a daughter of eve-第5部分

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straight　at　her　brother…in…law。　〃Women　are　sometimes　embarrassed　for

money；　and　do　not　wish　to　tell　their　husbands；　like　Josephine　with

Napoleon。　I　came　here　to　ask　Eugenie　to　do　me　a　service。〃



〃She　can　easily　do　that；　madame。　Eugenie　is　very　rich；〃　replied　du

Tillet；　with　concealed　sarcasm。



〃Is　she？〃　replied　the　countess；　smiling　bitterly。



〃How　much　do　you　want？〃　asked　du　Tillet；　who　was　not　sorry　to　get　his

sister…in…law　into　his　meshes。



〃Ah；　monsieur！　but　I　have　told　you　already　we　do　not　wish　to　let　our

husbands　into　this　affair；〃　said　Madame　de　Vandenesse；　cautiously；

aware　that　if　she　took　his　money；　she　would　put　herself　at　the　mercy

of　the　man　whose　portrait　Eugenie　had　fortunately　drawn　for　her　not

ten　minutes　earlier。　〃I　will　come　to…morrow　and　talk　with　Eugenie。〃



〃To…morrow？〃　said　the　banker。　〃No；　Madame　du　Tillet　dines　to…morrow

with　a　future　peer　of　France；　the　Baron　de　Nucingen；　who　is　to　leave

me　his　place　in　the　Chamber　of　Deputies。〃



〃Then　permit　her　to　join　me　in　my　box　at　the　Opera；〃　said　the

countess；　without　even　glancing　at　her　sister；　so　much　did　she　fear

that　Eugenie's　candor　would　betray　them。



〃She　has　her　own　box；　madame；〃　said　du　Tillet；　nettled。



〃Very　good；　then　I　will　go　to　hers；〃　replied　the　countess。



〃It　will　be　the　first　time　you　have　done　us　that　honor；〃　said　du

Tillet。



The　countess　felt　the　sting　of　that　reproach；　and　began　to　laugh。



〃Well；　never　mind；　you　shall　not　be　made　to　pay　anything　this　time。

Adieu；　my　darling。〃



〃She　is　an　insolent　woman；〃　said　du　Tillet；　picking　up　the　flowers

that　had　fallen　on　the　carpet。　〃You　ought；〃　he　said　to　his　wife；　〃to

study　Madame　de　Vandenesse。　I'd　like　to　see　you　before　the　world　as

insolent　and　overbearing　as　your　sister　has　just　been　here。　You　have　a

silly；　bourgeois　air　which　I　detest。〃



Eugenie　raised　her　eyes　to　heaven　as　her　only　answer。



〃Ah　ca；　madame！　what　have　you　both　been　talking　of？〃　said　the　banker；

after　a　pause；　pointing　to　the　flowers。　〃What　has　happened　to　make

your　sister　so　anxious　all　of　a　sudden　to　go　to　your　opera…box？〃



The　poor　helot　endeavored　to　escape　questioning　on　the　score　of

sleepiness；　and　turned　to　go　into　her　dressing…room　to　prepare　for　the

night；　but　du　Tillet　took　her　by　the　arm　and　brought　her　back　under

the　full　light　of　the　wax…candles　which　were　burning　in　two　silver…

gilt　sconces　between　fragrant　nosegays。　He　plunged　his　light　eyes　into

hers　and　said；　coldly：



〃Your　sister　came　here　to　borrow　forty　thousand　francs　for　a　man　in

whom　she　takes　an　interest；　who'll　be　locked　up　within　three　days　in　a

debtor's　prison。〃



The　poor　woman　was　seized　with　a　nervous　trembling；　which　she

endeavored　to　repress。



〃You　alarm　me；〃　she　said。　〃But　my　sister　is　far　too　well　brought　up；

and　she　loves　her　husband　too　much　to　be　interested　in　any　man　to　that

extent。〃



〃Quite　the　contrary；〃　he　said；　dryly。　〃Girls　brought　up　as　you　two

were；　in　the　constraints　and　practice　of　piety；　have　a　thirst　for

liberty；　they　desire　happiness；　and　the　happiness　they　get　in　marriage

is　never　as　fine　as　that　they　dreamt　of。　Such　girls　make　bad　wives。〃



〃Speak　for　me；〃　said　poor　Eugenie；　in　a　tone　of　bitter　feeling；　〃but

respect　my　sister。　The　Comtesse　de　Vandenesse　is　happy；　her　husband

gives　her　too　much　freedom　not　to　make　her　truly　attached　to　him。

Besides；　if　your　supposition　were　true；　she　would　never　have　told　me

of　such　a　matter。〃



〃It　is　true；〃　he　said；　〃and　I　forbid　you　to　have　anything　to　do　with

the　affair。　My　interests　demand　that　the　man　shall　go　to　prison。

Remember　my　orders。〃



Madame　du　Tillet　left　the　room。



〃She　will　disobey　me；　of　course；　and　I　shall　find　out　all　the　facts　by

watching　her；〃　thought　du　Tillet；　when　alone　in　the　boudoir。　〃These

poor　fools　always　think　they　can　do　battle　against　us。〃



He　shrugged　his　shoulders　and　rejoined　his　wife；　or　to　speak　the

truth；　his　slave。



The　confidence　made　to　Madame　du　Tillet　by　Madame　Felix　de　Vandenesse

is　connected　with　so　many　points　of　the　latter's　history　for　the　last

six　years；　that　it　would　be　unintelligible　without　a　succinct　account

of　the　principal　events　of　her　life。







CHAPTER　III



THE　HISTORY　OF　A　FORTUNATE　WOMAN



Among　the　remarkable　men　who　owed　their　destiny　to　the　Restoration；

but　whom；　unfortunately；　the　restored　monarchy　kept；　with　Martignac；

aloof　from　the　concerns　of　government；　was　Felix　de　Vandenesse；

removed；　with　several　others；　to　the　Chamber　of　peers　during　the　last

days　of　Charles　X。　This　misfortune；　though；　as　he　supposed；　temporary；

made　him　think　of　marriage；　towards　which　he　was　also　led；　as　so　many

men　are；　by　a　sort　of　disgust　for　the　emotions　of　gallantry；　those

fairy　flowers　of　the　soul。　There　comes　a　vital　moment　to　most　of　us

when　social　life　appears　in　all　its　soberness。



Felix　de　Vandenesse　had　been　in　turn　happy　and　unhappy；　oftener

unhappy　than　happy；　like　men　who；　at　their　start　in　life；　have　met

with　Love　in　its　most　perfect　form。　Such　privileged　beings　can　never

subsequently　be　satisfied；　but；　after　fully　experiencing　life；　and

comparing　characters；　they　attain　to　a　certain　contentment；　taking

refuge　in　a　spirit　of　general　indulgence。　No　one　deceives　them；　for

they　delude　themselves　no　longer；　but　their　resignation；　their

disillusionment　is　always　graceful；　they　expect　what　comes；　and

therefor　they　suffer　less。　Felix　might　still　rank　among　the　handsomest

and　most　agreeable　men　in　Paris。　He　was　originally　commended　to　many

women　by　one　of　the　noblest　creatures　of　our　epoch；　Madame　de

Mortsauf；　who　had　died；　it　was　said；　out　of　love　and　grief　for　him；

but　he　was　specially　trained　for　social　life　by　the　handsome　and　well…

known　Lady　Dudley。



In　the　eyes　of　many　Parisian　women；　Felix；　a　sort　of　hero　of　romance；

owed　much　of　his　success　to　the　evil　that　was　said　of　him。　Madame　de

Manerville　had　closed　the　list　of　his　amorous　adventures；　and　perhaps

her　dismissal　had　something　to　do　with　his　frame　of　mind。　At　any　rate；

without　being　in　any　way　a　Don　Juan；　he　had　gathered　in　the　world　of

love　as　many　disenchantments　as　he　had　met　with　in　the　world　of

politics。　That　ideal　of　womanhood　and　of　passion；　the　type　of　which

perhaps　to　his　sorrowhad　lighted　and　governed　his　dawn　of　life；　he

despaired　of　ever　finding　again。



At　thirty　years　of　age；　Comte　Felix　determined　to　put　an　end　to　the

burden　of　his　various　felicities　by　marriage。　On　that　point　his　ideas

were　extremely　fixed；　he　wanted　a　young　girl　brought　up　in　the

strictest　tenets　of　Catholicism。　It　was　enough　for　him　to　know　how　the

Comtesse　de　Granville　had　trained　her　daughters　to　make　him；　after　he

had　once　resolved　on　marriage；　request　the　hand　of　the　eldest。　He

himself　had　suffered　under　the　despotism　of　a　mother；　he　still

remembered　his　unhappy　childhood　too　well　not　to　recognize；　beneath

the　reserves　of　feminine　shyness；　the　state　to　which　such　a　yoke　must

have　brought　the　heart　of　a　young　girl；　whether　that　heart　was　soured；

embittered；　or　rebellious；　or　whether　it　was　still　peaceful；　lovable；

and　ready　to　unclose　to　noble　sentiments。　Tyranny　produces　two

opposite　effects；　the　symbols　of　which　exist　in　two　grand　figures　of

ancient　slavery；　Epictetus　and　Spartacus；hatred　and　evil　feelings　on

the　one　hand；　resignation　and　tenderness；　on　the　other。



The　Comte　de　Vandenesse　recognized　himself　in　Marie…Angelique　de

Granville。　In　choosing　for　his　wife　an　artless；　innocent；　and　pure

young　girl；　this　young　old　man　determined　to　mingle　a　paternal　feeling

with　the　conjugal　feeling。　He　knew　his　own　heart　was　withered　by　the

world　and　by　politics；　and　he　felt　that　he　was　giving　in　exchange　for

a　dawning　life　the　remains　of　a　worn…out　existence。　Beside　those

springtide　flowers　he　was　putting　the　ice　of　winter；　hoary　experience

with　young　and　innocent　ignorance。　After　soberly　judging　the　position；

he　took　up　his　conjugal　career　with　ample　precaution；　indulgence　and

perfect　confidence　were　the　two　anchors　to　which　he　moored　it。　Mothers

of　families　ought　to　seek　such　men　for　their　daughters。　A　good　mind

protects　like　a　divinity；　disenchantment　is　as　keen…sighted　as　a

surgeon；　experience　as　foreseeing　as　a　mother。　Those　three　qualities

are　the　cardinal　virtues　of　a　safe　marriage。　All　that　his　past　career

had　taught　to　Felix　de　Vandenesse；　the　observations　of　a　life　that　was

busy；　literary；　and　thoughtful　by　turns；　all　his　forces；　in　fact；　were

now　employed　in　making　his　wife　happy；　to　that　end　he　applied　his

mind。



When　Marie…Angelique　left　the　maternal　purgatory；　she　rose　at　once

into　the　conjugal　paradise　prepared　for　her　by　Felix；　rue　du　Rocher；

in　a　house　where　all　things　were　redolent　of　aristocracy；　but　where

the　varnish　of　society　did　not　impede　the　ease　and　〃laisser…aller〃

which　young　and　loving　hearts　desire　so　much。　From　the　start；　Marie…

Angelique　tasted　all　the　sweets　of　ma