the secrets of the princesse de cadignan-第4节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Merri　was　taken；　a　gamin　came　here　and　insisted　on　seeing　me。　He　gave

me　a　letter；　written　on　common　paper；　signed　by　my　republican。〃



〃Show　it　to　me；〃　said　the　marquise。



〃No；　my　dear。　Love　was　too　great　and　too　sacred　in　the　heart　of　that

man　to　let　me　violate　its　secrets。　The　letter；　short　and　terrible；

still　stirs　my　soul　when　I　think　of　it。　That　dead　man　gives　me　more

emotions　than　all　the　living　men　I　ever　coquetted　with；　he　constantly

recurs　to　my　mind。〃



〃What　was　his　name？〃　asked　the　marquise。



〃Oh！　a　very　common　one：　Michel　Chrestien。〃



〃You　have　done　well　to　tell　me；〃　said　Madame　d'Espard；　eagerly。　〃I

have　often　heard　of　him。　This　Michel　Chrestien　was　the　intimate　friend

of　a　remarkable　man　you　have　already　expressed　a　wish　to　see；Daniel

d'Arthez；　who　comes　to　my　house　some　two　or　three　times　a　year。

Chrestien；　who　was　really　killed　at　Saint…Merri；　had　no　lack　of

friends。　I　have　heard　it　said　that　he　was　one　of　those　born　statesmen

to　whom；　like　de　Marsay；　nothing　is　wanting　but　opportunity　to　become

all　they　might　be。〃



〃Then　he　had　better　be　dead；〃　said　the　princess；　with　a　melancholy

air；　under　which　she　concealed　her　thoughts。



〃Will　you　come　to　my　house　some　evening　and　meet　d'Arthez？〃　said　the

marquise。　〃You　can　talk　of　your　ghost。〃



〃Yes；　I　will；〃　replied　the　princess。







CHAPTER　II



DANIEL　D'ARTHEZ



A　few　days　after　this　conversation　Blondet　and　Rastignac；　who　knew

d'Arthez；　promised　Madame　d'Espard　that　they　would　bring　him　to　dine

with　her。　This　promise　might　have　proved　rash　had　it　not　been　for　the

name　of　the　princess；　a　meeting　with　whom　was　not　a　matter　of

indifference　to　the　great　writer。



Daniel　d'Arthez；　one　of　the　rare　men　who；　in　our　day；　unite　a　noble

character　with　great　talent；　had　already　obtained；　not　all　the

popularity　his　works　deserve；　but　a　respectful　esteem　to　which　souls

of　his　own　calibre　could　add　nothing。　His　reputation　will　certainly

increase；　but　in　the　eyes　of　connoisseurs　it　had　already　attained　its

full　development。　He　is　one　of　those　authors　who；　sooner　or　later；　are

put　in　their　right　place；　and　never　lose　it。　A　poor　nobleman；　he　had

understood　his　epoch　well　enough　to　seek　personal　distinction　only。　He

had　struggled　long　in　the　Parisian　arena；　against　the　wishes　of　a　rich

uncle　who；　by　a　contradiction　which　vanity　must　explain；　after　leaving

his　nephew　a　prey　to　the　utmost　penury；　bequeathed　to　the　man　who　had

reached　celebrity　the　fortune　so　pitilessly　refused　to　the　unknown

writer。　This　sudden　change　in　his　position　made　no　change　in　Daniel

d'Arthez's　habits；　he　continued　to　work　with　a　simplicity　worthy　of

the　antique　past；　and　even　assumed　new　toils　by　accepting　a　seat　in

the　Chamber　of　Deputies；　where　he　took　his　seat　on　the　Right。



Since　his　accession　to　fame　he　had　sometimes　gone　into　society。　One　of

his　old　friends；　the　now…famous　physician；　Horace　Bianchon；　persuaded

him　to　make　the　acquaintance　of　the　Baron　de　Rastignac；　under…

secretary　of　State；　and　a　friend　of　de　Marsay；　the　prime　minister。

These　two　political　officials　acquiesced；　rather　nobly；　in　the　strong

wish　of　d'Arthez；　Bianchon；　and　other　friends　of　Michel　Chrestien　for

the　removal　of　the　body　of　that　republican　to　the　church　of　Saint…

Merri　for　the　purpose　of　giving　it　funeral　honors。　Gratitude　for　a

service　which　contrasted　with　the　administrative　rigor　displayed　at　a

time　when　political　passions　were　so　violent；　had　bound；　so　to　speak；

d'Arthez　to　Rastignac。　The　latter　and　de　Marsay　were　much　too　clever

not　to　profit　by　that　circumstance；　and　thus　they　won　over　other

friends　of　Michel　Chrestien；　who　did　not　share　his　political　opinions；

and　who　now　attached　themselves　to　the　new　government。　One　of　them；

Leon　Giraud；　appointed　in　the　first　instance　master　of　petitions；

became　eventually　a　Councillor　of　State。



The　whole　existence　of　Daniel　d'Arthez　is　consecrated　to　work；　he　sees

society　only　by　snatches；　it　is　to　him　a　sort　of　dream。　His　house　is　a

convent；　where　he　leads　the　life　of　a　Benedictine；　the　same　sobriety

of　regimen；　the　same　regularity　of　occupation。　His　friends　knew　that

up　to　the　present　time　woman　had　been　to　him　no　more　than　an　always

dreaded　circumstance；　he　had　observed　her　too　much　not　to　fear　her；

but　by　dint　of　studying　her　he　had　ceased　to　understand　her；like；　in

this；　to　those　deep　strategists　who　are　always　beaten　on　unexpected

ground；　where　their　scientific　axioms　are　either　modified　or

contradicted。　In　character　he　still　remains　a　simple…hearted　child；

all　the　while　proving　himself　an　observer　of　the　first　rank。　This

contrast；　apparently　impossible；　is　explainable　to　those　who　know　how

to　measure　the　depths　which　separate　faculties　from　feelings；　the

former　proceed　from　the　head；　the　latter　from　the　heart。　A　man　can　be

a　great　man　and　a　wicked　one；　just　as　he　can　be　a　fool　and　a　devoted

lover。　D'Arthez　is　one　of　those　privileged　beings　in　whom　shrewdness

of　mind　and　a　broad　expanse　of　the　qualities　of　the　brain　do　not

exclude　either　the　strength　or　the　grandeur　of　sentiments。　He　is；　by

rare　privilege；　equally　a　man　of　action　and　a　man　of　thought。　His

private　life　is　noble　and　generous。　If　he　carefully　avoided　love；　it

was　because　he　knew　himself；　and　felt　a　premonition　of　the　empire　such

a　passion　would　exercise　upon　him。



For　several　years　the　crushing　toil　by　which　he　prepared　the　solid

ground　of　his　subsequent　works；　and　the　chill　of　poverty；　were

marvellous　preservatives。　But　when　ease　with　his　inherited　fortune

came　to　him；　he　formed　a　vulgar　and　most　incomprehensible　connection

with　a　rather　handsome　woman；　belonging　to　the　lower　classes；　without

education　or　manners；　whom　he　carefully　concealed　from　every　eye。

Michel　Chrestien　attributed　to　men　of　genius　the　power　of　transforming

the　most　massive　creatures　into　sylphs；　fools　into　clever　women；

peasants　into　countesses；　the　more　accomplished　a　woman　was；　the　more

she　lost　her　value　in　their　eyes；　for；　according　to　Michel；　their

imagination　had　the　less　to　do。　In　his　opinion　love；　a　mere　matter　of

the　senses　to　inferior　beings；　was　to　great　souls　the　most　immense　of

all　moral　creations　and　the　most　binding。　To　justify　d'Arthez；　he

instanced　the　example　of　Raffaele　and　the　Fornarina。　He　might　have


offered　himself　as　an　instance　for　this　theory；　he　who　had　seen　an

angel　in　the　Duchesse　de　Maufrigneuse。　This　strange　fancy　of　d'Arthez

might；　however；　be　explained　in　other　ways；　perhaps　he　had　despaired

of　meeting　here　below　with　a　woman　who　answered　to　that　delightful

vision　which　all　men　of　intellect　dream　of　and　cherish；　perhaps　his

heart　was　too　sensitive；　too　delicate；　to　yield　itself　to　a　woman　of

society；　perhaps　he　thought　best　to　let　nature　have　her　way；　and　keep

his　illusions　by　cultivating　his　ideal；　perhaps　he　had　laid　aside　love

as　being　incompatible　with　his　work　and　the　regularity　of　a　monastic

life　which　love　would　have　wholly　upset。



For　several　months　past　d'Arthez　had　been　subjected　to　the　jests　and

satire　of　Blondet　and　Rastignac；　who　reproached　him　with　knowing

neither　the　world　nor　women。　According　to　them；　his　authorship　was

sufficiently　advanced；　and　his　works　numerous　enough；　to　allow　him　a

few　distractions；　he　had　a　fine　fortune；　and　here　he　was　living　like　a

student；　he　enjoyed　nothing；neither　his　money　nor　his　fame；　he　was

ignorant　of　the　exquisite　enjoyments　of　the　noble　and　delicate　love

which　well…born　and　well…bred　women　could　inspire　and　feel；　he　knew

nothing　of　the　charming　refinements　of　language；　nothing　of　the　proofs

of　affection　incessantly　given　by　refined　women　to　the　commonest

things。　He　might；　perhaps；　know　woman；　but　he　knew　nothing　of　the

divinity。　Why　not　take　his　rightful　place　in　the　world；　and　taste　the

delights　of　Parisian　society？



〃Why　doesn't　a　man　who　bears　party　per　bend　gules　and　or；　a　bezant　and

crab　counterchanged；〃　cried　Rastignac；　〃display　that　ancient

escutcheon　of　Picardy　on　the　panels　of　a　carriage？　You　have　thirty

thousand　francs　a　year；　and　the　proceeds　of　your　pen；　you　have

justified　your　motto：　Ars　thesaurusque　virtus；　that　punning　device　our

ancestors　were　always　seeking；　and　yet　you　never　appear　in　the　Bois　de

Boulogne！　We　live　in　times　when　virtue　ought　to　show　itself。〃



〃If　you　read　your　works　to　that　species　of　stout　Laforet；　whom　you

seem　to　fancy；　I　would　forgive　you；〃　said　Blondet。　〃But；　my　dear

fellow；　you　are　living　on　dry　bread；　materially　speaking；　in　the

matter　of　intellect　you　haven't　even　bread。〃



This　friendly　little　warfare　had　been　going　on　for　several　months

between　Daniel　and　his　friends；　when　Madame　d'Espard　asked　Rastignac

and　Blondet　to　induce　d'Arthez　to　come　and　dine　with　her；　telling　them

that　the　Princesse　de　Cadignan　had　a　great　desire　to　see　that

celebrated　man。　Such　curiosities　are　to　certain　women　what　magic

lanterns　are　to　children；a　pleasure　to　the　eyes；　but　rather　shallow