屋顶间的哲学家_梭维斯特-第6章

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　　　　itwasforthefirsttimesincethenthatihadeintothispartofparis。didthemothercontinuegrateful？hadthechildrenmetagain；andhadthehappychanceoftheirfirstmeetingloweredbetweenthemthatbarrierwhichmaymarkthedifferentranksofmen；butshouldnotdividethem？

　　　　whileputtingthesequestionstomyself；islackenedmypace；andfixedmyeyesonthegreatgate；whichijustperceived。suddenlyisawitopen；andtwochildrenappearedattheentrance。althoughmuchgrown；irecognizedthematfirstsight；theywerethechildwhowasfoundneartheparapetofthelouvre；andhisyoungguide。butthedressofthelatterwasgreatlychanged：hisblouseofgrayclothwasneat；andevenspruce；andwasfastenedroundthewaistbyapolishedleatherbelt；heworestrongshoes；butmadeforhisfeet；andhadonanewclothcap。

　　　　justatthemomentisawhim；heheldinhistwohandsanenormousbunchoflilacs；towhichhispanionwastryingtoaddnarcissusesandprimroses；thetwochildrenlaughed；andpartedwithafriendlygood…by。

　　　　m。duvalssondidnotgointillhehadseentheotherturnthecornerofthestreet。

　　　　theniaccostedthelatter；andremindedhimofourformermeeting；helookedatmeforamoment；andthenseemedtorecollectme。

　　　　〃forgivemeifidonotmakeyouabow；〃saidhe；merrily；〃butiwantbothmyhandsforthenosegaymonsieurcharleshasgivenme。〃

　　　　〃youare；then；beegreatfriends？〃saidi。

　　　　〃oh！ishouldthinkso；〃saidthechild；〃andnowmyfatherisrichtoo！〃

　　　　〃howsthat？〃

　　　　〃monsieurduvallenthimsomemoney；hehastakenashop；whereheworksonhisownaccount；and；asforme；igotoschool。〃

　　　　〃yes；〃repliedi；remarkingforthefirsttimethecrossthatdecoratedhislittlecoat；〃andiseethatyouarehead…boy！〃

　　　　〃monsieurcharleshelpsmetolearn；andsoiametobethefirstintheclass。〃

　　　　〃areyounowgoingtoyourlessons？〃

　　　　〃yes；andhehasgivenmesomelilacs；forhehasagardenwhereweplaytogether；andwheremymothercanalwayshaveflowers。〃

　　　　〃thenitisthesameasifitwerepartlyyourown。〃

　　　　〃soitis！ah！theyaregoodneighborsindeed。buthereiam；good…by；sir。〃

　　　　henoddedtomewithasmile；anddisappeared。

　　　　iwentonwithmywalk；stillpensive；butwithafeelingofrelief。

　　　　ifihadelsewherewitnessedthepainfulcontrastbetweenaffluenceandwant；hereihadfoundthetrueunionofrichesandpoverty。heartygood…willhadsmootheddownthemoreruggedinequalitiesonbothsides；andhadopenedaroadoftrueneighborhoodandfellowshipbetweenthehumbleworkshopandthestatelymansion。insteadofhearkeningtothevoiceofinterest；theyhadbothlistenedtothatofself…sacrifice；andtherewasnoplaceleftforcontemptorenvy。thus；insteadofthebeggarinrags；thatihadseenattheotherdoorcursingtherichman；ihadfoundherethehappychildofthelaborerloadedwithflowersandblessinghim！theproblem；sodifficultandsodangeroustoexamineintowithnoregardbutfortherightsofit；ihadjustseensolvedbylove。



　CHAPTER　V

　　　　pensation

　　　　sunday；may27th

　　　　capitalcitieshaveonethingpeculiartothem：theirdaysofrestseemtobethesignalforageneraldispersionandflight。likebirdsthatarejustrestoredtoliberty；thepeopleeoutoftheirstonecages；andjoyfullyflytowardthecountry。itiswhoshallfindagreenhillockforaseat；ortheshadeofawoodforashelter；theygathermayflowers；theyrunaboutthefields；thetownisforgottenuntiltheevening；whentheyreturnwithsprigsofbloominghawthornintheirhats；andtheirheartsgladdenedbypleasantthoughtsandrecollectionsofthepastday；thenextdaytheyreturnagaintotheirharnessandtowork。

　　　　theseruraladventuresaremostremarkableatparis。whenthefineweatheres；clerks；shopkeepers；andworkingmenlookforwardimpatientlyforthesundayasthedayfortryingafewhoursofthispastorallife；theywalkthroughsixmilesofgrocersshopsandpublic…housesinthefaubourgs；inthesolehopeoffindingarealturnip…field。

　　　　thefatherofafamilybeginsthepracticaleducationofhissonbyshowinghimwheatwhichhasnottakentheformofaloaf；andcabbage〃initswildstate。〃heavenonlyknowstheencounters；thediscoveries；theadventuresthataremetwith！whatparisianhasnothadhisodysseyinanexcursionthroughthesuburbs；andwouldnotbeabletowriteapaniontothefamoustravelsbylandandbyseafromparistost。

　　　　cloud？

　　　　wedonotnowspeakofthatfloatingpopulationfromallparts；forwhomourfrenchbabylonisthecaravansaryofeurope：aphalanxofthinkers；artists；menofbusiness；andtravellers；who；likehomershero；havearrivedintheirintellectualcountryafterbeholding〃manypeoplesandcities；〃butofthesettledparisian；whokeepshisappointedplace；andlivesonhisownfloorliketheoysteronhisrock；acuriousvestigeofthecredulity；theslowness；andthesimplicityofbygoneages。

　　　　foroneofthesingularitiesofparisis；thatitunitestwentypopulationspletelydifferentincharacterandmanners。bythesideofthegypsiesofmerceandofart；whowanderthroughalltheseveralstagesoffortuneorfancy；liveaquietraceofpeoplewithanindependence；orwithregularwork；whoseexistenceresemblesthedialofaclock；onwhichthesamehandpointsbyturnstothesamehours。

　　　　ifnoothercitycanshowmorebrilliantandmorestirringformsoflife；noothercontainsmoreobscureandmoretranquilones。greatcitiesarelikethesea：stormsagitateonlythesurface；ifyougotothebottom；youfindaregioninaccessibletothetumultandthenoise。

　　　　formypart；ihavesettledonthevergeofthisregion；butdonotactuallyliveinit。iamremovedfromtheturmoiloftheworld；andliveintheshelterofsolitude；butwithoutbeingabletodisconnectmythoughtsfromthestrugglegoingon。ifollowatadistanceallitseventsofhappinessorgrief；ijointhefeastsandthefunerals；forhowcanhewholookson；andknowswhatpasses；dootherthantakepart？

　　　　ignorancealonecankeepusstrangerstothelifearoundus：selfishnessitselfwillnotsufficeforthat。

　　　　thesereflectionsimadetomyselfinmyattic；intheintervalsofthevarioushouseholdworkstowhichabachelorisforcedwhenhehasnootherservantthanhisownreadywill。whileiwaspursuingmydeductions；ihadblackedmyboots；brushedmycoat；andtiedmycravat；ihadatlastarrivedattheimportantmomentwhenwepronounceplacentlythatallisfinished；andthatwell。

　　　　agrandresolvehadjustdecidedmetodepartfrommyusualhabits。

　　　　theeveningbefore；ihadseenbytheadvertisementsthatthenextdaywasaholidayatsevres；andthatthechinamanufactorywouldbeopentothepublic。iwastemptedbythebeautyofthemorning；andsuddenlydecidedtogothere。

　　　　onmyarrivalatthestationontheleftbank；inoticedthecrowdhurryingoninthefearofbeinglate。railroads；besidesmanyotheradvantages；possessthatofteachingthefrenchpunctuality。theywillsubmittotheclockwhentheyareconvincedthatitistheirmaster；theywilllearntowaitwhentheyfindtheywillnotbewaitedfor。

　　　　socialvirtues；are；inagreatdegree；goodhabits。howmanygreatqualitiesaregraftedintonationsbytheirgeographicalposition；bypoliticalnecessity；andbyinstitutions！avaricewasdestroyedforatimeamongthelacedaemoniansbythecreationofanironcoinage；tooheavyandtoobulkytobeconvenientlyhoarded。

　　　　ifoundmyselfinacarriagewithtwomiddle…agedwomenbelongingtothedomesticandretiredclassofparisiansihavespokenofabove。afewcivilitiesweresufficienttogainmetheirconfidence；andaftersomeminutesiwasacquaintedwiththeirwholehistory。

　　　　theyweretwopoorsisters；leftorphansatfifteen；andhadlivedeversince；asthosewhoworkfortheirlivelihoodmustlive；byeconomyandprivation。forthelasttwentyorthirtyyearstheyhadworkedinjewelryinthesamehouse；theyhadseentenmasterssucceedoneanother；andmaketheirfortunesinit；withoutanychangeintheirownlot。theyhadalwayslivedinthesameroom；attheendofoneofthepassagesintheruest。denis；wheretheairandthesunareunknown。theybegantheirworkbeforedaylight；wentonwithittillafternightfall；andsawyearsucceedtoyearwithouttheirlivesbeingmarkedbyanyothereventsthanthesundayservice；awalk；oranillness。

　　　　theyoungeroftheseworthywork…womenwasforty；andobeyedhersisterasshedidwhenachild。theelderlookedafterher；tookcareofher；andscoldedherwithamotherstenderness。atfirstitwasamusing；afterwardonecouldnothelpseeingsomethingaffectinginthesetwogray…hairedchildren；oneunabletoleaveoffthehabitofobeying；theotherthatofprotecting。

　　　　anditwasnotinthatalonethatmytwopanionsseemedyoungerthantheiryears；theyknewsolittlethattheirwonderneverceased。wehadhardlyarrivedatclamartbeforetheyinvoluntarilyexclaimed；likethekinginthechildrensgame；thatthey〃didnotthinktheworldwassogreat〃！

　　　　itwasthefirsttimetheyhadtrustedthemselvesonarailroad；anditwasamusingtoseetheirsuddenshocks；theiralarms；andtheircourageousdeterminations：everythingwasamarveltothem！theyhadremainsofyouthwithinthem；whichmadethemsensibletothingswhichusuallyonlystrikeusinchildhood。poorcreatures！theyhadstillthefeelingsofanotherage；thoughtheyhadlostitscharms。

　　　　butwastherenotsomethingholyinthissimplicity；whichhadbeenpreservedtothembyabstinencefromallthejoysoflife？ah！accursedbehewhofirsthadthehadcouragetoattachridiculetothatnameof〃oldmaid；〃whichrecallssomanyimagesofgrievousdeception；ofdreariness；andofabandonment！accursedbehewhocanfindasubjectforsarcasmininvoluntarymisfortune；andwhocancrowngrayhairswiththorns！

　　　　thetwosisterswerecalledfrancesandmadeleine。thisdaysjourneywasafeatofcouragewithoutexampleintheirlives。thefeverofthetimeshadinfectedthemunawares。yesterdaymadeleinehadsuddenlyproposedtheideaoftheexpedition；andfranceshadaccepteditimmediately。perhapsitwouldhavebeenbetternottoyieldtothegreattemptationofferedbyheryoungersister；but〃wehaveourfolliesatallages；〃astheprudentfrancesphilosophicallyremarked。asformadeleine；therearenoregretsordoubtsforher；sheisthelife…guardsmanoftheestablishment。

　　　　〃wereallymustamuseourselves；〃saidshe；〃welivebutonce。〃

　　　　andtheeldersistersmiledatthisepicureanmaxim。itwasevidentthatthefeverofindependencewasatitscrisisinbothofthem。

　　　　andintruthitwouldhavebeenagreatpityifanyscruplehadinterferedwiththeirhappiness；itwassofrankandgenial！thesightofthetrees；whichseemedtoflyonbothsidesoftheroad；causedthemunceasingadmiration。themeetingatrainpassinginthecontrarydirection；withthenoiseandrapidityofathunderbolt；madethemshuttheireyesandutteracry；butithadalreadydisappeared！theylookaround；takecourageagain；andexpressthemselvesfullofastonishmentatthemarvel。

　　　　madeleinedeclaresthatsuchasightisworththeexpenseofthejourney；andfranceswouldhaveagreedwithherifshehadnotrecollected；withsomelittlealarm；thedeficitwhichsuchanexpensemustmakeintheirbudget。thethreefrancsspentuponthissingleexpeditionwerethesavingsofawholeweekofwork。thusthejoyoftheelderofthetwosisterswasmixedwithremorse；theprodigalchildnowandthenturneditseyestowardthebackstreetofst。denis。

　　　　butthemotionandthesuccessionofobjectsdistracther。seethebridgeofthevalsurroundedbyitslovelylandscape：ontheright；pariswithitsgrandmonuments；whichrisethroughthefog；orsparkleinthesun；ontheleft；meudon；withitsvillas；itswoods；itsvines；anditsroyalcastle！thetwowork…womenlookfromonewindowtotheotherwithexclamationsofdelight。onefellow…passengerlaughsattheirchildishwonder；buttomeitisdeeplytouching；foriseeinitthesignofalongandmonotonousseclusion：theyaretheprisonersofwork；whohaverecoveredlibertyandfreshairforafewhours。

　　　　atlastthetrainstops；andwegetout。ishowthetwosistersthepaththatleadstosevres；betweentherailwayandthegardens；andtheygoonbefore；whileiinquireaboutthetimeofreturning。

　　　　isoonjointhemagainatthenextstation；wheretheyhavestoppedatthelittlegardenbelongingtothegatekeeper；botharealreadyindeepconversationwithhimwhilehedigshisgarden…borders；andmarksouttheplacesforflower…seeds。heinformsthemthatitisthetimeforhoeingoutweeds；formakinggraftsandlayers；forsowingannuals；andfordestroyingtheinsectsontherose…trees。madeleinehasonthesillofherwindowtwowoodenboxes；inwhich；forwantofairandsun；shehasneverbeenabletomakeanythinggrowbutmustardandcress；butshepersuadesherselfthat；thankstothisinformation；allotherplantsmayhenceforththriveinthem。atlastthegatekeeper；whoissowingaborderwithmignonette；giveshertherestoftheseedswh