white lies-第60章

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The　baroness　took　her　son　Raynal　to　Paris；　and　there；　with　keen　eye；　selected　him　a　wife。　　She　proved　an　excellent　one。　　It　would　have　been　hard　if　she　had　not；　for　the　baroness　with　the　severe　sagacity　of　her　age　and　sex；　had　set　aside　as　naught　a　score　of　seeming　angels；　before　she　could　suit　herself　with　a　daughter…in…law。　　At　first　the　Raynals　very　properly　saw　little　of　the　Dujardins；　but　when　both　had　been　married　some　years；　the　recollection　of　that　fleeting　and　nominal　connection　waxed　faint；　while　the　memory　of　great　benefits　conferred　on　both　sides　remained　lively　as　ever　in　hearts　so　great；　and　there　was　a　warm；　a　sacred　friendship　between　the　two　housesa　friendship　of　the　ancient　Greeks；　not　of　the　modern　club…house。

Camille　and　Josephine　were　blessed　almost　beyond　the　lot　of　humanity：　none　can　really　appreciate　sunshine　but　those　who　come　out　of　the　cold　dark。　　And　so　with　happiness。　　For　years　they　could　hardly　be　said　to　live　like　mortals：　they　basked　in　bliss。　　But　it　was　a　near　thing；　for　they　but　just　scraped　clear　of　life…long　misery；　and　death's　cold　touch　grazed　them　both　as　they　went。

Yet　they　had　heroic　virtues　to　balance　White　Lies　in　the　great　Judge's　eye。

A　wholesome　lesson；　therefore；　and　a　warning　may　be　gathered　from　this　story：　and　I　know　many　novelists　who　would　have　preached　that　lesson　at　some　length　in　every　other　chapter；　and　interrupted　the　sacred　narrative　to　do　it。　　But　when　I　read　stories　so　mutilated；　I　think　of　a　circumstance　related　by　Mr。　Joseph　Miller。

〃An　Englishman　sojourning　in　some　part　of　Scotland　was　afflicted　with　many　hairs　in　the　butter；　and　remonstrated。　　He　was　told；　in　reply；　that　the　hairs　and　the　butter　came　from　one　sourcethe　cow；　and　that　the　just　and　natural　proportions　hitherto　observed；　could　not　be　deranged；　and　bald　butter　inventedfor　ONE。　　'So　be　it；'　said　the　Englishman；　'but　let　me　have　the　butter　in　one　plate；　and　the　hairs　in　another。'〃

Acting　on　this　hint；　I　have　reserved　some　admirable　remarks；　reflections；　discourses；　and　tirades；　until　the　story　should　be　ended；　and　the　other　plate　be　ready　for　the　subsidiary　sermon。

And　now　that　the　proper　time　is　come；　that　love　of　intruding　one's　own　wisdom　in　one's　own　person　on　the　reader；　which　has　marred　so　many　works　of　art；　is　in　my　case　restrainedfirst；　by　pure　fatigue；　secondly；　because　the　moral　of　this　particular　story　stands　out　so　clear　in　the　narrative；　that　he　who　runs　may　read　it　without　any　sermon　at　all。

Those　who　will　not　take　the　trouble　to　gather　my　moral　from　the　living　tree；　would　not　lift　it　out　of　my　dead　basket：　would　not　unlock　their　jaw…bones　to　bite　it；　were　I　to　thrust　it　into　their　very　mouths。





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