samuel brohl & company-第4节

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Her　father　speedily　joined　her。

〃Do　you　not　find　this　music　charming？〃　she　asked　of　him。

〃Charming；　I　grant；〃　he　replied；　〃but　more　charming　still　are　those　brave　workmen　who；　at　the　risk　of　their　necks；　have　engineered　such　a　suspended　highway　as　we　see　here。　I　think　you　admire　the　torrent　too　much；　and　the　road　not　enough。〃　And　after　a　pause　he　added；　〃I　wish　that　our　friend　Camille　Langis　had　had　fewer　dangers　to　contend　with　in　constructing　his。〃　Antoinette　turned　quickly　and　looked　at　her　father；　then　she　bestowed　her　attention　once　more　upon　the　Albula。　〃To　be　sure；〃　resumed　M。　Moriaz；　stroking　his　whiskers　with　the　head　of　his　cane；　〃Camille　is　just　the　man　to　make　his　way　through　difficulties。　He　has　a　youthful　air　that　is　very　deceptive；　but　he　always　has　been　astonishingly　precocious。　At　twenty　years　of　age　he　became　head　of　his　class　at　the　Central　School；　but　the　best　thing　about　him　is　that；　although　in　possession　of　a　fortune；　yet　he　has　a　passion　for　work。　The　rich　man　who　works　accepts　voluntary　poverty。〃

There　arose　from　the　precipice　a　damp；　chill　breeze；　Mlle。　Moriaz　drew　over　her　head　a　red　hood　that　she　held　in　her　hand；　and　scraping　off　with　her　finger　some　of　the　facing　of　the　parapet；　which　glittered　with　scales　of　mica；　she　asked：　〃What　do　you　call　this？〃

〃It　is　gneiss；　a　sort　of　sheet…granite；　but　do　not　you　too　admire　people　who　work　when　they　are　not　compelled　to　do　anything？〃

〃Then　you　must　admire　yourself　a　great　deal。〃

〃Oh；　I！　In　my　early　youth　I　worked　from　necessity；　and　then　I　formed　a　habit　which　I　cannot　now　get　rid　of；　while　Camille　Langis〃

〃Once　more？〃　she　ejaculated；　with　a　gesture　of　impatience。　〃What　prompts　you　to　speak　to　me　of　Camille？〃

〃Nothing。　I　often　think　of　him。〃

〃Do　not　let　us　two　play　at　diplomacy。　You　have　had　news　of　him　lately？〃

〃You　just　remind　me　that　I　have；　through　a　letter　from　Mme。　De　Lorcy。〃

〃Mme　de　Lorcy；　my　godmother；　would　do　better　to　meddle　with　what　concerns　her。　That　woman　is　incorrigible。〃

〃Of　what　would　you　have　her　correct　herself？〃

〃Simply　of　her　mania　for　making　my　happiness　after　her　own　fashion。　I　read　in　your　eyes　that　Camille　has　returned　to　Paris。　What　is　his　object？〃

〃I　know　nothing　about　it。　How　should　I　know？　I　only　presumethat　is；　I　suppose〃

〃You　do　not　supposeyou　know。〃

〃Not　at　all。　At　the　same　time；　since　hypothesis　is　the　road　which　leads　to　science；　a　road　we　/savants/　travel　every　day；　I〃

'You　know　very　well；〃　she　again　interposed；　〃that　I　promised　him　nothing。〃

〃Strictly　speaking；　I　admit；　but　you　requested　me　to　tell　him　that　you　found　him　too　young。　He　has　laboured　conscientiously　since　then　to　correct　that　fault。〃　Then　playfully　pinching　her　cheeks；　he　added：　〃You　are　a　great　girl　for　objections。　Soon　you　will　be　twenty…five　years　old；　and　you　have　refused　five　eligible　offers。　Have　you　taken　a　vow　to　remain　unmarried？〃

〃Ah！　you　have　no　mercy；〃　she　cried。　〃What！　you　cannot　even　spare　me　on　the　Albula！　You　know　that；　of　all　subjects　of　conversation；　I　have　most　antipathy　for　this。〃

〃Come；　come；　you　are　slandering　me　now；　my　child。　I　spoke　to　you　of　Camille　as　I　might　have　spoken　of　the　King　of　Prussia；　and　you　rose　in　arms　at　once；　taking　it　wholly　to　yourself。〃

Antoinette　was　silent　for　some　moments。

〃Decidedly；　you　are　very　fond　of　Camille；〃　she　presently　said。

〃Of　all　the　sons…in…law　you　could　propose　to　me〃

〃But　I　do　not　propose　any。〃

〃That　is　precisely　what　I　find　fault　with。〃

〃Very　good；　since　you　think　so　much　of　him；　this　Camille；　suppose　you　command　me　to　marry　him？〃

〃If　I　were　to　command；　would　you　obey？〃

〃Perhaps；　just　for　the　curiosity　of　the　thing；〃　she　rejoined；　laughing。

〃Naughty　girl；　to　mock　at　her　father！〃　said　he。　〃If　these　twenty　years　I　have　been　in　servitude；　I　can　scarcely　emancipate　myself　in　a　day。　However；　since　the　great　king　deigns　to　hold　parley　with　his　ministers；　I　am　Pomponnelet　us　argue。〃

〃Ah；　well！　you　know　as　well　as　I　that　I　have　a　real　friendship　for　Camille；　as　the　playmate　of　my　childhood。　I　remember　him　when　he　was　ever　so　small；　and　he　remembers　me；　too；　when　I　was　a　tiny　creature。　We　played　hide…and…seek　together；　and　he　humoured　me　in　my　ten　thousand　little　caprices。　Delightful　reminiscences　these；　but　unfortunately　I　think　of　them　too　much　when　I　see　him。〃

〃He　has　passed　two　years　among　the　Magyars；　two　years　is　a　good　while。〃

〃Bah！　he　could　never　possibly　have　any　authority　over　me。　I　intend　that　my　husband　shall　be　my　government。〃

〃So　that　you　may　have　the　pleasure　of　governing　your　government？〃

〃Besides；　I　know　Camille　too　well。　I　could　only　fall　in　love　with　a　stranger；〃　said　she；　heedless　of　the　last　sally。

〃Was　not　the　Viscount　R…　a　stranger？〃

〃At　the　end　of　five　minutes　I　knew　him　by　heart。　He　is　precisely　like　all　other　second　secretaries　of　legation　in　the　world。　You　may　be　sure　that　there　is　not　a　single　idea　in　his　head　that　is　really　his　own。　Even　his　figure　does　not　belong　to　himself；　it　is　the　/chef…d'oeuvre/　of　the　united　efforts　of　his　tailor　and　his　shirt…maker。〃

〃According　to　this；　a　prime　requisite　in　the　man　whom　you　could　love　is　to　be　poorly　clad。〃

〃If　ever　my　heart　is　touched；　it　will　be　because　I　have　met　a　man　who　is　not　like　all　the　other　men　of　my　acquaintance。　After　that　I　will　not　positively　forbid　him　to　have　decent　clothing。〃

M。　Moriaz　made　a　little　gesture　of　impatience；　and　then　set　out　to　regain　the　chaise；　which　was　some　distance　in　advance。　When　he　had　proceeded　about　twenty　steps；　he　paused；　and；　turning　towards　Antoinette；　who　was　engaged　in　readjusting　her　hood　and　rebuttoning　her　twelve…button　gloves；　he　said：

〃I　have　drawn　an　odd　number　in　the　great　lottery　of　this　world。　In　our　day　there　are　no　romantic　girls；　the　last　remaining　one　is　mine。〃

〃That　is　it；　I　am　a　romantic　girl！〃　she　cried；　tossing　her　pretty；　curly　head　with　an　air　of　defiance；　〃and　if　you　are　wise　you　will　not　urge　me　to　marry；　for　I　never　shall　make　any　but　an　ineligible　match。〃

〃Ah；　speak　lower！〃　he　exclaimed；　casting　a　hurried　glance　around　him；　and　adding：　〃Thank　Heaven！　there　is　no　one　here　but　the　Albula　to　hear　you。〃

M。　Moriaz　mistook。　Had　he　raised　his　eyes　a　little　higher　he　would　have　discovered；　above　the　rock　cornice　bordering　the　highway；　a　foot…　path；　and　in　this　foot…path　a　pedestrian　tourist；　who　had　paused　beneath　a　fir…tree。　This　tourist　had　set　out　from　Chur　in　the　diligence。　At　the　entrance　of　the　defile；　leaving　his　luggage　to　continue　without　him　to　Saint　Moritz；　he　had　alighted；　and　with　his　haversack　on　his　back　had　set　forward　on　foot　for　Bergun；　where　he　proposed　passing　the　night；　as　did　also　M。　Moriaz。　Of　the　conversation　between　Antoinette　and　her　father　he　had　caught　only　one　word。　This　word；　however；　sped　like　an　arrow　into　his　ear；　and　from　his　ear　into　the　innermost　recesses　of　his　brain；　where　it　long　quivered。　It　was　a　treasure；　this　word；　and　he　did　not　cease　to　meditate　upon　it；　to　comment　on　it；　to　extract　from　it　all　its　essence；　until　he　had　reached　the　first　houses　of　Bergun；　like　a　mendicant　who　has　picked　up　in　a　dusty　road　a　well…filled　purse；　and　who　opens　it；　closes　it；　opens　it　again；　counts　his　prize　piece　by　piece；　and　adds　up　its　value　twenty　times　over。　Our　tourist　dined　at　the　/table　d'hote/；　he　was　so　preoccupied　that　he　ate　the　trout　caught　in　the　Albula　without　suspecting　that　they　possessed　a　marvellous　freshness；　an　exquisite　flavour　and　delicacy；　and　yet　it　is　notorious　that　the　trout　of　the　Albula　are　the　first　trout　of　the　universe。

Mlle。　Moiseney；　the　duties　of　whose　office　consisted　in　serving　as　chaperon　to　Mlle。　Moriaz；　was　not　a　great　genius。　This　worthy　and　excellent　personage　had；　in　fact；　rather　a　circumscribed　mind；　and　she　had　not　the　least　suspicion　of　it。　Her　physiognomy　was　not　pleasing　to　M。　Moriaz；　he　had　several　times　besought　his　daughter　to　part　with　her。　In　the　goodness　of　her　soul　Antoinette　always　refused；　she　was　not　one　who　could　countenance　rebuffs　to　old　domestics；　old　dogs；　old　horses；　or　worn…out　governesses。　Young　Candide　arrived　at　the　conclusion；　as　the　result　of　his　observations；　that　the　first　degree　of　happiness　would　be　to　be　Mlle。　Gunegonde；　and　the　second　to　contemplate　her　throughout　life。　Mlle。　Moiseney　believed　that　it　would　be　the　first　degree　of　superhuman　felicity　to　be　Mlle。　Moriaz；　the　second　to　pass　one's　life　near　this　queen；　who；　arbitrary　and　capricious　though　she　might　be；　was　most　thoughtful　of　the　happiness　of　her　subjects；　and　to　be　able　to　say：　〃It　was　I　that　hatched　the　egg　whence　arose　this　phoenix；　I　did　something　for　this　marvel；　I　taught　her　English　and　music。〃　She　had　boundless　admiration　for　her　queen；　amounting　actually　to　idolatry。　The　English　profess　that　their　sovereigns　can　do　nothing　amiss：　〃The　king　can　do　no　wrong。〃　Mlle。　Moiseney　was　convinced　that　Mlle。　Moriaz　could　neither　do　wrong　nor　make　mistakes　about　anything。　She　saw　everything　with　her　eyes；　espoused　her　likes　and　her　dislikes；　her　sentiments；　her　opinions；　her　rights；　and　her　wrongs；　she　lived；　as　it　were；　a　reflected　existence。　Every　morning　she　said　to　her　idol；　〃How　beautiful　we　are　to…day！〃　precisely　as　the　bell…ringer　who；　puffing　out　his　cheeks；　cried：　〃We　are　in　voice；　we　h