the muse of the department-第22节

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　　had　sworn　a　vow　never　to　injure　a
　　woman！〃

　　But　let　us　leave　the　robber　for　a
　　moment　to　his　meditations　and　go
　　up；　like　the　Duke；　to　the　rooms　in
　　the　palace。

〃Another　tailpiece；　a　Cupid　on　a　snail！　And　page　230　is　blank；〃　said
the　journalist。　〃Then　there　are　two　more　blank　pages　before　we　come　to
the　word　it　is　such　a　joy　to　write　when　one　is　unhappily　so　happy　as
to　be　a　novelist/Conclusion/！

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CONCLUSION

　　Never　had　the　Duchess　been　more
　　lovely；　she　came　from　her　bath
　　clothed　like　a　goddess；　and　on　seeing

　　234　　　　　　　　　　　　OLYMPIA

　　Adolphe　voluptuously　reclining　on
　　piles　of　cushions

　　〃You　are　beautiful；〃　said　she。

　　〃And　so　are　you；　Olympia！〃

　　〃And　you　still　love　me？〃

　　〃More　and　more；〃　said　he。

　　〃Ah；　none　but　a　Frenchman
　　knows　how　to　love！〃　cried　the
　　Duchess。　〃Do　you　love　me　well　to…
　　night？〃

　　〃Yes。〃

　　〃Then　come！〃

　　And　with　an　impulse　of　love　and
　　hatewhether　it　was　that　Cardinal
　　Borborigano　had　reminded　her　of
　　her　husband；　or　that　she　felt　un…
　　wonted　passion　to　display；　she
　　pressed　the　springs　and　held　out　her
　　arms。

〃That　is　all；〃　said　Lousteau；　〃for　the　foreman　has　torn　off　the　rest
in　wrapping　up　my　proofs。　But　it　is　enough　to　show　that　the　author　was
full　of　promise。〃

〃I　cannot　make　head　or　tail　of　it；〃　said　Gatien　Boirouge；　who　was　the
first　to　break　the　silence　of　the　party　from　Sancerre。

〃Nor　I；〃　replied　Monsieur　Gravier。

〃And　yet　it　is　a　novel　of　the　time　of　the　Empire；〃　said　Lousteau。

〃By　the　way　in　which　the　brigand　is　made　to　speak；〃　said　Monsieur
Gravier；　〃it　is　evident　that　the　author　knew　nothing　of　Italy。
Banditti　do　not　allow　themselves　such　graceful　conceits。〃

Madame　Gorju　came　up　to　Bianchon；　seeing　him　pensive；　and　with　a
glance　towards　her　daughter　Mademoiselle　Euphemie　Gorju；　the　owner　of
a　fairly　good　fortune〃What　a　rhodomontade！〃　said　she。　〃The
prescriptions　you　write　are　worth　more　than　all　that　rubbish。〃

The　Mayoress　had　elaborately　worked　up　this　speech；　which；　in　her
opinion；　showed　strong　judgment。

〃Well；　madame；　we　must　be　lenient；　we　have　but　twenty　pages　out　of　a
thousand；〃　said　Bianchon；　looking　at　Mademoiselle　Gorju；　whose　figure
threatened　terrible　things　after　the　birth　of　her　first　child。

〃Well；　Monsieur　de　Clagny；〃　said　Lousteau；　〃we　were　talking　yesterday
of　the　forms　of　revenge　invented　by　husbands。　What　do　you　say　to　those
invented　by　wives？〃

〃I　say；〃　replied　the　Public　Prosecutor；　〃that　the　romance　is　not　by　a
Councillor　of　State；　but　by　a　woman。　For　extravagant　inventions　the
imagination　of　women　far　outdoes　that　of　men；　witness　/Frankenstein/
by　Mrs。　Shelley；　/Leone　Leoni/　by　George　Sand；　the　works　of　Anne
Radcliffe；　and　the　/Nouveau　Promethee/　（New　Prometheus）　of　Camille　de
Maupin。〃

Dinah　looked　steadily　at　Monsieur　de　Clagny；　making　him　feel；　by　an
expression　that　gave　him　a　chill；　that　in　spite　of　the　illustrious
examples　he　had　quoted；　she　regarded　this　as　a　reflection　on　/Paquita
la　Sevillane/。

〃Pooh！〃　said　little　Baudraye；　〃the　Duke　of　Bracciano；　whom　his　wife
puts　into　a　cage；　and　to　whom　she　shows　herself　every　night　in　the
arms　of　her　lover；　will　kill　herand　do　you　call　that　revenge？Our
laws　and　our　society　are　far　more　cruel。〃

〃Why；　little　La　Baudraye　is　talking！〃　said　Monsieur　Boirouge　to　his
wife。

〃Why；　the　woman　is　left　to　live　on　a　small　allowance；　the　world　turns
its　back　on　her；　she　has　no　more　finery；　and　no　respect　paid　herthe
two　things　which；　in　my　opinion；　are　the　sum…total　of　woman；〃　said　the
little　old　man。

〃But　she　has　happiness！〃　said　Madame　de　la　Baudraye　sententiously。

〃No；〃　said　the　master　of　the　house；　lighting　his　candle　to　go　to　bed；
〃for　she　has　a　lover。〃

〃For　a　man　who　thinks　of　nothing　but　his　vine…stocks　and　poles；　he　has
some　spunk；〃　said　Lousteau。

〃Well；　he　must　have　something！〃　replied　Bianchon。

Madame　de　la　Baudraye；　the　only　person　who　could　hear　Bianchon's
remark；　laughed　so　knowingly；　and　at　the　same　time　so　bitterly；　that
the　physician　could　guess　the　mystery　of　this　woman's　life；　her
premature　wrinkles　had　been　puzzling　him　all　day。

But　Dinah　did　not　guess；　on　her　part；　the　ominous　prophecy　contained
for　her　in　her　husband's　little　speech；　which　her　kind　old　Abbe　Duret；
if　he　had　been　alive；　would　not　have　failed　to　elucidate。　Little　La
Baudraye　had　detected　in　Dinah's　eyes；　when　she　glanced　at　the
journalist　returning　the　ball　of　his　jests；　that　swift　and　luminous
flash　of　tenderness　which　gilds　the　gleam　of　a　woman's　eye　when
prudence　is　cast　to　the　winds；　and　she　is　fairly　carried　away。　Dinah
paid　no　more　heed　to　her　husband's　hint　to　her　to　observe　the
proprieties　than　Lousteau　had　done　to　Dinah's　significant　warnings　on
the　day　of　his　arrival。

Any　other　man　than　Bianchon　would　have　been　surprised　at　Lousteau's
immediate　success；　but　he　was　so　much　the　doctor；　that　he　was　not　even
nettled　at　Dinah's　marked　preference　for　the　newspaper…rather　than　the
prescription…writer！　In　fact；　Dinah；　herself　famous；　was　naturally
more　alive　to　wit　than　to　fame。　Love　generally　prefers　contrast　to
similitude。　Everything　was　against　the　physicianhis　frankness；　his
simplicity；　and　his　profession。　And　this　is　why：　Women　who　want　to
loveand　Dinah　wanted　to　love　as　much　as　to　be　lovedhave　an
instinctive　aversion　for　men　who　are　devoted　to　an　absorbing
occupation；　in　spite　of　superiority；　they　are　all　women　in　the　matter
of　encroachment。　Lousteau；　a　poet　and　journalist；　and　a　libertine　with
a　veneer　of　misanthropy；　had　that　tinsel　of　the　intellect；　and　led　the
half…idle　life　that　attracts　women。　The　blunt　good　sense　and　keen
insight　of　the　really　great　man　weighed　upon　Dinah；　who　would　not
confess　her　own　smallness　even　to　herself。　She　said　in　her　mind〃The
doctor　is　perhaps　the　better　man；　but　I　do　not　like　him。〃

Then；　again；　she　reflected　on　his　professional　duties；　wondering
whether　a　woman　could　ever　be　anything　but　a　/subject/　to　a　medical
man；　who　saw　so　many　subjects　in　the　course　of　a　day's　work。　The　first
sentence　of　the　aphorism　written　by　Bianchon　in　her　album　was　a
medical　observation　striking　so　directly　at　woman；　that　Dinah　could
not　fail　to　be　hit　by　it。　And　then　Bianchon　was　leaving　on　the　morrow；
his　practice　required　his　return。　What　woman；　short　of　having　Cupid's
mythological　dart　in　her　heart；　could　decide　in　so　short　a　time？

These　little　things；　which　lead　to　such　great　catastropheshaving
been　seen　in　a　mass　by　Bianchon；　he　pronounced　the　verdict　he　had　come
to　as　to　Madame　de　la　Baudraye　in　a　few　words　to　Lousteau；　to　the
journalist's　great　amazement。

While　the　two　friends　stood　talking　together；　a　storm　was　gathering　in
the　Sancerre　circle；　who　could　not　in　the　least　understand　Lousteau's
paraphrases　and　commentaries；　and　who　vented　it　on　their　hostess。　Far
from　finding　in　his　talk　the　romance　which　the　Public　Prosecutor；　the
Sous…prefet；　the　Presiding　Judge；　and　his　deputy；　Lebas；　had
discovered　thereto　say　nothing　of　Monsieur　de　la　Baudraye　and　Dinah
the　ladies　now　gathered　round　the　tea…table；　took　the　matter　as　a
practical　joke；　and　accused　the　Muse　of　Sancerre　of　having　a　finger　in
it。　They　had　all　looked　forward　to　a　delightful　evening；　and　had　all
strained　in　vain　every　faculty　of　their　mind。　Nothing　makes　provincial
folks　so　angry　as　the　notion　of　having　been　a　laughing…stock　for　Paris
folks。

Madame　Piedefer　left　the　table　to　say　to　her　daughter；　〃Do　go　and　talk
to　the　ladies；　they　are　quite　annoyed　by　your　behavior。〃

Lousteau　could　not　fail　to　see　Dinah's　great　superiority　over　the　best
women　of　Sancerre；　she　was　better　dressed；　her　movements　were
graceful；　her　complexion　was　exquisitely　white　by　candlelightin
short；　she　stood　out　against　this　background　of　old　faces；　shy　and
ill…dressed　girls；　like　a　queen　in　the　midst　of　her　court。　Visions　of
Paris　faded　from　his　brain；　Lousteau　was　accepting　the　provincial
surroundings；　and　while　he　had　too　much　imagination　to　remain
unimpressed　by　the　royal　splendor　of　this　chateau；　the　beautiful
carvings；　and　the　antique　beauty　of　the　rooms；　he　had　also　too　much
experience　to　overlook　the　value　of　the　personality　which　completed
this　gem　of　the　Renaissance。　So　by　the　time　the　visitors　from　Sancerre
had　taken　their　leave　one　by　onefor　they　had　an　hour's　drive　before
themwhen　no　one　remained　in　the　drawing…room　but　Monsieur　de　Clagny；
Monsieur　Lebas；　Gatien；　and　Monsieur　Gravier；　who　were　all　to　sleep　at
Anzythe　journalist　had　already　changed　his　mind　about　Dinah。　His
opinion　had　gone　through　the　evolution　that　Madame　de　la　Baudraye　had
so　audaciously　prophesied　at　their　first　meeting。

〃Ah；　what　things　they　will　say　about　us　on　the　drive　home！〃　cried　the
mistress　of　the　house；　as　she　returned　to　the　drawing…room　after
seeing　the　President　and　the　Presidente　to　their　carriage　with　Madame
and　Mademoiselle　Popinot…Chandier。

The　rest　of　the　evening　had　its　pleasant　side。　In　the　intimacy　of　a
small　party　each　one　brought　to　the　conversation　his　contribution　of
epigrams　on　the　figure　the　visitors　from　Sancerre　had　cut　during
Lousteau's　comments　on　the　paper　wrapped　round　the　proofs。

〃My　dear　fellow；〃　said　Bianch