the women of the french salons-第44节

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and　events　with　such　prophetic　vision。　　The　note　of　bitterness　and　cynicism　is　always　there。　　The　nature　of　the　woman　reveals　itself　in　every　line：　keen；　dry；　critical；　with　clear　ideals　which　she　can　never　hope　to　attain。　　But　we　feel　that　she　has　stripped　off　the　rags　of　pretension　and　brought　us　face　to　face　with　realities。　　〃All　that　I　can　do　is　to　love　you　with　all　my　heart；　as　I　have　done　for　about　fifty　years；〃　wrote　Voltaire。　　〃How　could　I　fail　to　love　you？　　Your　soul　seeks　always　the　true；　it　is　a　quality　as　rare　as　truth　itself。〃　　So　far　does　she　carry　her　hatred　of　insincerity　that　one　is　often　tempted　to　believe　she　affects　a　freedom　from　affectation。　　〃I　am　so　fatigued　with　the　vanity　of　others　that　I　avoid　the　occasion　of　having　any　myself；〃　she　writes。　　Is　there　not　here　a　trace　of　the　quality　she　so　despises？

But　beneath　all　this　runs　the　swift　undercurrent　of　an　absorbing　passion。　　A　passion　of　friendship　it　may　be；　but　it　forces　itself　through　the　arid　shells　of　conventionalism；　it　is　at　once　the　agony　and　the　consolation　of　a　despairing　soul。　　Heartless；　Mme。　du　Deffand　is　called；　and　her　life　seems　to　prove　the　truth　of　the　verdict；　but　these　letters　throb　and　palpitate　with　feeling　which　she　laughs　at；　but　cannot　still。　　It　is　the　cry　of　the　soul　for　what　it　has　not；　what　the　world　cannot　give；　what　it　has　somehow　missed　out　of　a　cold；　hard；　restless；　and　superficial　existence。　　With　a　need　of　loving；　she　is　satisfied　with　no　one。　　There　is　something　wanting；　even　in　the　affection　of　her　friends。　　〃Ma　grand'maman；〃　she　says　to　the　gentle　Duchesse　de　Choiseul；　〃you　KNOW　that　you　love　me；　but　you　do　not　FEEL　it。〃

Devouring　herself　in　solitude；　she　despises　the　society　she　cannot　do　without。　　〃Men　and　women　appear　to　me　puppets　who　go；　come；　talk；　laugh；　without　thinking；　without　reflecting；　without　feeling；〃　she　writes。　　She　confesses　that　she　has　a　thousand　troubles　in　assembling　a　choice　company　of　people　who　bore　her　to　death。　　〃One　sees　only　masks；　one　hears　only　lies；〃　is　her　constant　refrain。　　She　does　not　want　to　live；　but　is　afraid　to　die；　she　says　she　is　not　made　for　this　world；　but　does　not　know　that　there　is　any　other。　　She　tries　devotion；　but　has　no　taste　for　it。　　Of　the　light　that　shines　from　within　upon　so　many　darkened　and　weary　souls　she　has　no　knowledge。　　Her　vision　is　bounded　by　the　tangible；　which　offers　only　a　rigid　barrier；　against　which　her　life　flutters　itself　away。　　She　dies　as　she　has　lived；　with　a　deepened　conviction　of　the　nothingness　of　existence。　　〃Spare　me　three　things；〃　she　said　to　her　confessor　in　her　last　moments；　〃let　me　have　no　questions；　no　reasons；　and　no　sermons。〃　　Seeing　Wiart；　her　faithful　servitor；　in　tears；　she　remarks　pathetically；　as　if　surprised；　〃You　love　me　then？〃　　〃Divert　yourself　as　much　as　you　can；〃　was　her　final　message　to　Walpole。　　〃You　will　regret　me；　because　one　is　very　glad　to　know　that　one　is　loved。〃　　She　commends　to　his　care　and　affection　Tonton；　her　little　dog。

Strong　but　not　gentle；　brilliant　but　not　tender；　too　penetrating　for　any　illusions；　with　a　nature　forever　at　war　with　itself；　its　surroundings；　and　its　limitations；　no　one　better　points　the　moral　of　an　age　without　faith；　without　ideals；　without　the　inner　light　that　reveals　to　hope　what　is　denied　to　sense。

The　influence　of　such　a　woman　with　her　gifts；　her　energy；　her　power；　and　her　social　prestige；　can　hardly　be　estimated。　　It　was　not　in　the　direction　of　the　new　drift　of　thought。　　〃I　am　not　a　fanatic　as　to　liberty；〃　she　said；　〃I　believe　it　is　an　error　to　pretend　that　it　exists　in　a　democracy。　　One　has　a　thousand　tyrants　in　place　of　one。〃　　She　had　no　breadth　of　sympathy；　and　her　interests　were　largely　personal；　but　in　matters　of　style　and　form　her　taste　was　unerring。　　Pitiless　in　her　criticisms；　she　held　firmly　to　her　ideals　of　clear；　elegant；　and　concise　expression；　both　in　literature　and　in　conversation。　　She　tolerated　no　latitudes；　no　pretension；　and　left　behind　her　the　traditions　of　a　society　that　blended；　more　perfectly；　perhaps；　than　any　other　of　her　time；　the　best　intellectual　life　with　courtly　manners　and　a　strict　observance　of　les　convenances。


CHAPTER　XV。　MADEMOISELLE　DE　LESPINASSE　A　Romantic　CareerCompanion　of　Mme。　du　DeffandRival　Salons　　　Association　with　the　EncyclopedistsD'AlembertA　Heart　TragedyImpassioned　LettersA　Type　Unique　in　her　Age

Inseparably　connected　with　the　name　of　Mme。　du　Deffand　is　that　of　her　companion　and　rival；　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse；　the　gifted；　charming；　tender　and　loving　woman　who　presided　over　one　of　the　most　noted　of　the　philosophical　salons；　who　was　the　chosen　friend　and　confidante　of　the　Encyclopedists；　and　who　died　in　her　prime　of　a　broken　heart；　leaving　the　world　a　legacy　of　letters　that　rival　those　of　Heloise　or　the　poems　of　Sappho；　as　〃immortal　pictures　of　passion。〃　　The　memory　of　her　social　triumphs；　remarkable　as　they　were；　pales　before　the　singular　romances　of　her　life。　　In　the　midst　of　a　cold；　critical；　and　heartless　society；　that　adored　talent　and　ridiculed　sentiment；　she　became　the　victim　of　a　passion　so　profound；　so　ardent；　so　hopeless；　that　her　powerful　intellect　bent　before　it　like　a　reed　before　a　storm。　　She　died　of　that　unsuspected　passion；　and　years　afterwards　these　letters　found　the　light　and　told　the　tale。

The　contrast　between　the　two　women　so　closely　linked　together　is　complete。　　Mme。　du　Deffand　belonged　to　the　age　of　Voltaire　by　every　fiber　of　her　hard　and　cynical　nature。　　What　she　called　love　was　a　fire　of　the　intellect　which　consumed　without　warming。　　It　was　a　violent　and　fierce　prejudice　in　favor　of　those　who　reflected　something　of　herself。　　The　tenderness　of　self…sacrifice　was　not　there。　　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse　was　of　the　later　era　of　Rousseau；　the　era　of　exaggerated　feeling；　of　emotional　delirium；　of　romantic　dreams；　the　era　whose　heroine　was　the　loving　and　sentimental　〃Julie；〃　for　whose　portrait　she　might　have　sat；　with　a　shade　or　so　less　of　intellect　and　brilliancy。　　But　it　was　more　than　a　romantic　dream　that　shadowed　and　shortened　the　life　of　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse。　　She　had　a　veritable　heart　of　flame；　that　consumed　not　only　itself　but　its　frail　tenement　as　well。

Julie…Jeanne…Eleonore　de　Lespinasse；　who　was　born　at　Lyons　in　1732；　had　a　birthright　of　sorrow。　　Her　mother；　the　Comtesse　d'Albon；　could　not　acknowledge　this　fugitive　and　nameless　daughter；　but　after　the　death　of　her　husband　she　received　her　on　an　inferior　footing；　had　her　carefully　educated；　and　secretly　gave　her　love　and　care。　　Left　alone　and　without　resources　at　fifteen；　Julie　was　taken；　as　governess　and　companion；　into　the　family　of　a　sister　who　was　the　wife　of　Mme。　du　Deffand's　brother。　　Here　the　marquise　met　her　on　one　of　her　visits　and　heard　the　story　of　her　sorrows。　　Tearful；　sad；　and　worn　out　by　humiliations；　the　young　girl　had　decided　to　enter　a　convent。　　〃There　is　no　misfortune　that　I　have　not　experienced；〃　she　wrote　to　Guibert　many　years　afterwards。　　〃Some　day；　my　friend；　I　will　relate　to　you　things　not　to　be　found　in　the　romances　of　Prevost　nor　of　Richardson　。　。　。　　I　ought　naturally　to　devote　myself　to　hating；　I　have　well　fulfilled　my　destiny；　I　have　loved　much　and　hated　very　little。　　Mon　Dieu；　my　friend；　I　am　a　hundred　years　old。〃　　Mme。　du　Deffand　was　struck　with　her　talent　and　a　certain　indefinable　fascination　of　manner　which　afterwards　became　so　potent。　　〃You　have　gaiety；〃　she　wrote　to　her；　〃you　are　capable　of　sentiment；　with　these　qualities　you　will　be　charming　so　long　as　you　are　natural　and　without　pretension。〃　　After　a　negotiation　of　some　months；　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse　went　to　Paris　to　live　with　her　new　friend。　　The　history　of　this　affair　has　been　already　related。

Parisian　society　was　divided　into　two　factions　on　the　merits　of　the　quarrelthose　who　censured　the　ingratitude　of　the　younger　woman；　and　those　who　accused　the　marquise　of　cruelty　and　injustice。　　But　many　of　the　oldest　friends　of　the　latter　aided　her　rival。　　The　Marechale　de　Luxembourg　furnished　her　apartments　in　the　Rue　de　Belle…Chasse。　　The　Duc　de　Choiseul　procured　her　a　pension；　and　Mme。　Geoffrin　gave　her　an　annuity。　　She　carried　with　her　a　strong　following　of　eminent　men　from　the　salon　of　Mme。　du　Deffand；　among　whom　was　d'Alembert；　who　remained　faithful　and　devoted　to　the　end。　　It　is　said　that　President　Henault　even　offered　to　marry　her；　but　how；　under　these　circumstances；　he　managed　to　continue　in　the　good　graces　of　his　lifelong　friend；　the　unforgiving　marquise；　does　not　appear。　　A　letter　which　he　wrote　to　Mlle。　de　Lespinasse　throws　a　direct　light　upon　her　character；　after　making　due　allowance　for　the　exaggeration　of　French　gallantry。

〃You　are　cosmopolitan；　you　adapt　yourself　to　all　situations。　　The　world　pleases　you；　you　love　solitude。　　Society　amuses　you；　but　it　does　not　seduce　you。　　Your　heart　does　not　give　itself　easily。　　Strong　passions　are　necessary　to　you；　and　it　is　better　so；　for　they　will　not　return　often。　　Nature；　in　placing　you　in　an　ordinary　position；　has　given　you　something　to　relieve　it。　　Your　soul　is　noble　and　elevated；　and　you　will　never　remain　in　a　crowd。　　It　is　the　same　with　your　person。　　It　is　distinguished　and　attracts　attention；　without　being　beautiful。　　There　is　something　piquante　about　you　。　。　。　　You　have　two　things　which　do　not　often　go　together：　you　are　sweet