore　in　Italy；　and　knowing　his　reputation　was

desirous　to　let　him　see　how　strong　were　the　barriers　which　protected

the　young　girl　from　the　possibility　of　seduction。　Though　the　good…man

was　gifted　with　a　certain　patriarchal　eloquence；　in　keeping　with　his

simple　life　and　customs；　his　tale　will　be　improved　by　abridgment。



At　the　period　when　the　French　Revolution　changed　the　manners　and

morals　of　every　country　which　served　as　the　scene　of　its　wars；　a

street　prostitute　came　to　Tarragona；　driven　from　Venice　at　the　time　of

its　fall。　The　life　of　this　woman　had　been　a　tissue　of　romantic

adventures　and　strange　vicissitudes。　To　her；　oftener　than　to　any　other

woman　of　her　class；　it　had　happened；　thanks　to　the　caprice　of　great

lords　struck　with　her　extraordinary　beauty；　to　be　literally　gorged

with　gold　and　jewels　and　all　the　delights　of　excessive　wealth；

flowers；　carriages；　pages；　maids；　palaces；　pictures；　journeys　（like

those　of　Catherine　II。）；　in　short；　the　life　of　a　queen；　despotic　in

her　caprices　and　obeyed；　often　beyond　her　own　imaginings。　Then；

without　herself；　or　any　one；　chemist；　physician；　or　man　of　science；

being　able　to　discover　how　her　gold　evaporated；　she　would　find　herself

back　in　the　streets；　poor；　denuded　of　everything；　preserving　nothing

but　her　all…powerful　beauty；　yet　living　on　without　thought　or　care　of

the　past；　the　present；　or　the　future。　Cast；　in　her　poverty；　into　the

hands　of　some　poor　gambling　officer；　she　attached　herself　to　him　as　a

dog　to　its　master；　sharing　the　discomforts　of　the　military　life；　which

indeed　she　comforted；　as　content　under　the　roof　of　a　garret　as　beneath

the　silken　hangings　of　opulence。　Italian　and　Spanish　both；　she

fulfilled　very　scrupulously　the　duties　of　religion；　and　more　than　once

she　had　said　to　love：



〃Return　to…morrow；　to…day　I　belong　to　God。〃



But　this　slime　permeated　with　gold　and　perfumes；　this　careless

indifference　to　all　things；　these　unbridled　passions；　these　religious

beliefs　cast　into　that　heart　like　diamonds　into　mire；　this　life　begun；

and　ended；　in　a　hospital；　these　gambling　chances　transferred　to　the

soul；　to　the　very　existence；in　short；　this　great　alchemy；　for　which

vice　lit　the　fire　beneath　the　crucible　in　which　fortunes　were　melted

up　and　the　gold　of　ancestors　and　the　honor　of　great　names　evaporated；

proceeded　from　a　CAUSE；　a　particular　heredity；　faithfully　transmitted

from　mother　to　daughter　since　the　middle　ages。　The　name　of　this　woman

was　La　Marana。　In　her　family；　existing　solely　in　the　female　line；　the

idea；　person；　name　and　power　of　a　father　had　been　completely　unknown

since　the　thirteenth　century。　The　name　Marana　was　to　her　what　the

designation　of　Stuart　is　to　the　celebrated　royal　race　of　Scotland；　a

name　of　distinction　substituted　for　the　patronymic　name　by　the

constant　heredity　of　the　same　office　devolving　on　the　family。



Formerly；　in　France；　Spain；　and　Italy；　when　those　three　countries　had；

in　the　fourteenth　and　fifteenth　centuries；　mutual　interests　which

united　and　disunited　them　by　perpetual　warfare；　the　name　Marana　served

to　express　in　its　general　sense；　a　prostitute。　In　those　days　women　of

that　sort　had　a　certain　rank　in　the　world　of　which　nothing　in　our　day

can　give　an　idea。　Ninon　de　l'Enclos　and　Marian　Delorme　have　alone

played；　in　France；　the　role　of　the　Imperias；　Catalinas；　and　Maranas

who；　in　preceding　centuries；　gathered　around　them　the　cassock；　gown；

and　sword。　An　Imperia　built　I　forget　which　church　in　Rome　in　a　frenzy

of　repentance；　as　Rhodope　built；　in　earlier　times；　a　pyramid　in　Egypt。

The　name　Marana；　inflicted　at　first　as　a　disgrace　upon　the　singular

family　with　which　we　are　now　concerned；　had　ended　by　becoming　its

veritable　name　and　by　ennobling　its　vice　by　incontestable　antiquity。



One　day；　a　day　of　opulence　or　of　penury　I　know　not　which；　for　this

event　was　a　secret　between　herself　and　God；　but　assuredly　it　was　in　a

moment　of　repentance　and　melancholy；　this　Marana　of　the　nineteenth

century　stood　with　her　feet　in　the　slime　and　her　head　raised　to

heaven。　She　cursed　the　blood　in　her　veins；　she　cursed　herself；　she

trembled　lest　she　should　have　a　daughter；　and　she　swore；　as　such　women

swear；　on　the　honor　and　with　the　will　of　the　galleysthe　firmest

will；　the　most　scrupulous　honor　that　there　is　on　earthshe　swore；

before　an　altar；　and　believing　in　that　altar；　to　make　her　daughter　a

virtuous　creature；　a　saint；　and　thus　to　gain；　after　that　long　line　of

lost　women；　criminals　in　love；　an　angel　in　heaven　for　them　all。



The　vow　once　made；　the　blood　of　the　Maranas　spoke；　the　courtesan

returned　to　her　reckless　life；　a　thought　the　more　within　her　heart。　At

last　she　loved；　with　the　violent　love　of　such　women；　as　Henrietta

Wilson　loved　Lord　Ponsonby；　as　Mademoiselle　Dupuis　loved　Bolingbroke；

as　the　Marchesa　Pescara　loved　her　husbandbut　no；　she　did　not　love；

she　adored　one　of　those　fair　men；　half　women；　to　whom　she　gave　the

virtues　which　she　had　not；　striving　to　keep　for　herself　all　that　there

was　of　vice　between　them。　It　was　from　that　weak　man；　that　senseless

marriage　unblessed　by　God　or　man　which　happiness　is　thought　to

justify；　but　which　no　happiness　absolves；　and　for　which　men　blush　at

last；　that　she　had　a　daughter；　a　daughter　to　save；　a　daughter　for　whom

to　desire　a　noble　life　and　the　chastity　she　had　not。　Henceforth；　happy

or　not　happy；　opulent　or　beggared；　she　had　in　her　heart　a　pure；

untainted　sentiment；　the　highest　of　all　human　feelings　because　the

most　disinterested。　Love　has　its　egotism；　but　motherhood　has　none。　La

Marana　was　a　mother　like　none　other；　for；　in　her　total；　her　eternal

shipwreck；　motherhood　might　still　redeem　her。　To　accomplish　sacredly

through　life　the　task　of　sending　a　pure　soul　to　heaven；　was　not　that　a

better　thing　than　a　tardy　repentance？　was　it　not；　in　truth；　the　only

spotless　prayer　which　she　could　lift　to　God？



So；　when　this　daughter；　when　her　Marie…Juana…Pepita　（she　would　fain

have　given　her　all　the　saints　in　the　calendar　as　guardians）；　when　this

dear　little　creature　was　granted　to　her；　she　became　possessed　of　so

high　an　idea　of　the　dignity　of　motherhood　that　she　entreated　vice　to

grant　her　a　respite。　She　made　herself　virtuous　and　lived　in　solitude。

No　more　fetes；　no　more　orgies；　no　more　love。　All　joys；　all　fortunes

were　centred　now　in　the　cradle　of　her　child。　The　tones　of　that　infant

voice　made　an　oasis　for　her　soul　in　the　burning　sands　of　her

existence。　That　sentiment　could　not