the deputy of arcis-第50章

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〃My　party　has　nothing；　and　seeks　to　gain　something。　Yours　calls　itself　conservative；　and　it　is　right；　its　chief　concern　is　how　to　preserve　its　power；　offices；　and　wealth；in　short；　all　it　now　monopolizes。〃

〃But；　monsieur；　we　are　not　a　closed　way；　we　open　our　way；　on　the　contrary；　to　all　ambitions。　But　the　higher　you　are　in　character　and　intellect；　the　less　we　can　allow　you　to　pass；　dragging　after　you　your　train　of　democrats；　for　the　day　when　that　crew　gains　the　upper　hand　it　will　not　be　a　change　of　policy；　but　a　revolution。〃

〃But　what　makes　you　think　I　want　an　opening　of　any　kind？〃

〃What！　follow　a　course　without　an　aim？a　course　that　leads　nowhere？　A　certain　development　of　a　man's　faculties　not　only　gives　him　the　right　but　makes　it　his　duty　to　seek　to　govern。〃

〃To　watch　the　governing　power　is　a　useful　career；　and；　I　may　add；　a　very　busy　one。〃

〃You　can　fancy；　monsieur；〃　said　Rastignac；　good…humoredly；　〃that　if　Beauvisage　were　in　your　place　I　should　not　have　taken　the　trouble　to　argue　with　him；　I　may　say；　however；　that　he　would　have　made　my　effort　less　difficult。〃

〃This　meeting；　which　/chance/　has　brought　about　between　us；〃　said　Sallenauve；　〃will　have　one　beneficial　result；　we　understand　each　other　henceforth；　and　our　future　meetings　will　always　therefore　be　courteous　which　will　not　lessen　the　strength　of　our　convictions。〃

〃Then　I　must　say　to　the　kingfor　I　had　his　royal　commands　to〃

Rastignac　did　not　end　the　sentence　in　which　he　was；　so　to　speak；　firing　his　last　gun；　for　the　orchestra　began　to　play　a　quadrille；　and　Nais；　running　up；　made　him　a　coquettish　courtesy；　saying；

〃Monsieur　le　ministre；　I　am　very　sorry；　but　you　have　taken　my　partner；　and　you　must　give　him　up。　He　is　down　for　my　eleventh　quadrille；　and　if　I　miss　it　my　list　gets　into　terrible　confusion。〃

〃You　permit　me；　monsieur？〃　said　Sallenauve；　laughing。　〃As　you　see；　I　am　not　a　very　savage　republican。〃　So　saying；　he　followed　Nais；　who　led　him　along　by　the　hand。

Madame　de　l'Estorade；　comprehending　that　this　fancy　of　Nais　was　rather　compromising　to　the　dignity　of　the　new　deputy；　had　arranged　that　several　papas　and　mammas　should　figure　in　the　same　quadrille；　and　she　herself　with　the　Scottish　lad　danced　/vis…a…vis/　to　her　daughter；　who　beamed　with　pride　and　joy。　In　the　evolutions　of　the　last　figure；　where　Nais　had　to　take　her　mother's　hand；　she　said；　pressing　it　passionately；

〃Poor　mamma！　if　it　hadn't　been　for　/him/；　you　wouldn't　have　me　now。〃

This　sudden　reminder　so　agitated　Madame　de　l'Estorade；　coming　as　it　did　unexpectedly；　that　she　was　seized　with　a　return　of　the　nervous　trembling　her　daughter's　danger　had　originally　caused；　and　was　forced　to　sit　down。　Seeing　her　change　color；　Sallenauve；　Nais；　and　Madame　Octave　de　Camps　ran　to　her　to　know　if　she　were　ill。

〃It　is　nothing；〃　she　answered；　addressing　Sallenauve；　〃only　that　my　little　girl　reminded　me　suddenly　of　the　utmost　obligation　we　are　under　to　you；　monsieur。　'Without　/him/；'　she　said；　'you　would　not　have　me。'　Ah！　monsieur；　without　your　generous　courage　where　would　my　child　be　now？〃

〃Come；　come；　don't　excite　yourself；〃　interposed　Madame　Octave　de　Camps；　observing　the　convulsive　and　almost　gasping　tone　of　her　friend's　voice。　〃It　is　not　reasonable　to　put　yourself　in　such　a　state　for　a　child's　speech。〃

〃She　is　better　than　the　rest　of　us；〃　replied　Madame　de　l'Estorade；　taking　Nais　in　her　arms。

〃Come；　mamma；　be　reasonable；〃　said　that　young　lady。

〃She　puts　nothing　in　the　world；〃　continued　Madame　de　l'Estorade；　〃before　her　gratitude　to　her　preserver；　whereas　her　father　and　I　have　scarcely　shown　him　any。〃

〃But；　madame；〃　said　Sallenauve；　〃you　have　courteously〃

〃Courteously！〃　interrupted　Nais；　shaking　her　pretty　head　with　an　air　of　disapproval；　〃if　any　one　had　saved　my　daughter；　I　should　be　different　to　him　from　that。〃

〃Nais；〃　said　Madame　de　Camps；　sternly；　〃children　should　be　silent　when　their　opinion　is　not　asked。〃

〃What　is　the　matter；〃　said　Monsieur　de　l'Estorade；　joining　the　group。

〃Nothing；〃　said　Madame　de　Camps；　〃only　a　giddiness　Renee　had　in　dancing。〃

〃Is　it　over？〃

〃Yes；　I　am　quite　well　again；〃　said　Madame　de　l'Estorade。

〃Then　come　and　say　good…night　to　Madame　de　Rastignac；　who　is　preparing　to　take　leave。〃

In　his　eagerness　to　get　to　the　minister's　wife；　he　forgot　to　give　his　own　wife　his　arm。　Sallenauve　was　more　thoughtful。　As　they　walked　together　in　the　wake　of　her　husband；　Madame　de　l'Estorade　said；

〃I　saw　you　talking　for　a　long　time　with　Monsieur　de　Rastignac；　did　he　practise　his　well…known　seductions　upon　you？〃

〃Do　you　think　he　succeeded？〃　replied　Sallenauve。

〃No；　but　such　attempts　to　capture　are　always　disagreeable；　and　I　beg　you　to　believe　that　I　was　not　a　party　to　the　plot。　I　am　not　so　violently　ministerial　as　my　husband。〃

〃Nor　I　as　violently　revolutionary　as　they　think。〃

〃I　trust　that　these　annoying　politics；　which　have　already　produced　a　jar　between　you　and　Monsieur　de　l'Estorade；　may　not　disgust　you　with　the　idea　of　being　counted　among　our　friends。〃

〃That　is　an　honor；　madame；　for　which　I　can　only　be　grateful。〃

〃It　is　not　an　honor　but　a　pleasure　that　I　hoped　you　would　find　in　it；〃　said　Madame　de　l'Estorade；　quickly。　〃I　say；　with　Nais；　if　I　had　saved　the　life　of　a　friend's　child；　I　should　cease　to　be　ceremonious　with　her。〃

So　saying；　and　without　listening　to　his　answer；　she　disengaged　her　arm　quickly　from　that　of　Sallenauve；　and　left　him　rather　astonished　at　the　tone　in　which　she　had　spoken。

In　seeing　Madame　de　l'Estorade　so　completely　docile　to　the　advice；　more　clever　than　prudent；　perhaps；　of　Madame　de　Camps；　the　reader；　we　think；　can　scarcely　be　surprised。　A　certain　attraction　has　been　evident　for　some　time　on　the　part　of　the　frigid　countess　not　only　to　the　preserver　of　her　daughter；　but　to　the　man　who　under　such　romantic　and　singular　circumstances　had　come　before　her　mind。　Carefully　considered；　Madame　de　l'Estorade　is　seen　to　be　far　from　one　of　those　impassible　natures　which　resist　all　affectionate　emotions　except　those　of　the　family。　With　a　beauty　that　was　partly　Spanish；　she　had　eyes　which　her　friend　Louise　de　Chaulieu　declared　could　ripen　peaches。　Her　coldness　was　not　what　physicians　call　congenital；　her　temperament　was　an　acquired　one。　Marrying　from　/reason/　a　man　whose　mental　insufficiency　is　very　apparent；　she　made　herself　love　him　out　of　pity　and　a　sense　of　protection。　Up　to　the　present　time；　by　means　of　a　certain　atrophy　of　heart；　she　had　succeeded；　without　one　failure；　in　making　Monsieur　de　l'Estorade　perfectly　happy。　With　the　same　instinct；　she　had　exaggerated　the　maternal　sentiment　to　an　almost　inconceivable　degree；　until　in　that　way　she　had　fairly　stifled　all　the　other　cravings　of　her　nature。　It　must　be　said；　however；　that　the　success　she　had　had　in　accomplishing　this　hard　task　was　due　in　a　great　measure　to　/the　circumstance/　of　Louise　de　Chaulieu。　To　her　that　dear　mistaken　one　was　like　the　drunken　slave　whom　the　Spartans　made　a　living　lesson　to　their　children；　and　between　the　two　friends　a　sort　of　tacit　wager　was　established。　Louise　having　taken　the　side　of　romantic　passion；　Renee　held　firmly　to　that　of　superior　reason；　and　in　order　to　win　the　game；　she　had　maintained　a　courage　of　good　sense　and　wisdom　which　might　have　cost　her　far　more　to　practise　without　this　incentive。　At　the　age　she　had　now　reached；　and　with　her　long　habit　of　self…control；　we　can　understand　how；　seeing；　as　she　believed；　the　approach　of　a　love　against　which　she　had　preached　so　vehemently；　she　should　instantly　set　to　work　to　rebuff　it；　but　a　man　who　did　not　feel　that　love；　while　thinking　her　ideally　beautiful；　and　who　possibly　loved　elsewhere；a　man　who　had　saved　her　child　from　death　and　asked　no　recompense；　who　was　grave；　serious；　and　preoccupied　in　an　absorbing　enterprise；why　should　she　still　continue　to　think　such　a　man　dangerous？　Why　not　grant　to　him；　without　further　hesitation；　the　lukewarm　sentiment　of　friendship？



VI

CURIOSITY　THAT　CAME　WITHIN　AN　ACE　OF　BEING　FATAL

On　returning　to　Ville　d'Avray；　Sallenauve　was　confronted　by　a　singular　event。　Who　does　not　know　how　sudden　events　upset　the　whole　course　of　our　lives；　and　place　us；　without　our　will；　in　compromising　positions？

Sallenauve　was　not　mistaken　in　feeling　serious　anxiety　as　to　the　mental　state　of　his　friend　Marie…Gaston。

When　that　unfortunate　man　had　left　the　scene　of　his　cruel　loss　immediately　after　the　death　of　his　wife；　he　would　have　done　a　wiser　thing　had　he　then　resolved　never　to　revisit　it。　Nature；　providentially　ordered；　provides　that　if　those　whose　nearest　and　dearest　are　struck　by　the　hand　of　death　accept　the　decree　with　the　resignation　which　ought　to　follow　the　execution　of　all　necessary　law；　they　will　not　remain　too　long　under　the　influence　of　their　grief。　Rousseau　has　said；　in　his　famous　letter　against　suicide：　〃Sadness；　weariness　of　spirit；　regret；　despair　are　not　lasting　sorrows；　rooted　forever　in　the　soul；　experience　will　always　cast　out　that　feeling　of　bitterness　which　makes　us　at　first　believe　our　grief　eternal。〃

But　this　truth　ceases　to　be　true　for　imprudent　and　wilful　persons；　who　seek　to　escape　the　first　anguish　of　sorrow　by　flight　or　some　violent　distraction。　All　mental　and　moral　suffering　is　a　species　of　illness　which；　taking　time　for　its　specific；　will　gradually　wear　out；　in　the　long　run；　of　itself。　If；　on　the　contrary；　it　is　not　allowed　to　consume　itself　slowly　on　the　scene　of　its　trouble；　if　it　is　fanned　into　flame　by　motion　or　violent　remedies；　we　hinder　the　action　of　nature；　we　deprive　ourselves　of　the　blessed　relief　of　comparative　forgetfulness；　promised　to　those　who　will　accept　their　suffering；　and　so　transform　it　into　a　chronic　affection；　the　memories　of　which；　though　hidden；　are　none　the　less　true　and　deep。

If　we　violently　oppose　this　salutary　process；　we　produce　an　acute　evil；　in　which　the　imagination　acts　upon　the　heart；　and　as　the　latter　from　its　nature　is　limited；　while　the　former　is　infinite；　it　is　impossible　to　calculate　the　violence　of　the　impressions　to　which　a　man　may　yield　himself。

When　Marie…Gaston　returned　to　the　house　at　Ville　d'Avray；　after　two　years'　absence；　he　fancied　that　only　a　tender　if　melancholy　memory　awaited　him；　but　not　a　step　could　he　make　without　recalling　his　lost　joys　and　the　agony　of　losing　them。　The　flowers　that　his　wife　had　loved；　the　lawns；　the　trees　just　budding　into　greenness　under　the　warm　breath　of　May；they　were　here　before　his　eyes；　but　she　who　had　created　this　beauteous　nature　was　lying　cold　in　the　earth。　Amid　all　the　charms　and　elegances　gathered　to　adorn　this　nest　of　their　love；　there　was　nothing　for　the　man　who　rashly　returned　to　that　dangerous　atmosphere　but　sounds　of　lamentation；　the　moans　of　a　renewed　and　now　ever…living　grief。　Alarmed　himself　at　the　vertigo　of　sorrow　which　seized　him；　Marie…Gaston　shrank；　as　Sallenauve　had　said；　from　taking　the　last　step　in　his　ordeal；　he　had　calmly　discussed　with　his　friend　the　details　of　the　mausoleum　he　wished　to　raise　above　the　mortal　remains　of　his　beloved　Louise；　but　he　had　not　yet　brought　himself　to　visit　her　grave　in　the　village　cemetery　where　he　had　laid　them。　There　was　everything；　therefore；　to　fear　from　a　grief　which　time　had　not　only　not　assuaged；　but；　on　the　contrary；　had　increased　by　duration；　until　it　was　sharper　and　more　intolerabl