sons of the soil-第63章

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wearing　corsets。　The　imagination　of　a　poet　or；　better　still；　that　of

an　inventor；　could　not　have　found　on　Bebelle's　back　the　slightest

trace　of　that　seductive　sinuosity　which　the　vertebrae　of　all　women　who

are　women　usually　produce。　Bebelle；　round　as　a　tortoise；　belonged　to

the　genus　of　invertebrate　females。　This　alarming　development　of

cellular　tissue　no　doubt　reassured　Lupin　on　the　subject　of　the

platonic　passion　of　his　fat　wife；　whom　he　boldly　called　Bebelle

without　raising　a　laugh。



〃Your　wife；　what　is　she？〃　said　Sarcus　the　rich；　one　day；　when　unable

to　digest　the　fatal　word　〃superannuated；〃　applied　to　a　piece　of

furniture　he　had　just　bought　at　a　bargain。



〃My　wife　is　not　like　yours；〃　replied　Lupin；　〃she　is　not　defined　as

yet。〃



Beneath　his　rosy　exterior　the　notary　possessed　a　subtle　mind；　and　he

had　the　sense　to　say　nothing　about　his　property；　which　was　fully　as

large　as　that　of　Rigou。



Monsieur　Lupin's　son；　Amaury；　was　a　great　trouble　to　his　father。　An

only　son；　and　one　of　the　Don　Juans　of　the　valley；　he　utterly　refused

to　follow　the　paternal　profession。　He　took　advantage　of　his　position

as　only　son　to　bleed　the　strong…box　cruelly；　without；　however；

exhausting　the　patience　of　his　father；　who　would　say　after　every

escapade；　〃Well；　I　was　like　that　in　my　young　days。〃　Amaury　never　came

to　Madame　Soudry's；　he　said　she　bored　him；　for；　with　a　recollection　of

her　early　days；　she　attempted　to　〃educate〃　him；　as　she　called　it；

whereas　he　much　preferred　the　pleasures　and　billiards　of　the　Cafe　de

la　Paix。　He　frequented　the　worst　company　of　Soulanges；　even　down　to

Bonnebault。　He　continued　sowing　his　wild　oats；　as　Madame　Soudry

remarked；　and　replied　to　all　his　father's　remonstrances　with　one

perpetual　request：　〃Send　me　back　to　Paris；　for　I　am　bored　to　death

here。〃



Lupin　ended；　alas！　like　other　gallants；　by　an　attachment　that　was

semi…conjugal。　His　known　passion；　in　spite　of　his　former　liaison　with

Madame　Sarcus；　was　for　the　wife　of　the　under…sheriff　of　the　municipal

court；Madame　Euphemie　Plissoud；　daughter　of　Wattebled　the　grocer；

who　reigned　in　the　second…class　society　as　Madame　Soudry　did　in　the

first。　Monsieur　Plissoud；　a　competitor　of　Brunet；　belonged　to　the

under…world　of　Soulanges　on　account　of　his　wife's　conduct；　which　it

was　said　he　authorized；a　report　that　drew　upon　him　the　contempt　of

the　leading　society。



If　Lupin　was　the　musician　of　the　leading　society；　Monsieur　Gourdon；

the　doctor；　was　its　man　of　science。　The　town　said　of　him；　〃We　have

here　in　our　midst　a　scientific　man　of　the　first　order。〃　Madame　Soudry

（who　believed　she　understood　music　because　she　had　ushered　in　Piccini

and　Gluck　and　had　dressed　Mademoiselle　Laguerre　for　the　Opera）

persuaded　society；　and　even　Lupin　himself；　that　he　might　have　made　his

fortune　by　his　voice；　and；　in　like　manner；　she　was　always　regretting

that　the　doctor　did　not　publish　his　scientific　ideas。



Monsieur　Gourdon　merely　repeated　the　ideas　of　Cuvier　and　Buffon；　which

might　not　have　enabled　him　to　pose　as　a　scientist　before　the　Soulanges

world；　but　besides　this　he　was　making　a　collection　of　shells；　and　he

possessed　an　herbarium；　and　he　knew　how　to　stuff　birds。　He　lived　upon

the　glory　of　having　bequeathed　his　cabinet　of　natural　history　to　the

town　of　Soulanges。　After　this　was　known　he　was　considered　throughout

the　department　as　a　great　naturalist　and　the　successor　of　Buffon。　Like

a　certain　Genevese　banker；　whose　pedantry；　coldness；　and　puritan

propriety　he　copied；　without　possessing　either　his　money　or　his

shrewdness；　Monsieur　Gourdon　exhibited　with　great　complacency　the

famous　collection；　consisting　of　a　bear　and　a　monkey　（both　of　which

had　died　on　their　way　to　Soulanges）；　all　the　rodents　of　the

department；　mice　and　field…mice　and　dormice；　rats；　muskrats；　and

moles；　etc。；　all　the　interesting　birds　ever　shot　in　Burgundy；　and　an

Alpine　eagle　caught　in　the　Jura。　Gourdon　also　possessed　a　collection

of　lepidoptera；a　word　which　led　society　to　hope　for　monstrosities；

and　to　say；　when　it　saw　them；　〃Why；　they　are　only　butterflies！〃

Besides　these　things　he　had　a　fine　array　of　fossil　shells；　mostly　the

collections　of　his　friends　which　they　bequeathed　to　him；　and　all　the

minerals　of　Burgundy　and　the　Jura。



These　treasures；　laid　out　on　shelves　with　glass　doors　（the　drawers

beneath　containing　the　insects）；　occupied　the　whole　of　the　first　floor

of　the　doctor's　house；　and　produced　a　certain　effect　through　the

oddity　of　the　names　on　the　tickets；　the　magic　effect　of　the　colors；

and　the　gathering　together　of　so　many　things　which　no　one　pays　the

slightest　attention　to　when　seen　in　nature；　though　much　admired　under

glass。　Society　took　a　regular　day　to　go　and　look　at　Monsieur　Gourdon's

collection。



〃I　have；〃　he　said　to　all　inquirers；　〃five　hundred　ornithological

objects；　two　hundred　mammifers；　five　thousand　insects；　three　thousand

shells；　and　seven　thousand　specimens　of　minerals。〃



〃What　patience　you　have　had！〃　said　the　ladies。



〃One　must　do　something　for　one's　country；〃　replied　the　collector。



He　drew　an　enormous　profit　from　his　carcasses　by　the　mere　repetition

of　the　words；　〃I　have　bequeathed　everything　to　the　town　by　my　will。〃

Visitors　lauded　his　philanthropy；　the　authorities　talked　of　devoting

the　second　floor　of　the　town　hall　to　the　〃Gourdon　Museum；〃　after　the

collector's　death。



〃I　rely　upon　the　gratitude　of　my　fellow…citizens　to　attach　my　name　to

the　gift；〃　he　replied；　〃for　I　dare　not　hope　they　would　place　a　marble

bust　of　me〃



〃It　would　be　the　very　least　we　could　do　for　you；〃　they　rejoined；　〃are

you　not　the　glory　of　our　town？〃



Thus　the　man　actually　came　to　consider　himself　one　of　the　celebrities

of　Burgundy。　The　surest　incomes　are　not　from　consols　after　all；　those

our　vanity　obtains　for　us　have　better　security。　This　man　of　science

was；　to　employ　Lupin's　superlatives；　happy！　happy！！　happy！！！



Gourdon；　the　clerk　of　the　court；　brother　of　the　doctor；　was　a　pitiful

little　creature；　whose　features　all　gathered　about　his　nose；　so　that

the　nose　seemed　the　point　of　departure　for　the　forehead；　the　cheeks；

and　the　mouth；　all　of　which　were　connected　with　it　just　as　the　ravines

of　a　mountain　begin　at　the　summit。　This　pinched　little　man　was　thought

to　be　one　of　the　greatest　poets　in　Burgundy；a　Piron；　it　was　the

fashion　to　say。　The　dual　merits　of　the　two　brothers　gave　rise　to　the

remark：　〃We　have　the　brothers　Gourdon　at　Soulangestwo　very

distinguished　men；　men　who　could　hold　their　own　in　Paris。〃



Devoted　to　the　game　of　cup…and…ball；　the　clerk　of　the　court　became

possessed　by　another　mania；that　of　composing　an　ode　in　honor　of　an

amusement　which　amounted　to　a　passion　in　the　eighteenth　century。

Manias　among　mediocrats　often　run　in　couples。　Gourdon　junior　gave

birth　to　his　poem　during　the　reign　of　Napoleon。　That　fact　is

sufficient　to　show　the　sound　and　healthy　school　of　poesy　to　which　he

belonged；　Luce　de　Lancival；　Parny；　Saint…Lambert；　Rouche；　Vigee；

Andrieux；　Berchoux　were　his　heroes。　Delille　was　his　god；　until　the　day

when　the　leading　society　of　Soulanges　raised　the　question　as　to

whether　Gourdon　were　not　superior　to　Delille；　after　which　the　clerk　of

the　court　always　called　his　competitor　〃Monsieur　l'Abbe　Delille；〃　with

exaggerated　politeness。



The　poems　manufactured　between　1780　and　1814　were　all　of　one　pattern；

and　the　one　which　Gourdon　composed　upon　the　Cup…and…Ball　will　give　an

idea　of　them。　They　required　a　certain　knack　or　proficiency　in　the　art。

〃The　Chorister〃　is　the　Saturn　of　this　abortive　generation　of　jocular

poems；　all　in　four　cantos　or　thereabouts；　for　it　was　generally

admitted　that　six　would　wear　the　subject　threadbare。



Gourdon's　poem　entitled　〃Ode　to　the　Cup…and…Ball〃　obeyed　the　poetic

rules　which　governed　these　works；　rules　that　were　invariable　in　their

application。　Each　poem　contained　in　the　first　canto　a　description　of

the　〃object　sung；〃　preceded　（as　in　the　case　of　Gourdon）　by　a　species