two poets-第12章

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ks；　and　the　necessity　of　the　baptism　was　plain　to　him。

〃Dear　child；〃　said　Louise；　with　tender　mockery　in　her　tones；　〃the　sooner　it　is　done；　the　sooner　it　will　be　sanctioned。〃

She　went　through　social　strata　and　showed　the　poet　that　this　step　would　raise　him　many　rungs　higher　in　the　ladder。　Seizing　the　moment；　she　persuaded　Lucien　to　forswear　the　chimerical　notions　of　'89　as　to　equality；　she　roused　a　thirst　for　social　distinction　allayed　by　David's　cool　commonsense；　she　pointed　out　fashionable　society　as　the　goal　and　the　only　stage　for　such　a　talent　as　his。　The　rabid　Liberal　became　a　Monarchist　in　petto；　Lucien　set　his　teeth　in　the　apple　of　desire　of　rank；　luxury；　and　fame。　He　swore　to　win　a　crown　to　lay　at　his　lady's　feet；　even　if　there　should　be　blood…stains　on　the　bays。　He　would　conquer　at　any　cost；　quibuscumque　viis。　To　prove　his　courage；　he　told　her　of　his　present　way　of　life；　Louise　had　known　nothing　of　its　hardships；　for　there　is　an　indefinable　pudency　inseparable　from　strong　feeling　in　youth；　a　delicacy　which　shrinks　from　a　display　of　great　qualities；　and　a　young　man　loves　to　have　the　real　quality　of　his　nature　discerned　through　the　incognito。　He　described　that　life；　the　shackles　of　poverty　borne　with　pride；　his　days　of　work　for　David；　his　nights　of　study。　His　young　ardor　recalled　memories　of　the　colonel　of　six…and…twenty；　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　eyes　grew　soft；　and　Lucien；　seeing　this　weakness　in　his　awe…inspiring　mistress；　seized　a　hand　that　she　had　abandoned　to　him；　and　kissed　it　with　the　frenzy　of　a　lover　and　a　poet　in　his　youth。　Louise　even　allowed　him　to　set　his　eager；　quivering　lips　upon　her　forehead。

〃Oh；　child！　child！　if　any　one　should　see　us；　I　should　look　very　ridiculous；〃　she　said；　shaking　off　the　ecstatic　torpor。

In　the　course　of　that　evening；　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　wit　made　havoc　of　Lucien's　prejudices；　as　she　styled　them。　Men　of　genius；　according　to　her　doctrine；　had　neither　brothers　nor　sisters　nor　father　nor　mother；　the　great　tasks　laid　upon　them　required　that　they　should　sacrifice　everything　that　they　might　grow　to　their　full　stature。　Perhaps　their　families　might　suffer　at　first　from　the　all…absorbing　exactions　of　a　giant　brain；　but　at　a　later　day　they　were　repaid　a　hundredfold　for　self…denial　of　every　kind　during　the　early　struggles　of　the　kingly　intellect　with　adverse　fate；　they　shared　the　spoils　of　victory。　Genius　was　answerable　to　no　man。　Genius　alone　could　judge　of　the　means　used　to　an　end　which　no　one　else　could　know。　It　was　the　duty　of　a　man　of　genius；　therefore；　to　set　himself　above　law；　it　was　his　mission　to　reconstruct　law；　the　man　who　is　master　of　his　age　may　take　all　that　he　needs；　run　any　risks；　for　all　is　his。　She　quoted　instances。　Bernard　Palissy；　Louis　XI。；　Fox；　Napoleon；　Christopher　Columbus；　and　Julius　Caesar；all　these　world…famous　gamblers　had　begun　life　hampered　with　debt；　or　as　poor　men；　all　of　them　had　been　misunderstood；　taken　for　madmen；　reviled　for　bad　sons；　bad　brothers；　bad　fathers；　and　yet　in　after　life　each　one　had　come　to　be　the　pride　of　his　family；　of　his　country；　of　the　civilized　world。

Her　arguments　fell　upon　fertile　soil　in　the　worst　of　Lucien's　nature；　and　spread　corruption　in　his　heart；　for　him；　when　his　desires　were　hot；　all　means　were　admissible。　Butfailure　is　high　treason　against　society；　and　when　the　fallen　conqueror　has　run　amuck　through　bourgeois　virtues；　and　pulled　down　the　pillars　of　society；　small　wonder　that　society；　finding　Marius　seated　among　the　ruins；　should　drive　him　forth　in　abhorrence。　All　unconsciously　Lucien　stood　with　the　palm　of　genius　on　the　one　hand　and　a　shameful　ending　in　the　hulks　upon　the　other；　and；　on　high　upon　the　Sinai　of　the　prophets；　beheld　no　Dead　Sea　covering　the　cities　of　the　plainthe　hideous　winding…sheet　of　Gomorrah。

So　well　did　Louise　loosen　the　swaddling…bands　of　provincial　life　that　confined　the　heart　and　brain　of　her　poet　that　the　said　poet　determined　to　try　an　experiment　upon　her。　He　wished　to　feel　certain　that　this　proud　conquest　was　his　without　laying　himself　open　to　the　mortification　of　a　rebuff。　The　forthcoming　soiree　gave　him　his　opportunity。　Ambition　blended　with　his　love。　He　loved；　and　he　meant　to　rise；　a　double　desire　not　unnatural　in　young　men　with　a　heart　to　satisfy　and　the　battle　of　life　to　fight。　Society；　summoning　all　her　children　to　one　banquet；　arouses　ambition　in　the　very　morning　of　life。　Youth　is　robbed　of　its　charm；　and　generous　thoughts　are　corrupted　by　mercenary　scheming。　The　idealist　would　fain　have　it　otherwise；　but　intrusive　fact　too　often　gives　the　lie　to　the　fiction　which　we　should　like　to　believe；　making　it　impossible　to　paint　the　young　man　of　the　nineteenth　century　other　than　he　is。　Lucien　imagined　that　his　scheming　was　entirely　prompted　by　good　feeling；　and　persuaded　himself　that　it　was　done　solely　for　his　friend　David's　sake。

He　wrote　a　long　letter　to　his　Louise；　he　felt　bolder；　pen　in　hand；　than　face　to　face。　In　a　dozen　sheets；　copied　out　three　several　times；　he　told　her　of　his　father's　genius　and　blighted　hopes　and　of　his　grinding　poverty。　He　described　his　beloved　sister　as　an　angel；　and　David　as　another　Cuvier；　a　great　man　of　the　future；　and　a　father；　friend；　and　brother　to　him　in　the　present。　He　should　feel　himself　unworthy　of　his　Louise's　love　（his　proudest　distinction）　if　he　did　not　ask　her　to　do　for　David　all　that　she　had　done　for　him。　He　would　give　up　everything　rather　than　desert　David　Sechard；　David　must　witness　his　success。　It　was　one　of　those　wild　letters　in　which　a　young　man　points　a　pistol　at　a　refusal；　letters　full　of　boyish　casuistry　and　the　incoherent　reasoning　of　an　idealist；　a　delicious　tissue　of　words　embroidered　here　and　there　by　the　naive　utterances　that　women　love　so　wellunconscious　revelations　of　the　writer's　heart。

Lucien　left　the　letter　with　the　housemaid；　went　to　the　office；　and　spent　the　day　in　reading　proofs；　superintending　the　execution　of　orders；　and　looking　after　the　affairs　of　the　printing…house。　He　said　not　a　word　to　David。　While　youth　bears　a　child's　heart；　it　is　capable　of　sublime　reticence。　Perhaps；　too；　Lucien　began　to　dread　the　Phocion's　axe　which　David　could　wield　when　he　chose；　perhaps　he　was　afraid　to　meet　those　clear…sighted　eyes　that　read　the　depths　of　his　soul。　But　when　he　read　Chenier's　poems　with　David；　his　secret　rose　from　his　heart　to　his　lips　at　the　sting　of　a　reproach　that　he　felt　as　the　patient　feels　the　probing　of　a　wound。



And　now　try　to　understand　the　thoughts　that　troubled　Lucien's　mind　as　he　went　down　from　Angouleme。　Was　the　great　lady　angry　with　him？　Would　she　receive　David？　Had　he；　Lucien；　in　his　ambition；　flung　himself　headlong　back　into　the　depths　of　L'Houmeau？　Before　he　set　that　kiss　on　Louise's　forehead；　he　had　had　time　to　measure　the　distance　between　a　queen　and　her　favorite；　so　far　had　he　come　in　five　months；　and　he　did　not　tell　himself　that　David　could　cross　over　the　same　ground　in　a　moment。　Yet　he　did　not　know　how　completely　the　lower　orders　were　excluded　from　this　upper　world；　he　did　not　so　much　as　suspect　that　a　second　experiment　of　this　kind　meant　ruin　for　Mme。　de　Bargeton。　Once　accused　and　fairly　convicted　of　a　liking　for　canaille；　Louise　would　be　driven　from　the　place；　her　caste　would　shun　her　as　men　shunned　a　leper　in　the　Middle　Ages。　Nais　might　have　broken　the　moral　law；　and　her　whole　circle；　the　clergy　and　the　flower　of　the　aristocracy；　would　have　defended　her　against　the　world　through　thick　and　then；　but　a　breach　of　another　law；　the　offence　of　admitting　all　sorts　of　people　to　her　house　this　was　sin　without　remission。　The　sins　of　those　in　power　are　always　overlookedonce　let　them　abdicate；　and　they　shall　pay　the　penalty。　And　what　was　it　but　abdication　to　receive　David？

But　if　Lucien　did　not　see　these　aspects　of　the　question；　his　aristocratic　instinct　discerned　plenty　of　difficulties　of　another　kind；　and　he　took　alarm。　A　fine　manner　is　not　the　invariable　outcome　of　noble　feeling；　and　while　no　man　at　court　had　a　nobler　air　than　Racine；　Corneille　looked　very　much　like　a　cattle…dealer；　and　Descartes　might　have　been　taken　for　an　honest　Dutch　merchant；　and　visitors　to　La　Brede；　meeting　Montesquieu　in　a　cotton　nightcap；　carrying　a　rake　over　his　shoulder；　mistook　him　for　a　gardener。　A　knowledge　of　the　world；　when　it　is　not　sucked　in　with　mother's　milk　and　part　of　the　inheritance　of　descent；　is　only　acquired　by　education；　supplemented　by　certain　gifts　of　chancea　graceful　figure；　distinction　of　feature；　a　certain　ring　in　the　voice。　All　these；　so　important　trifles；　David　lacked；　while　Nature　had　bestowed　them　upon　his　friend。　Of　gentle　blood　on　the　mother's　side；　Lucien　was　a　Frank；　even　down　to　the　high…　arched　instep。　David　had　inherited　the　physique　of　his　father　the　pressman　and　the　flat　foot　of　the　Gael。　Lucien　could　hear　the　shower　of　jokes　at　David's　expense；　he　could　see　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　repressed　smile；　and　at　length；　without　being　exactly　ashamed　of　his　brother；　he　made　up　his　mind　to　disregard　his　first　impulse　and　to　think　twice　before　yielding　to　it　in　future。

So；　after　the　hour　of　poetry　and　self…sacrifice；　after　the　reading　of　verse　that　opened　out　before　the　friends　the　fields　of　literature　in　the　light　of　a　newly…risen　sun；　the　hour　of　worldly　wisdom　and　of　scheming　struck　for　Lucien。

Down　once　more　in　L'Houmeau　he　wished　that　he　had　not　written　that　letter；　he　wished　he　could　have　it　back　again；　for　down　the　vista　of　the　future　he　caught　a　glimpse　of　the　inexorable　laws　of　the　world。　He　guessed　that　nothing　succeeds　like　success；　and　it　cost　him　something　to　step　down　from　the　first　rung　of　the　scaling　ladder　by　which　he　meant　to　reach　and　storm　the　heights　above。　Pictures　of　his　quiet　and　simple　life　rose　before　him；　pictures　fair　with　the　brightest　colors　of　blossoming　love。　There　was　David；　what　a　genius　David　hadDavid　who　had　helped　him　so　generously；　and　would　die　for　him　at　need；　he　thought　of　his　mother；　of　how　great　a　lady　she　was　in　her　lowly　lot；　and　how　she　thought　that　he　was　as　good　as　he　was　clever；　then　of　his　sister　so　gracious　in　submission　to　her　fate；　of　his　own　innocent　childhood　and　conscience　as　yet　unstained；　of　budding　hopes　undespoiled　by　rough　winds；　and　at　these　thoughts　the　past　broke　into　flowers　once　more　for　his　memory。

Then　he　told　himself　that　it　was　a　far　finer　thing　to　hew　his　own　way　through　serried　hostile　mobs　of　aristocrats　or　philistines　by　repeated　successful　strokes；　than　to　reach　the　goal　through　a　woman's　favor。　Sooner　or　later　his　genius　should　shine　out；　it　had　been　so　with　the　others；　his　predecessors；　they　had　tamed　society。　Women　would　love　him　when　that　day　came！　The　example　of　Napoleon；　which；　unluckily　for　this　nineteenth　century　of　ours；　has　filled　a　great　many　ordinary　persons　with　aspirations　after　extraordinary　destinies；the　example　of　Napoleon　occurred　to　Lucien's　mind。　He　flung　his　schemes　to　the　winds　and　blamed　himself　for　thinking　of　them。　For　Lucien　was　so　made　that　he　went　from　evil　to　good；　or　from　good　to　evil；　with　the　same　facility。

Lucien　had　none　of　the　scholar's　love　for　his　retreat；　for　the　past　month　indeed　he　had　felt　something　like　shame　at　the　sight　of　the　shop　front；　where　you　could　read

　　POSTEL　（LATE　CHARDON）；　PHARMACEUTICAL　CHEMIST；

in　yellow　letters　on　a　green　ground。　It　was　an　offence　to　him　that　his　father's　name