two poets-第8章

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count　of　the　trust；　stupid　enough　and　easy　enough　to　allow　Nais　to　have　her　own　way；　and　disinterested　enough　to　take　her　without　a　dowry。　But　where　to　look　for　a　son…in…law　to　suit　father　and　daughter　equally　well；　was　the　problem。　Such　a　man　would　be　the　phoenix　of　sons…in…law。

To　M。　de　Negrepelisse　pondering　over　the　eligible　bachelors　of　the　province　with　these　double　requirements　in　his　mind。　M。　de　Bargeton　seemed　to　be　the　only　one　who　answered　to　this　description。　M。　de　Bargeton；　aged　forty；　considerably　shattered　by　the　amorous　dissipations　of　his　youth；　was　generally　held　to　be　a　man　of　remarkably　feeble　intellect；　but　he　had　just　the　exact　amount　of　commonsense　required　for　the　management　of　his　fortune；　and　breeding　sufficient　to　enable　him　to　avoid　blunders　or　blatant　follies　in　society　in　Angouleme。　In　the　bluntest　manner　M。　de　Negrepelisse　pointed　out　the　negative　virtues　of　the　model　husband　designed　for　his　daughter；　and　made　her　see　the　way　to　manage　him　so　as　to　secure　her　own　happiness。　So　Nais　married　the　bearer　of　arms；　two　hundred　years　old　already；　for　the　Bargeton　arms　are　blazoned　thus：　the　first　or；　three　attires　gules；　the　second；　three　ox's　heads　cabossed；　two　and　one；　sable；　the　third；　barry　of　six；　azure　and　argent；　in　the　first；　six　shells　or；　three；　two；　and　one。　Provided　with　a　chaperon；　Nais　could　steer　her　fortunes　as　she　chose　under　the　style　of　the　firm；　and　with　the　help　of　such　connections　as　her　wit　and　beauty　would　obtain　for　her　in　Paris。　Nais　was　enchanted　by　the　prospect　of　such　liberty。　M。　de　Bargeton　was　of　the　opinion　that　he　was　making　a　brilliant　marriage；　for　he　expected　that　in　no　long　while　M。　de　Negrepelisse　would　leave　him　the　estates　which　he　was　rounding　out　so　lovingly；　but　to　an　unprejudiced　spectator　it　certainly　seemed　as　though　the　duty　of　writing　the　bridegroom's　epitaph　might　devolve　upon　his　father…in…law。

By　this　time　Mme。　de　Bargeton　was　thirty…six　years　old　and　her　husband　fifty…eight。　The　disparity　in　age　was　the　more　startling　since　M。　de　Bargeton　looked　like　a　man　of　seventy；　whereas　his　wife　looked　scarcely　half　her　age。　She　could　still　wear　rose…color；　and　her　hair　hanging　loose　upon　her　shoulders。　Although　their　income　did　not　exceed　twelve　thousand　francs；　they　ranked　among　the　half…dozen　largest　fortunes　in　the　old　city；　merchants　and　officials　excepted；　for　M。　and　Mme。　de　Bargeton　were　obliged　to　live　in　Angouleme　until　such　time　as　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　inheritance　should　fall　in　and　they　could　go　to　Paris。　Meanwhile　they　were　bound　to　be　attentive　to　old　M。　de　Negrepelisse　（who　kept　them　waiting　so　long　that　his　son…in…law　in　fact　predeceased　him）；　and　Nais'　brilliant　intellectual　gifts；　and　the　wealth　that　lay　like　undiscovered　ore　in　her　nature；　profited　her　nothing；　underwent　the　transforming　operation　of　Time　and　changed　to　absurdities。　For　our　absurdities　spring；　in　fact；　for　the　most　part；　from　the　good　in　us；　from　some　faculty　or　quality　abnormally　developed。　Pride；　untempered　by　intercourse　with　the　great　world　becomes　stiff　and　starched　by　contact　with　petty　things；　in　a　loftier　moral　atmosphere　it　would　have　grown　to　noble　magnanimity。　Enthusiasm；　that　virtue　within　a　virtue；　forming　the　saint；　inspiring　the　devotion　hidden　from　all　eyes　and　glowing　out　upon　the　world　in　verse；　turns　to　exaggeration；　with　the　trifles　of　a　narrow　existence　for　its　object。　Far　away　from　the　centres　of　light　shed　by　great　minds；　where　the　air　is　quick　with　thought；　knowledge　stands　still；　taste　is　corrupted　like　stagnant　water；　and　passion　dwindles；　frittered　away　upon　the　infinitely　small　objects　which　it　strives　to　exalt。　Herein　lies　the　secret　of　the　avarice　and　tittle…tattle　that　poison　provincial　life。　The　contagion　of　narrow…mindedness　and　meanness　affects　the　noblest　natures；　and　in　such　ways　as　these；　men　born　to　be　great；　and　women　who　would　have　been　charming　if　they　had　fallen　under　the　forming　influence　of　greater　minds；　are　balked　of　their　lives。

Here　was　Mme。　de　Bargeton；　for　instance；　smiting　the　lyre　for　every　trifle；　and　publishing　her　emotions　indiscriminately　to　her　circle。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　when　sensations　appeal　to　an　audience　of　one；　it　is　better　to　keep　them　to　ourselves。　A　sunset　certainly　is　a　glorious　poem；　but　if　a　woman　describes　it；　in　high…sounding　words；　for　the　benefit　of　matter…of…fact　people；　is　she　not　ridiculous？　There　are　pleasures　which　can　only　be　felt　to　the　full　when　two　souls　meet；　poet　and　poet；　heart　and　heart。　She　had　a　trick　of　using　high…sounding　phrases；　interlarded　with　exaggerated　expressions；　the　kind　of　stuff　ingeniously　nicknamed　tartines　by　the　French　journalist；　who　furnishes　a　daily　supply　of　the　commodity　for　a　public　that　daily　performs　the　difficult　feat　of　swallowing　it。　She　squandered　superlatives　recklessly　in　her　talk；　and　the　smallest　things　took　giant　proportions。　It　was　at　this　period　of　her　career　that　she　began　to　type…ize；　individualize；　synthesize；　dramatize；　superiorize；　analyze；　poetize；　angelize；　neologize；　tragedify；　prosify；　and　colossifyyou　must　violate　the　laws　of　language　to　find　words　to　express　the　new…　fangled　whimsies　in　which　even　women　here　and　there　indulge。　The　heat　of　her　language　communicated　itself　to　the　brain；　and　the　dithyrambs　on　her　lips　were　spoken　out　of　the　abundance　of　her　heart。　She　palpitated；　swooned；　and　went　into　ecstasies　over　anything　and　everything；　over　the　devotion　of　a　sister　of　Charity；　and　the　execution　of　the　brothers　Fauchet；　over　M。　d'Arlincourt's　Ipsiboe；　Lewis'　Anaconda；　or　the　escape　of　La　Valette；　or　the　presence　of　mind　of　a　lady　friend　who　put　burglars　to　flight　by　imitating　a　man's　voice。　Everything　was　heroic；　extraordinary；　strange；　wonderful；　and　divine。　She　would　work　herself　into　a　state　of　excitement；　indignation；　or　depression；　she　soared　to　heaven；　and　sank　again；　gazed　at　the　sky；　or　looked　to　earth；　her　eyes　were　always　filled　with　tears。　She　wore　herself　out　with　chronic　admiration；　and　wasted　her　strength　on　curious　dislikes。　Her　mind　ran　on　the　Pasha　of　Janina；　she　would　have　liked　to　try　conclusions　with　him　in　his　seraglio；　and　had　a　great　notion　of　being　sewn　in　a　sack　and　thrown　into　the　water。　She　envied　that　blue…stocking　of　the　desert；　Lady　Hester　Stanhope；　she　longed　to　be　a　sister　of　Saint　Camilla　and　tend　the　sick　and　die　of　yellow　fever　in　a　hospital　at　Barcelona；　'twas　a　high；　a　noble　destiny！　In　short；　she　thirsted　for　any　draught　but　the　clear　spring　water　of　her　own　life；　flowing　hidden　among　green　pastures。　She　adored　Byron　and　Jean…Jacques　Rousseau；　or　anybody　else　with　a　picturesque　or　dramatic　career。　Her　tears　were　ready　to　flow　for　every　misfortune；　she　sang　paeans　for　every　victory。　She　sympathized　with　the　fallen　Napoleon；　and　with　Mehemet　Ali；　massacring　the　foreign　usurpers　of　Egypt。　In　short；　any　kind　of　genius　was　accommodated　with　an　aureole；　and　she　was　fully　persuaded　that　gifted　immortals　lived　on　incense　and　light。

A　good　many　people　looked　upon　her　as　a　harmless　lunatic；　but　in　these　extravagances　of　hers　a　keener　observer　surely　would　have　seen　the　broken　fragments　of　a　magnificent　edifice　that　had　crumbled　into　ruin　before　it　was　completed；　the　stones　of　a　heavenly　Jerusalemlove；　in　short；　without　a　lover。　And　this　was　indeed　the　fact。

The　story　of　the　first　eighteen　years　of　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　married　life　can　be　summed　up　in　a　few　words。　For　a　long　while　she　lived　upon　herself　and　distant　hopes。　Then；　when　she　began　to　see　that　their　narrow　income　put　the　longed…for　life　in　Paris　quite　out　of　the　question；　she　looked　about　her　at　the　people　with　whom　her　life　must　be　spent；　and　shuddered　at　her　loneliness。　There　was　not　a　single　man　who　could　inspire　the　madness　to　which　women　are　prone　when　they　despair　of　a　life　become　stale　and　unprofitable　in　the　present；　and　with　no　outlook　for　the　future。　She　had　nothing　to　look　for；　nothing　to　expect　from　chance；　for　there　are　lives　in　which　chance　plays　no　part。　But　when　the　Empire　was　in　the　full　noonday　of　glory；　and　Napoleon　was　sending　the　flower　of　his　troops　to　the　Peninsula；　her　disappointed　hopes　revived。　Natural　curiosity　prompted　her　to　make　an　effort　to　see　the　heroes　who　were　conquering　Europe　in　obedience　to　a　word　from　the　Emperor　in　the　order　of　the　day；　the　heroes　of　a　modern　time　who　outdid　the　mythical　feats　of　paladins　of　old。　The　cities　of　France；　however　avaricious　or　refractory；　must　perforce　do　honor　to　the　Imperial　Guard；　and　mayors　and　prefects　went　out　to　meet　them　with　set　speeches　as　if　the　conquerors　had　been　crowned　kings。　Mme。　de　Bargeton　went　to　a　ridotto　given　to　the　town　by　a　regiment；　and　fell　in　love　with　an　officer　of　a　good　family；　a　sub…lieutenant；　to　whom　the　crafty　Napoleon　had　given　a　glimpse　of　the　baton　of　a　Marshal　of　France。　Love；　restrained；　greater　and　nobler　than　the　ties　that　were　made　and　unmade　so　easily　in　those　days；　was　consecrated　coldly　by　the　hands　of　death。　On　the　battlefield　of　Wagram　a　shell　shattered　the　only　record　of　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　young　beauty；　a　portrait　worn　on　the　heart　of　the　Marquis　of　Cante…Croix。　For　long　afterwards　she　wept　for　the　young　soldier；　the　colonel　in　his　second　campaign；　for　the　heart　hot　with　love　and　glory　that　set　a　letter　from　Nais　above　Imperial　favor。　The　pain　of　those　days　cast　a　veil　of　sadness　over　her　face；　a　shadow　that　only　vanished　at　the　terrible　age　when　a　woman　first　discovers　with　dismay　that　the　best　years　of　her　life　are　over；　and　she　has　had　no　joy　of　them；　when　she　sees　her　roses　wither；　and　the　longing　for　love　is　revived　again　with　the　desire　to　linger　yet　for　a　little　on　the　last　smiles　of　youth。　Her　nobler　qualities　dealt　so　many　wounds　to　her　soul　at　the　moment　when　the　cold　of　the　provinces　seized　upon　her。　She　would　have　died　of　grief　like　the　ermine　if　by　chance　she　had　been　sullied　by　contact　with　those　men　whose　thoughts　are　bent　on　winning　a　few　sous　nightly　at　cards　after　a　good　dinner；　pride　saved　her　from　the　shabby　love　intrigues　of　the　provinces。　A　woman　so　much　above　the　level　of　those　about　her；　forced　to　decide　between　the　emptiness　of　the　men　whom　she　meets　and　the　emptiness　of　her　own　life；　can　make　but　one　choice；　marriage　and　society　became　a　cloister　for　Anais。　She　lived　by　poetry　as　the　Carmelite　lives　by　religion。　All　the　famous　foreign　books　published　in　France　for　the　first　time　between　1815　and　1821；　the　great　essayists；　M。　de　Bonald　and　M。　de　Maistre　（those　two　eagles　of　thought）all　the　lighter　French　literature；　in　short；　that　appeared　during　that　sudden　outburst　of　first　vigorous　growth　might　bring　delight　into　her　solitary　life；　but　not　flexibility　of　mind　or　body。　She　stood　strong　and　straight　like　some　forest　tree；　lightning…blasted　but　still　erect。　Her　dignity　became　a　stilted　manner；　her　social　supremacy　led　her　into　affectation　and　sentimental　over…refinements；　she　queened　it　with　her　foibles；　after　the　usual　fashion　of　those　who　allow　their　courtiers　to　adore　them。

This　was　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　past　life；　a　dreary　chronicle　which　must　be　given　if　Lucien's　position　with　regard　to　the　lady　is　to　be　comprehensible。　Lucien's　introduction　came　about　oddly　enough。　In　the　previous　winter　a　newcomer　had　brought　some　interest　into　Mme。　de　Bargeton's　monotonous　life。　The　place　of　controller　of　excise　fell　vacant；　and　M。