the crime of sylvestre bonnard-第41节

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；　he　will　be　sure　to　laugh　at　the　way　that　bell　keeps　ringing　through　my　narrative；　without　ever　announcing　the　arrival　of　a　new　personage　or　introducing　any　unexpected　incident。　　On　the　stage　things　are　managed　on　the　reverse　principle。　　Monsieur　Scribe　never　has　the　curtain　raised　without　good　reason；　and　for　the　greater　enjoyment　of　ladies　and　young　misses。　　That　is　art！　　I　would　rather　hang　myself　than　write　a　play；not　that　I　despise　life；　but　because　I　should　never　be　able　to　invent　anything　amusing。　　Invent！　　In　order　to　do　that　one　must　have　received　the　gift　of　inspiration。　It　would　be　a　very　unfortunate　thing　for　me　to　possess　such　a　gift。　Suppose　I　were　to　invent　some　monkling　in　my　history　of　the　Abbey　of　Saint…Germain…des…Pres！　　What　would　our　young　erudites　say？　What　a　scandal　for　the　School！　　As　for　the　Institute；　it　would　say　nothing　and　probably　not　even　think　about　the　matter　either。　　Even　if　my　colleagues　still　write　a　little　sometimes；　they　never　read。　They　are　of　the　opinion　of　Parny；　who　said；

　　　　　〃Une　paisible　indifference　　　　　　　Est　la　plus　sage　des　vertus。〃　　　　　　＇〃The　most　wise　of　the　virtues　is　a　calm　indifference。〃＇

To　be　the　least　wise　in　order　to　become　the　most　wisethis　is　precisely　what　those　Buddhists　are　aiming　at　without　knowing　it。　If　there　is　any　wiser　wisdom　than　that　I　will　go　to　Rome　to　report　upon　it。。。。　　And　all　this　because　Monsieur　Gelis　happened　to　ring　the　bell！

This　young　man　has　latterly　changed　his　manner　completely　with　Jeanne。　　He　is　now　quite　as　serious　as　he　used　to　be　frivolous；　and　quite　as　silent　as　he　used　to　be　chatty。　　And　Jeanne　follows　his　example。　　We　have　reached　the　phase　of　passionate　love　under　constraint。　　For；　old　as　I　am；　I　cannot　be　deceived　about　it：　these　two　children　are　violently　and　sincerely　in　love　with　each　other。　　Jeanne　now　avoids　himshe　hides　herself　in　her　room　when　he　comes　into　the　librarybut　how　well　she　knows　how　to　reach　him　when　she　is　alone！　alone　at　her　piano！　　Every　evening　she　talks　to　him　through　the　music　she　plays　with　a　rich　thrill　of　passional　feeling　which　is　the　new　utterance　of　her　new　soul。

Well；　why　should　I　not　confess　it？　　Why　should　I　not　avow　my　weakness？　Surely　my　egotism　would　not　become　any　less　blameworthy　by　keeping　it　hidden　from　myself？　　So　I　will　write　it。　　Yes！　　I　was　hoping　for　something　else；yes！　I　thought　I　was　going　to　keep　her　all　to　myself；　as　my　own　child；　as　my　own　daughternot　always；　of　course；　not　even　perhaps　for　very　long；　but　just　for　a　few　short　years　more。　　I　am　so　old！　　Could　she　not　wait？　　And；　who　knows？　　With　the　help　of　the　gout；　I　would　not　have　imposed　upon　her　patience　too　much。　　That　was　my　wish；　that　was　my　hope。　　I　had　made　my　plansI　had　not　reckoned　upon　the　coming　of　this　wild　young　man。　　But　the　mistake　is　none　the　less　cruel　because　my　reckoning　happened　to　be　wrong。　And　yet　it　seems　to　me　that　you　are　condemning　yourself　very　rashly；　friend　Sylvestre　Bonnard：　　if　you　did　want　to　keep　this　young　girl　a　few　years　longer；　it　was　quite　as　much　in　her　own　interest　as　in　yours。　　She　has　a　great　deal　to　learn　yet；　and　you　are　not　a　master　to　be　despised。　　When　that　miserable　notary　Mouchewho　subsequently　committed　his　rascalities　at　so　opportune　a　momentpaid　you　the　honour　of　a　visit；　you　explained　to　him　your　ideas　of　education　with　all　the　fervour　of　high　enthusiasm。　　Then　you　attempted　to　put　that　system　of　yours　into　practice；Jeanne　is　certainly　an　ungrateful　girl；　and　Gelis　a　much　too　seductive　young　man！

But　still；unless　I　put　him　out　of　the　house；　which　would　be　a　detestably　ill…mannered　and　ill…natured　thing　to　do；I　must　continue　to　receive　him。　　He　has　been　waiting　ever　so　long　in　my　little　parlour；　in　front　of　those　Sevres　vases　with　which　King　Louis　Philippe　so　graciously　presented　me。　　The　Moissonneurs　and　the　Pecheurs　of　Leopold　Robert　are　painted　upon　those　porcelain　vases；　which　Gelis　nevertheless　dares　to　call　frightfully　ugly；　with　the　warm　approval　of　Jeanne；　whom　he　has　absolutely　bewitched。

〃My　dear　lad；　excuse　me　for　having　kept　you　waiting　so　long。　　I　had　a　little　bit　of　work　to　finish。〃

I　am　telling　the　truth。　　Meditation　is　work；　but　of　course　Gelis　does　not　know　what　I　mean；　he　thinks　I　am　referring　to　something　archaeological；　and；　his　question　in　regard　to　the　health　of　Mademoiselle　Jeanne　having　been　answered　by　a　〃Very　well　indeed；〃　uttered　in　that　extremely　dry　tone　which　reveals　my　moral　authority　as　guardian；　we　begin　to　converse　about　historical　subjects。　　We　first　enter　upon　generalities。　　Generalities　are　sometimes　extremely　serviceable。　　I　try　to　inculcate　into　Monsieur　Gelis　some　respect　for　that　generation　of　historians　to　which　I　belong。　　I　say　to　him；

〃History；　which　was　formerly　an　art；　and　which　afforded　place　for　the　fullest　exercise　of　the　imagination；　has　in　our　time　become　a　science；　the　study　of　which　demands　absolute　exactness　of　knowledge。〃

Gelis　asks　leave　to　differ　from　me　on　this　subject。　　He　tells　me　he　does　not　believe　that　history　is　a　science；　or　that　it　could　possibly　ever　become　a　science。

〃In　the　first　place；〃　he　says　to　me；　〃what　is　history？　　The　written　representation　of　past　events。　　But　what　is　an　event？　　Is　it　merely　a　commonplace　fact？　　It　is　any　fact？　　No！　　You　say　yourself　it　is　a　noteworthy　fact。　　Now；　how　is　the　historian　to　tell　whether　a　fact　is　noteworthy　or　not？　　He　judges　it　arbitrarily；　according　to　his　tastes　and　his　caprices　and　his　ideasin　short；　as　an　artist？　　For　facts　cannot　by　reason　of　their　own　intrinsic　character　be　divided　into　historical　facts　and　non…historical　facts。　　But　any　fact　is　something　exceedingly　complex。　　Will　the　historian　represent　facts　in　all　their　complexity？　　No；　that　is　impossible。　　Then　he　will　represent　them　stripped　of　the　greater　part　of　the　peculiarities　which　constituted　them；　and　consequently　lopped；　mutilated；　different　from　what　they　really　were。　　As　for　the　inter…relation　of　facts；　needless　to　speak　of　it！　　If　a　so…called　historical　fact　be　brought　into　noticeas　is　very　possibleby　one　or　more　facts　which　are　not　historical　at　all；　and　are　for　that　very　reason　unknown；　how　is　the　historian　going　to　establish　the　relation　of　these　facts　one　to　another？　　And　in　saying　this；　Monsieur　Bonnard；　I　am　supposing　that　the　historian　has　positive　evidence　before　him；　whereas　in　reality　he　feels　confidence　only　in　such　or　such　a　witness　for　sympathetic　reasons。　　History　is　not　a　science；　it　is　an　art；　and　one　can　succeed　in　that　art　only　through　the　exercise　of　his　faculty　of　imagination。〃

Monsieur　Gelis　reminds　me　very　much　at　this　moment　of　a　certain　young　fool　whom　I　heard　talking　wildly　one　day　in　the　garden　of　the　Luxembourg；　under　the　statue　of　Marguerite　of　Navarre。　　But　at　another　turn　of　the　conversation　we　find　ourselves　face　to　face　with　Walter　Scott；　whose　work　my　disdainful　young　friend　pleases　to　term　〃rococo；　troubadourish；　and　only　fit　to　inspire　somebody　engaged　in　making　designs　for　cheap　bronze　clocks。〃　　Those　are　his　very　words！

〃Why！〃　I　exclaim；　zealous　to　defend　the　magnificent　creator　of　'The　Bride　of　Lammermoor'　and　'The　Fair　Maid　of　Perth；'　〃the　whole　past　lives　in　those　admirable　novels　of　his；that　is　history；　that　is　epic！〃

〃It　is　frippery；〃　Gelis　answers　me。

And；will　you　believe　it？this　crazy　boy　actually　tells　me　that　no　matter　how　learned　one　may　be；　one　cannot　possibly　know　just　how　men　used　to　live　five　or　ten　centuries　ago；　because　it　is　only　with　the　very　greatest　difficulty　that　one　can　picture　them　to　oneself　even　as　they　were　only　ten　or　fifteen　years　ago。　　In　his　opinion；　the　historical　poem；　the　historical　novel；　the　historical　painting；　are　all；　according　to　their　kind；　abominably　false　as　branches　of　art。

〃In　all　the　arts；〃　he　adds；　〃the　artist　can　only　reflect　his　own　soul。　　His　work；　no　matter　how　it　may　be　dressed　up；　is　of　necessity　contemporary　with　himself；　being　the　reflection　of　his　own　mind。　What　do　we　admire　in　the　'Divine　　Comedy'　unless　it　be　the　great　soul　of　Dante？　　And　the　marbles　of　Michael　Angelo；　what　do　they　represent　to　us　that　is　at　all　extraordinary　unless　it　be　Michael　Angelo　himself？　　The　artist　either　communicates　his　own　life　to　his　creations；　or　else　merely　whittles　out　puppets　and　dresses　up　dolls。〃

What　a　torrent　of　paradoxes　and　irreverences！　　But　boldness　in　a　young　man　is　not　displeasing　to　me。　　Gelis　gets　up　from　his　chair　and　sits　down　again。　　I　know　perfectly　well　what　is　worrying　him；　and　whom　he　is　waiting　for。　　And　now　he　begins　to　talk　to　me　about　his　being　able　to　make　fifteen　hundred　francs　a　year；　to　which　he　can　add　the　revenue　he　derives　from　a　little　property　that　he　has　inheritedtwo　thousand　francs　a　year　more。　　And　I　am　not　in　the　least　deceived　as　to　the　purpose　of　these　confidences　on　his　part。　I　know　perfectly　well　that　he　is　only　making　his　little　financial　statements　in　order　to　persuade　me　that　he　is　comfortably　circumstanced；　steady；　fond　of　home；　comparatively　independentor；　to　put　the　matter　in　the　fewest　words　possible；　able　to　marry。　　Quod　erat　demonstrandum；as　the　geometricians　say。

He　has　got　up　and　sat　down　just　twenty　times。　　He　now　rises　for　the　twenty…first　time；　and；　as　he　has　not　been　able　to　see　Jeanne；　he　goes　away　feeling　as　unhappy　as　possible。