at the sign of the cat and racket-第9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！


child；　I　hope　to　be　a　grandfather；　by　Gad！　I　will　begin　at　once　to　lay
up　for　my　grandchildren；　but　swear　to　me；　here　and　now；　never　to　sign
any　papers　relating　to　money　without　my　advice；　and　if　I　go　soon　to
join　old　Father　Chevrel；　promise　to　consult　young　Lebas；　your　brother…
in…law。〃

〃Yes；　father；　I　swear　it。〃

At　these　words；　spoken　in　a　gentle　voice；　the　old　man　kissed　his
daughter　on　both　cheeks。　That　night　the　lovers　slept　as　soundly　as
Monsieur　and　Madame　Guillaume。



Some　few　months　after　this　memorable　Sunday　the　high　altar　of　Saint…
Leu　was　the　scene　of　two　very　different　weddings。　Augustine　and
Theodore　appeared　in　all　the　radiance　of　happiness；　their　eyes　beaming
with　love；　dressed　with　elegance；　while　a　fine　carriage　waited　for
them。　Virginie；　who　had　come　in　a　good　hired　fly　with　the　rest　of　the
family；　humbly　followed　her　younger　sister；　dressed　in　the　simplest
fashion　like　a　shadow　necessary　to　the　harmony　of　the　picture。
Monsieur　Guillaume　had　exerted　himself　to　the　utmost　in　the　church　to
get　Virginie　married　before　Augustine；　but　the　priests；　high　and　low；
persisted　in　addressing　the　more　elegant　of　the　two　brides。　He　heard
some　of　his　neighbors　highly　approving　the　good　sense　of　Mademoiselle
Virginie；　who　was　making；　as　they　said；　the　more　substantial　match；
and　remaining　faithful　to　the　neighborhood；　while　they　fired　a　few
taunts；　prompted　by　envy　of　Augustine；　who　was　marrying　an　artist　and
a　man　of　rank；　adding；　with　a　sort　of　dismay；　that　if　the　Guillaumes
were　ambitious；　there　was　an　end　to　the　business。　An　old　fan…maker
having　remarked　that　such　a　prodigal　would　soon　bring　his　wife　to
beggary；　father　Guillaume　prided　himself　/in　petto/　for　his　prudence
in　the　matter　of　marriage　settlements。　In　the　evening；　after　a
splendid　ball；　followed　by　one　of　those　substantial　suppers　of　which
the　memory　is　dying　out　in　the　present　generation；　Monsieur　and　Madame
Guillaume　remained　in　a　fine　house　belonging　to　them　in　the　Rue　du
Colombier；　where　the　wedding　had　been　held；　Monsieur　and　Madame　Lebas
returned　in　their　fly　to　the　old　home　in　the　Rue　Saint…Denis；　to　steer
the　good　ship　Cat　and　Racket。　The　artist；　intoxicated　with　happiness；
carried　off　his　beloved　Augustine；　and　eagerly　lifting　her　out　of
their　carriage　when　it　reached　the　Rue　des　Trois…Freres；　led　her　to　an
apartment　embellished　by　all　the　arts。

The　fever　of　passion　which　possessed　Theodore　made　a　year　fly　over　the
young　couple　without　a　single　cloud　to　dim　the　blue　sky　under　which
they　lived。　Life　did　not　hang　heavy　on　the　lovers'　hands。　Theodore
lavished　on　every　day　inexhaustible　/fioriture/　of　enjoyment；　and　he
delighted　to　vary　the　transports　of　passion　by　the　soft　languor　of
those　hours　of　repose　when　souls　soar　so　high　that　they　seem　to　have
forgotten　all　bodily　union。　Augustine　was　too　happy　for　reflection；
she　floated　on　an　undulating　tide　of　rapture；　she　thought　she　could
not　do　enough　by　abandoning　herself　to　sanctioned　and　sacred　married
love；　simple　and　artless；　she　had　no　coquetry；　no　reserves；　none　of
the　dominion　which　a　worldly…minded　girl　acquires　over　her　husband　by
ingenious　caprice；　she　loved　too　well　to　calculate　for　the　future；　and
never　imagined　that　so　exquisite　a　life　could　come　to　an　end。　Happy　in
being　her　husband's　sole　delight；　she　believed　that　her
inextinguishable　love　would　always　be　her　greatest　grace　in　his　eyes；
as　her　devotion　and　obedience　would　be　a　perennial　charm。　And；　indeed；
the　ecstasy　of　love　had　made　her　so　brilliantly　lovely　that　her　beauty
filled　her　with　pride；　and　gave　her　confidence　that　she　could　always
reign　over　a　man　so　easy　to　kindle　as　Monsieur　de　Sommervieux。　Thus
her　position　as　a　wife　brought　her　no　knowledge　but　the　lessons　of
love。

In　the　midst　of　her　happiness；　she　was　still　the　simple　child　who　had
lived　in　obscurity　in　the　Rue　Saint…Denis；　and　who　never　thought　of
acquiring　the　manners；　the　information；　the　tone　of　the　world　she　had
to　live　in。　Her　words　being　the　words　of　love；　she　revealed　in　them；
no　doubt；　a　certain　pliancy　of　mind　and　a　certain　refinement　of
speech；　but　she　used　the　language　common　to　all　women　when　they　find
themselves　plunged　in　passion；　which　seems　to　be　their　element。　When；
by　chance；　Augustine　expressed　an　idea　that　did　not　harmonize　with
Theodore's；　the　young　artist　laughed；　as　we　laugh　at　the　first
mistakes　of　a　foreigner；　though　they　end　by　annoying　us　if　they　are
not　corrected。

In　spite　of　all　this　love…making；　by　the　end　of　this　year；　as
delightful　as　it　was　swift；　Sommervieux　felt　one　morning　the　need　for
resuming　his　work　and　his　old　habits。　His　wife　was　expecting　their
first　child。　He　saw　some　friends　again。　During　the　tedious　discomforts
of　the　year　when　a　young　wife　is　nursing　an　infant　for　the　first　time；
he　worked；　no　doubt；　with　zeal；　but　he　occasionally　sought　diversion
in　the　fashionable　world。　The　house　which　he　was　best　pleased　to
frequent　was　that　of　the　Duchesse　de　Carigliano；　who　had　at　last
attracted　the　celebrated　artist　to　her　parties。　When　Augustine　was
quite　well　again；　and　her　boy　no　longer　required　the　assiduous　care
which　debars　a　mother　from　social　pleasures；　Theodore　had　come　to　the
stage　of　wishing　to　know　the　joys　of　satisfied　vanity　to　be　found　in
society　by　a　man　who　shows　himself　with　a　handsome　woman；　the　object
of　envy　and　admiration。

To　figure　in　drawing…rooms　with　the　reflected　lustre　of　her　husband's
fame；　and　to　find　other　women　envious　of　her；　was　to　Augustine　a　new
harvest　of　pleasures；　but　it　was　the　last　gleam　of　conjugal　happiness。
She　first　wounded　her　husband's　vanity　when；　in　spite　of　vain　efforts；
she　betrayed　her　ignorance；　the　inelegance　of　her　language；　and　the
narrowness　of　her　ideas。　Sommervieux's　nature；　subjugated　for　nearly
two　years　and　a　half　by　the　first　transports　of　love；　now；　in　the　calm
of　less　new　possession；　recovered　its　bent　and　habits；　for　a　while
diverted　from　their　channel。　Poetry；　painting；　and　the　subtle　joys　of
imagination　have　inalienable　rights　over　a　lofty　spirit。　These
cravings　of　a　powerful　soul　had　not　been　starved　in　Theodore　during
these　two　years；　they　had　only　found　fresh　pasture。　As　soon　as　the
meadows　of　love　had　been　ransacked；　and　the　artist　had　gathered　roses
and　cornflowers　as　the　children　do；　so　greedily　that　he　did　not　see
that　his　hands　could　hold　no　more；　the　scene　changed。　When　the　painter
showed　his　wife　the　sketches　for　his　finest　compositions　he　heard　her
exclaim；　as　her　father　had　done；　〃How　pretty！〃　This　tepid　admiration
was　not　the　outcome　of　conscientious　feeling；　but　of　her　faith　on　the
strength　of　love。

Augustine　cared　more　for　a　look　than　for　the　finest　picture。　The　only
sublime　she　knew　was　that　of　the　heart。　At　last　Theodore　could　not
resist　the　evidence　of　the　cruel　facthis　wife　was　insensible　to
poetry；　she　did　not　dwell　in　his　sphere；　she　could　not　follow　him　in
all　his　vagaries；　his　inventions；　his　joys　and　his　sorrows；　she　walked
groveling　in　the　world　of　reality；　while　his　head　was　in　the　skies。
Common　minds　cannot　appreciate　the　perennial　sufferings　of　a　being
who；　while　bound　to　another　by　the　most　intimate　affections；　is
obliged　constantly　to　suppress　the　dearest　flights　of　his　soul；　and　to
thrust　down　into　the　void　those　images　which　a　magic　power　compels　him
to　create。　To　him　the　torture　is　all　the　more　intolerable　because　his
feeling　towards　his　companion　enjoins；　as　its　first　law；　that　they
should　have　no　concealments；　but　mingle　the　aspirations　of　their
thought　as　perfectly　as　the　effusions　of　their　soul。　The　demands　of
nature　are　not　to　be　cheated。　She　is　as　inexorable　as　necessity；　which
is；　indeed；　a　sort　of　social　nature。　Sommervieux　took　refuge　in　the
peace　and　silence　of　his　studio；　hoping　that　the　habit　of　living　with
artists　might　mould　his　wife　and　develop　in　her　the　dormant　germs　of
lofty　intelligence　which　some　superior　minds　suppose　must　exist　in
every　being。　But　Augustine　was　too　sincerely　religious　not　to　take
fright　at　the　tone　of　artists。　At　the　first　dinner　Theodore　gave；　she
heard　a　young　painter　say；　with　the　childlike　lightness；　which　to　her
was　unintelligible；　and　which　redeems　a　jest　from　the　taint　of
profanity；　〃But；　madame；　your　Paradise　cannot　be　more　beautiful　than
Raphael's　Transfiguration！Well；　and　I　got　tired　of　looking　at　that。〃

Thus　Augustine　came　among　this　sparkling　set　in　a　spirit　of　distrust
which　no　one　could　fail　to　see。　She　was　a　restraint　on　their　freedom。
Now　an　artist　who　feels　restraint　is　pitiless；　he　stays　away；　or
laughs　it　to　scorn。　Madame　Guillaume；　among　other　absurdities；　had　an
excessive　notion　of　the　dignity　she　considered　the　prerogative　of　a
married　woman；　and　Augustine；　though　she　had　often　made　fun　of　it；
could　not　help　a　slight　imitation　of　her　mother's　primness。　This
extreme　propriety；　which　virtuous　wives　do　not　always　avoid；　suggested
a　few　epigrams　in　the　form　of　sketches；　in　which　the　harmless　jest　was
in　such　good　taste　that　Sommervieux　could　not　take　offence；　and　even
if　they　had　been　more　severe；　these　pleasantries　were　after　all　only
reprisals　from　his　friends。　Still；　nothing　could　seem　a　trifle　to　a
spirit　so　open　as　Theodore's　to