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第35章

madame bovary(包法利夫人)-第35章

小说: madame bovary(包法利夫人) 字数: 每页4000字

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machinery; comes out thence under the name of flour; and from
there; transported to our cities; is soon delivered at the
baker's; who makes it into food for poor and rich alike。 Again;
is it not the agriculturist who fattens; for our clothes; his
abundant flocks in the pastures? For how should we clothe
ourselves; how nourish ourselves; without the agriculturist? And;
gentlemen; is it even necessary to go so far for examples? Who
has not frequently reflected on all the momentous things that we
get out of that modest animal; the ornament of poultry…yards;
that provides us at once with a soft pillow for our bed; with
succulent flesh for our tables; and eggs? But I should never end
if I were to enumerate one after the other all the different
products which the earth; well cultivated; like a generous
mother; lavishes upon her children。 Here it is the vine;
elsewhere the apple tree for cider; there colza; farther on
cheeses and flax。 Gentlemen; let us not forget flax; which has
made such great strides of late years; and to which I will more
particularly call your attention。〃
He had no need to call it; for all the mouths of the multitude
were wide open; as if to drink in his words。 Tuvache by his side
listened to him with staring eyes。 Monsieur Derozerays from time
to time softly closed his eyelids; and farther on the chemist;
with his son Napoleon between his knees; put his hand behind his
ear in order not to lose a syllable。 The chins of the other
members of the jury went slowly up and down in their waistcoats
in sign of approval。 The firemen at the foot of the platform
rested on their bayonets; and Binet; motionless; stood with
out…turned elbows; the point of his sabre in the air。 Perhaps he
could hear; but certainly he could see nothing; because of the
visor of his helmet; that fell down on his nose。 His lieutenant;
the youngest son of Monsieur Tuvache; had a bigger one; for his
was enormous; and shook on his head; and from it an end of his
cotton scarf peeped out。 He smiled beneath it with a perfectly
infantine sweetness; and his pale little face; whence drops were
running; wore an expression of enjoyment and sleepiness。
The square as far as the houses was crowded with people。 One saw
folk leaning on their elbows at all the windows; others standing
at doors; and Justin; in front of the chemist's shop; seemed
quite transfixed by the sight of what he was looking at。 In spite
of the silence Monsieur Lieuvain's voice was lost in the air。 It
reached you in fragments of phrases; and interrupted here and
there by the creaking of chairs in the crowd; then you suddenly
heard the long bellowing of an ox; or else the bleating of the
lambs; who answered one another at street corners。 In fact; the
cowherds and shepherds had driven their beasts thus far; and
these lowed from time to time; while with their tongues they tore
down some scrap of foliage that hung above their mouths。
Rodolphe had drawn nearer to Emma; and said to her in a low
voice; speaking rapidly
〃Does not this conspiracy of the world revolt you? Is there a
single sentiment it does not condemn? The noblest instincts; the
purest sympathies are persecuted; slandered; and if at length two
poor souls do meet; all is so organised that they cannot blend
together。 Yet they will make the attempt; they will flutter their
wings; they will call upon each other。 Oh! no matter。 Sooner or
later; in six months; ten years; they will come together; will
love; for fate has decreed it; and they are born one for the
other。〃
His arms were folded across his knees; and thus lifting his face
towards Emma; close by her; he looked fixedly at her。 She noticed
in his eyes small golden lines radiating from black pupils; she
even smelt the perfume of the pomade that made his hair glossy。
Then a faintness came over her; she recalled the Viscount who had
waltzed with her at Vaubyessard; and his beard exhaled like this
air an odour of vanilla and citron; and mechanically she
half…closed her eyes the better to breathe it in。 But in making
this movement; as she leant back in her chair; she saw in the
distance; right on the line of the horizon; the old diligence;
the 〃Hirondelle;〃 that was slowly descending the hill of Leux;
dragging after it a long trail of dust。 It was in this yellow
carriage that Leon had so often come back to her; and by this
route down there that he had gone for ever。 She fancied she saw
him opposite at his windows; then all grew confused; clouds
gathered; it seemed to her that she was again turning in the
waltz under the light of the lustres on the arm of the Viscount;
and that Leon was not far away; that he was coming; and yet all
the time she was conscious of the scent of Rodolphe's head by her
side。 This sweetness of sensation pierced through her old
desires; and these; like grains of sand under a gust of wind;
eddied to and fro in the subtle breath of the perfume which
suffused her soul。 She opened wide her nostrils several times to
drink in the freshness of the ivy round the capitals。 She took
off her gloves; she wiped her hands; then fanned her face with
her handkerchief; while athwart the throbbing of her temples she
heard the murmur of the crowd and the voice of the councillor
intoning his phrases。 He said〃Continue; persevere; listen
neither to the suggestions of routine; nor to the over…hasty
councils of a rash empiricism。
Apply yourselves; above all; to the amelioration of the soil; to
good manures; to the development of the equine; bovine; ovine;
and porcine races。 Let these shows be to you pacific arenas;
where the victor in leaving it will hold forth a hand to the
vanquished; and will fraternise with him in the hope of better
success。 And you; aged servants; humble domestics; whose hard
labour no Government up to this day has taken into consideration;
come hither to receive the reward of your silent virtues; and be
assured that the state henceforward has its eye upon you; that it
encourages you; protects you; that it will accede to your just
demands; and alleviate as much as in it lies the burden of your
painful sacrifices。〃
Monsieur Lieuvain then sat down; Monsieur Derozerays got up;
beginning another speech。 His was not perhaps so florid as that
of the councillor; but it recommended itself by a more direct
style; that is to say; by more special knowledge and more
elevated considerations。 Thus the praise of the Government took
up less space in it; religion and agriculture more。 He showed in
it the relations of these two; and how they had always
contributed to civilisation。 Rodolphe with Madame Bovary was
talking dreams; presentiments; magnetism。 Going back to the
cradle of society; the orator painted those fierce times when men
lived on acorns in the heart of woods。 Then they had left off the
skins of beasts; had put on cloth; tilled the soil; planted the
vine。 Was this a good; and in this discovery was there not more
of injury than of gain? Monsieur Derozerays set himself this
problem。 From magnetism little by little Rodolphe had come to
affinities; and while the president was citing Cincinnatus and
his plough; Diocletian; planting his cabbages; and the Emperors
of China inaugurating the year by the sowing of seed; the young
man was explaining to the young woman that these irresistible
attractions find their cause in some previous state of existence。
〃Thus we;〃 he said; 〃why did we come to know one another? What
chance willed it? It was because across the infinite; like two
streams that flow but to unite; our special bents of mind had
driven us towards each other。〃
And he seized her hand; she did not withdraw it。
〃For good farming generally!〃 cried the president。
〃Just now; for example; when I went to your house。〃
〃To Monsieur Bizat of Quincampoix。〃
〃Did I know I should accompany you?〃
〃Seventy francs。〃
〃A hundred times I wished to go; and I followed youI remained。〃
〃Manures!〃
〃And I shall remain to…night; to…morrow; all other days; all my
life!〃
〃To Monsieur Caron of Argueil; a gold medal!〃
〃For I have never in the society of any other person found so
complete a charm。〃
〃To Monsieur Bain of Givry…Saint…Martin。〃
〃And I shall carry away with me the

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