white lies-第48节

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This　alarmed　Rose　terribly；　and　drove　her　to　extremities。　　She　decided　to　quarrel。

〃Sir；〃　said　she；　〃I　thank　you　for　playing　the　tyrant　a　little　prematurely；　it　has　put　me　on　my　guard。　　Let　us　part；　you　and　I　are　not　suited　to　each　other；　Edouard　Riviere。〃

He　took　this　more　humbly　than　she　expected。　　〃Part！〃　said　he；　in　consternation；　〃that　is　a　terrible　word　to　pass　between　you　and　me。　Forgive　me！　I　suppose　I　am　jealous。〃

〃You　are；　you　are　actually　jealous　of　my　sister。　　Well；　I　tell　you　plainly　I　love　you；　but　I　love　my　sister　better。　　I　never　could　love　any　man　as　I　do　her；　it　is　ridiculous　to　expect　such　a　thing。〃

〃And　do　you　think　I　could　bear　to　play　second　fiddle　to　her　all　my　life？〃

〃I　don't　ask　you。　　Go　and　play　first　trumpet　to　some　other　lady。〃

〃You　speak　your　wishes　so　plainly　now；　I　have　nothing　to　do　but　to　obey。〃

He　kissed　her　hand　and　went　away　disconsolately。

Rose；　instead　of　going　to　Josephine；　her　determination　to　do　which　had　mainly　caused　the　quarrel；　sat　sadly　down；　and　leaned　her　head　on　her　hand。　　〃I　am　cruel。　　I　am　ungrateful。　　He　has　gone　away　broken…hearted。　　And　what　shall　I　do　without　him？little　fool！　　I　love　him　better　than　he　loves　me。　　He　will　never　forgive　me。　　I　have　wounded　his　vanity；　and　they　are　vainer　than　we　are。　　If　we　meet　at　dinner　I　will　be　so　kind　to　him；　he　will　forget　it　all。　　No！　Edouard　will　not　come　to　dinner。　　He　is　not　a　spaniel　that　you　can　beat；　and　then　whistle　back　again。　　Something　tells　me　I　have　lost　him；　and　if　I　have；　what　shall　I　do？　　I　will　write　him　a　note。　　I　will　ask　him　to　forgive　me。〃

She　sat　down　at　the　table；　and　took　a　sheet　of　notepaper　and　began　to　write　a　few　conciliatory　words。　　She　was　so　occupied　in　making　these　kind　enough；　and　not　too　kind；　that　a　light　step　approached　her　unobserved。　　She　looked　up　and　there　was　Edouard。　　She　whipped　the　paper　off　the　table。

A　look　of　suspicion　and　misery　crossed　Edouard's　face。

Rose　caught　it；　and　said；　〃Well；　am　I　to　be　affronted　any　more？〃

〃No；　Rose。　　I　came　back　to　beg　you　to　forget　what　passed　just　now；〃　said　he。

Rose's　eye　flashed；　his　return　showed　her　her　power。　　She　abused　it　directly。

〃How　can　I　forget　it　if　you　come　reminding　me？〃

〃Dear　Rose；　now　don't　be　so　unkind；　so　cruelI　have　not　come　back　to　tease　you；　sweet　one。　　I　come　to　know　what　I　can　do　to　please　you；　to　make　you　love　me　again？〃　and　he　was　about　to　kneel　graciously　on　one　knee。

〃I'll　tell　you。　　Don't　come　near　me　for　a　month。〃

Edouard　started　up；　white　as　ashes　with　mortification　and　wounded　love。

〃This　is　how　you　treat　me　for　humbling　myself；　when　it　is　you　that　ought　to　ask　forgiveness。〃

〃Why　should　I　ask　what　I　don't　care　about？〃

〃What　DO　you　care　about？except　that　sister　of　yours？　　You　have　no　heart。　　And　on　this　cold…blooded　creature　I　have　wasted　a　love　an　empress　might　have　been　proud　of　inspiring。　　I　pray　Heaven　some　man　may　sport　with　your　affections；　you　heartless　creature；　as　you　have　played　with　mine；　and　make　you　suffer　what　I　suffer　now！〃

And　with　a　burst　of　inarticulate　grief　and　rage　he　flung　out　of　the　room。

Rose　sank　trembling　on　the　sofa　a　little　while：　then　with　a　mighty　effort　rose　and　went　to　comfort　her　sister。

Edouard　came　no　more　to　Beaurepaire。


There　is　an　old　French　proverb；　and　a　wise　one；　〃Rien　n'est　certain　que　l'imprevu；〃　it　means　you　can　make　sure　of　nothing　but　this；　that　matters　will　not　turn　as　you　feel　sure　they　will。　　And；　even　for　this　reason；　you；　who　are　thinking　of　suicide　because　trade　is　declining；　speculation　failing；　bankruptcy　impending；　or　your　life　going　to　be　blighted　forever　by　unrequited　loveDON'T　DO　IT。　Whether　you　are　English；　American；　French；　or　German；　listen　to　a　man　that　knows　what　is　what；　and　DON'T　DO　IT。　　I　tell　you　none　of　those　horrors；　when　they　really　come；　will　affect　you　as　you　fancy　they　will。　　The　joys　we　expect　are　not　a　quarter　so　bright；　nor　the　troubles　half　so　dark　as　we　think　they　will　be。　　Bankruptcy　coming　is　one　thing；　come　is　quite　another：　and　no　heart　or　life　was　ever　really　blighted　at　twenty　years　of　age。　　The　love…sick　girls　that　are　picked　out　of　the　canal　alive；　all；　without　exception；　marry　another　man；　have　brats；　and　get　to　screech　with　laughter　when　they　think　of　sweetheart　No。　1；　generally　a　blockhead；　or　else　a　blackguard；　whom　they　were　fools　enough　to　wet　their　clothes　for；　let　alone　kill　their　souls。　　This　happens　INVARIABLY。　　The　love…sick　girls　that　are　picked　out　of　the　canal　dead　have　fled　from　a　year's　misery　to　eternal　pain；　from　grief　that　time　never　failed　to　cure；　to　anguish　incurable。　　In　this　world　〃Rien　n'est　certain　que　l'imprevu。〃

Edouard　and　Rose　were　tender　lovers；　at　a　distance。　　How　much　happier　and　more　loving　they　thought　they　should　be　beneath　the　same　roof。　　They　came　together：　their　prominent　faults　of　character　rubbed：　the　secret　that　was　in　the　house　did　its　work：　and　altogether；　they　quarrelled。　　L'imprevu。

Dard　had　been　saying　to　Jacintha　for　ever　so　long；　〃When　granny　dies；　I　will　marry　you。〃

Granny　died。　　Dard　took　possession　of　her　little　property。　　Up　came　a　glittering　official；　and　turned　him　out；　he　was　not　her　heir。　Perrin；　the　notary；　was。　　He　had　bought　the　inheritance　of　her　two　sons；　long　since　dead。

Dard　had　not　only　looked　on　the　cottage　and　cow；　as　his；　but　had　spoken　of　them　as　such　for　years。　　The　disappointment　and　the　irony　of　comrades　ate　into　him。

〃I　will　leave　this　cursed　place；〃　said　he。

Josephine　instantly　sent　for　him　to　Beaurepaire。　　He　came；　and　was　factotum　with　the　novelty　of　a　fixed　salary。　　Jacintha　accommodated　him　with　a　new　little　odd　job　or　two。　　She　set　him　to　dance　on　the　oak　floors　with　a　brush　fastened　to　his　right　foot；　and；　after　a　rehearsal　or　two；　she　made　him　wait　at　table。　　Didn't　he　bang　the　things　about：　and　when　he　brought　a　lady　a　dish；　and　she　did　not　instantly　attend；　he　gave　her　elbow　a　poke　to　attract　attention：　then　she　squeaked；　and　he　grinned　at　her　double　absurdity　in　minding　a　touch；　and　not　minding　the　real　business　of　the　table。

But　his　wrongs　rankled　in　him。　　He　vented　antique　phrases　such　as；　〃I　want　a　change；〃　　〃This　village　is　the　last　place　the　Almighty　made；〃　etc。

Then　he　was　attacked　with　a　moral　disease：　affected　the　company　of　soldiers。　　He　spent　his　weekly　salary　carousing　with　the　military；　a　class　of　men　so　brilliant　that　they　are　not　expected　to　pay　for　their　share　of　the　drink；　they　contribute　the　anecdotes　and　the　familiar　appeals　to　Heaven：　and　is　not　that　enough？

Present　at　many　recitals；　the　heroes　of　which　lost　nothing　by　being　their　own　historians；　Dard　imbibed　a　taste　for　military　adventure。　His　very　talk；　which　used　to　be　so　homely；　began　now　to　be　tinselled　with　big　swelling　words　of　vanity　imported　from　the　army。　　I　need　hardly　say　these　bombastical　phrases　did　not　elevate　his　general　dialect：　they　lay　fearfully　distinct　upon　the　surface；　〃like　lumps　of　marl　upon　a　barren　soil；　encumbering　the　ground　they　could　not　fertilize。〃

Jacintha　took　leave　to　remind　him　of　an　incident　connected　with　warfarewounds。

〃Do　you　remember　how　you　were　down　upon　your　luck　when　you　did　but　cut　your　foot？　　Why；　that　is　nothing　in　the　army。　　They　never　go　out　to　fight　but　some　come　back　with　arms　off；　and　some　with　legs　off　and　some　with　heads；　and　the　rest　don't　come　back　at　all：　and　how　would　you　like　that？〃

This　intrusion　of　statistics　into　warfare　at　first　cooled　Dard's　impatience　for　the　field。　　But　presently　the　fighting　half　of　his　heart　received　an　ally　in　one　Sergeant　La　Croix　（not　a　bad　name　for　a　military　aspirant）。　　This　sergeant　was　at　the　village　waiting　to　march　with　the　new　recruits　to　the　Rhine。　　Sergeant　La　Croix　was　a　man　who；　by　force　of　eloquence；　could　make　soldiering　appear　the　most　delightful　as　well　as　glorious　of　human　pursuits。　　His　tongue　fired　the　inexperienced　soul　with　a　love　of　arms；　as　do　the　drums　and　trumpets　and　tramp　of　soldiers；　and　their　bayonets　glittering　in　the　sun。　　He　would　have　been　worth　his　weight　in　fustian　here；　where　we　recruit　by　that　and　jargon；　he　was　superfluous　in　France；　where　they　recruited　by　force：　but　he　was　ornamental：　and　he　set　Dard　and　one　or　two　more　on　fire。　　Indeed；　so　absorbing　was　his　sense　of　military　glory；　that　there　was　no　room　left　in　him　for　that　mere　verbal　honor　civilians　call　veracity。

To　speak　plainly；　the　sergeant　was　a　fluent；　fertile；　interesting；　sonorous；　prompt；　audacious　liar：　and　such　was　his　success；　that　Dard　and　one　or　two　more　became　mere　human　fiction　pipesof　comparatively　small　diameterirrigating　a　rural　district　with　false　views　of　military　life；　derived　from　that　inexhaustible　reservoir；　La　Croix。

At　last　the　long…threatened　conscription　was　levied：　every　person　fit　to　bear　arms；　and　not　coming　under　the　allowed　exceptions；　drew　a　number：　and　at　a　certain　hour　the　numbers　corresponding　to　these　were　deposited　in　an　urn；　and　one…third　of　them　were　drawn　in　presence　of　the　authorities。　　Those　men　whose　numbers　were　drawn　had　to　go　for　soldiers。　　Jacintha　awaited　the　result　in　great　anxiety。　She　could　not　sit　at　home　for　it；　so　she　went　down　the　road　to　meet　Dard；　who　had　promised　to　come　and　tell　her　the　result　as　soon　as　known。　　At　last　she　saw　him　approaching　in　a　d