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第10节

the marriage contract-第10节

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theatres; buys pictures and plays at ecarte; he has coffers in which

gold is received on deposit and is later returned in bank…bills;a

notary who follows his epoch; risks capital in doubtful investments;

speculates with all he can lay his hands on; and expects to retire

with an income of thirty thousand francs after ten years' practice; in

short; the notary whose cleverness comes of his duplicity; whom many

men fear as an accomplice possessing their secrets; and who sees in

his practice a means of ultimately marrying some blue…stockinged

heiress。



When the slender; fair…haired Solonet; curled; perfumed; and booted

like the leading gentleman at the Vaudeville; and dressed like a dandy

whose most important business is a duel; entered Madame Evangelista's

salon; preceding his brother notary; whose advance was delayed by a

twinge of the gout; the two men presented to the life one of those

famous caricatures entitled 〃Former Times and the Present Day;〃 which

had such eminent success under the Empire。 If Madame and Mademoiselle

Evangelista to whom the 〃good Monsieur Mathias;〃 was personally

unknown; felt; on first seeing him; a slight inclination to laugh;

they were soon touched by the old…fashioned grace with which he

greeted them。 The words he used were full of that amenity which

amiable old men convey as much by the ideas they suggest as by the

manner in which they express them。 The younger notary; with his

flippant tone; seemed on a lower plane。 Mathias showed his superior

knowledge of life by the reserved manner with which he accosted Paul。

Without compromising his white hairs; he showed that he respected the

young man's nobility; while at the same time he claimed the honor due

to old age; and made it felt that social rights are natural。 Solonet's

bow and greeting; on the contrary; expressed a sense of perfect

equality; which would naturally affront the pretensions of a man of

society and make the notary ridiculous in the eyes of a real noble。

Solonet made a motion; somewhat too familiar; to Madame Evangelista;

inviting her to a private conference in the recess of a window。 For

some minutes they talked to each other in a low voice; giving way now

and then to laughter;no doubt to lessen in the minds of others the

importance of the conversation; in which Solonet was really

communicating to his sovereign lady the plan of battle。



〃But;〃 he said; as he ended; 〃will you have the courage to sell your

house?〃



〃Undoubtedly;〃 she replied。



Madame Evangelista did not choose to tell her notary the motive of

this heroism; which struck him greatly。 Solonet's zeal might have

cooled had he known that his client was really intending to leave

Bordeaux。 She had not as yet said anything about that intention to

Paul; in order not to alarm him with the preliminary steps and

circumlocutions which must be taken before he entered on the political

life she planned for him。



After dinner the two plenipotentiaries left the loving pair with the

mother; and betook themselves to an adjoining salon where their

conference was arranged to take place。 A dual scene then followed on

this domestic stage: in the chimney…corner of the great salon a scene

of love; in which to all appearances life was smiles and joy; in the

other room; a scene of gravity and gloom; where selfish interests;

baldly proclaimed; openly took the part they play in life under

flowery disguises。



〃My dear master;〃 said Solonet; 〃the document can remain under your

lock and key; I know very well what I owe to my old preceptor。〃

Mathias bowed gravely。 〃But;〃 continued Solonet; unfolding the rough

copy of a deed he had made his clerk draw up; 〃as we are the oppressed

party; I mean the daughter; I have written the contractwhich will

save you trouble。 We marry with our rights under the rule of community

of interests; with general donation of our property to each other in

case of death without heirs; if not; donation of one…fourth as life

interest; and one…fourth in fee; the sum placed in community of

interests to be one…fourth of the respective property of each party;

the survivor to possess the furniture without appraisal。 It's all as

simple as how d'ye do。〃



〃Ta; ta; ta; ta;〃 said Mathias; 〃I don't do business as one sings a

tune。 What are your claims?〃



〃What are yours?〃 said Solonet。



〃Our property;〃 replied Mathias; 〃is: the estate of Lanstrac; which

brings in a rental of twenty…three thousand francs a year; not

counting the natural products。 Item: the farms of Grassol and Guadet;

each worth three thousand six hundred francs a year。 Item: the

vineyard of Belle…Rose; yielding in ordinary years sixteen thousand

francs; total; forty…six thousand two hundred francs a year。 Item: the

patrimonial mansion at Bordeaux taxed for nine hundred francs。 Item: a

handsome house; between court and garden in Paris; rue de la

Pepiniere; taxed for fifteen hundred francs。 These pieces of property;

the title…deeds of which I hold; are derived from our father and

mother; except the house in Paris; which we bought ourselves。 We must

also reckon in the furniture of the two houses; and that of the

chateau of Lanstrac; estimated at four hundred and fifty thousand

francs。 There's the table; the cloth; and the first course。 What do

you bring for the second course and the dessert?〃



〃Our rights;〃 replied Solonet。



〃Specify them; my friend;〃 said Mathias。 〃What do you bring us? Where

is the inventory of the property left by Monsieur Evangelista? Show me

the liquidation; the investment of the amount。 Where is your capital?

if there is any capital。 Where is your landed property?if you have

any。 In short; let us see your guardianship account; and tell us what

you bring and what your mother will secure to us。〃



〃Does Monsieur le Comte de Manerville love Mademoiselle Evangelista?〃



〃He wishes to make her his wife if the marriage can be suitably

arranged;〃 said the old notary。 〃I am not a child; this matter

concerns our business; and not our feelings。〃



〃The marriage will be off unless you show generous feeling; and for

this reason;〃 continued Solonet。 〃No inventory was made at the death

of our husband; we are Spaniards; Creoles; and know nothing of French

laws。 Besides; we were too deeply grieved at our loss to think at such

a time of the miserable formalities which occupy cold hearts。 It is

publicly well known that our late husband adored us; and that we

mourned for him sincerely。 If we did have a settlement of accounts

with a short inventory attached; made; as one may say; by common

report; you can thank our surrogate guardian; who obliged us to

establish a status and assign to our daughter a fortune; such as it

is; at a time when we were forced to withdraw from London our English

securities; the capital of which was immense; and re…invest the

proceeds in Paris; where interests were doubled。〃



〃Don't talk nonsense to me。 There are various ways of verifying the

property。 What was the amount of your legacy tax? Those figures will

enable us to get at the total。 Come to the point。 Tell us frankly what

you received from the father's estate and how much remains of it。 If

we are very much in love we'll see then what we can do。〃



〃If you are marrying us for our money you can go about your business。

We have claims to more than a million; but all that remains to our

mother is this house and furniture and four hundred odd thousand

francs invested about 1817 in the Five…per…cents; which yield about

forty…thousand francs a year。〃



〃Then why do you live in a style that requires one hundred thousand a

year at the least?〃 cried Mathias; horror…stricken。



〃Our daughter has cost us the eyes out of our head;〃 replied Solonet。

〃Besides; we like to spend money。 Your jeremiads; let me tell you;

won't recover two farthings of the money。〃



〃With the fifty thousand francs a year which belong to Mademoiselle

Natalie you could have brought her up handsomely without coming to

ruin。 But if you have squandered everything while you were a girl what

will it be when you are a married woman?〃



〃Then drop us altogether;〃 said Solonet。 〃The handsomest girl in

Bordeaux has a right to spend more than she has; if she likes。〃



〃I'll talk to my client about that;〃 said the old notary。



〃Very good; old father Cassandra; go and tell your client that we

haven't a penny;〃 thought Solonet; who; in the solitude of his study;

had strategically massed his forces; drawn up his propositions; manned

the drawbridge of discussion; and prepared the point at which the

opposing party; thinking the affair a failure; could suddenly be led

into a compromise which would end in the triumph of his client。



The white dress with its rose…colored ribbons; the Sevigne curls;

Natalie's tiny foot; her winning glance; her pretty fingers constantly

employed in adjusting curls that needed no adjustment; these girlish

manoeuvres 

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