george sand-第2章

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l　educated　and　refined；　thanks　to　living　with　the　two　sisters；　Mlles。　　Verrieres；　who　were　accustomed　to　the　best　society。　　She　was　a　good　musician　and　sang　delightfully。　　When　she　married　Dupin　de　Francueil；　her　husband　was　sixty…two；　just　double　her　age。　　But；　as　she　used　to　say　to　her　granddaughter；　〃no　one　was　ever　old　in　those　days。　　It　was　the　Revolution　that　brought　old　age　into　the　world。〃

Dupin　was　a　very　agreeable　man。　　When　younger　he　had　been　_too_　agreeable；　but　now　he　was　just　sufficiently　so　to　make　his　wife　very　happy。　　He　was　very　lavish　in　his　expenditure　and　lived　like　a　prince；　so　that　he　left　Marie…Aurore　ruined　and　poor　with　about　three　thousand　a　year。　　She　was　imbued　with　the　ideas　of　the　philosophers　and　an　enemy　of　the　Queen's　_coterie_。　　She　was　by　no　means　alarmed　at　the　Revolution　and　was　very　soon　taken　prisoner。　　She　was　arrested　on　the　26th　of　November；　1793；　and　incarcerated　in　the　_Couvent　des　Anglaises_；　Rue　des　Fosse's…Saint…Victor；　which　had　been　converted　into　a　detention　house。　　On　leaving　prison　she　settled　down　at　Nohant；　an　estate　she　had　recently　bought。　　It　was　there　that　her　granddaughter　remembered　her　in　her　early　days。　　She　describes　her　as　tall；　slender；　fair　and　always　very　calm。　　At　Nohant　she　had　only　her　maids　and　her　books　for　company。　　When　in　Paris；　she　delighted　in　the　society　of　people　of　her　own　station　and　of　her　time；　people　who　had　the　ideas　and　airs　of　former　days。　　She　continued；　in　this　new　century；　the　shades　of　thought　and　the　manners　and　Customs　of　the　old　_regime。_

As　a　set…off　to　this　woman　of　race　and　of　culture；　Aurore's　mother　represented　the　ordinary　type　of　the　woman　of　the　people。　　She　was　small；　dark；　fiery　and　violent。　　She；　too；　the　bird…seller's　daughter；　had　been　imprisoned　by　the　Revolution；　and　strangely　enough　in　the　_Couvent　des　Anglaises_　at　about　the　same　time　as　Maurice　de　Saxe's　granddaughter。　　It　was　in　this　way　that　the　fusion　of　classes　was　understood　under　the　Terror。　　She　was　employed　as　a　_figurante_　in　a　small　theatre。　　This　was　merely　a　commencement　for　her　career。　　At　the　time　when　Maurice　Dupin　met　her；　she　was　the　mistress　of　an　old　general。　　She　already　had　one　child　of　doubtful　parentage。　　Maurice　Dupin；　too；　had　a　natural　son；　named　Hippolyte；　so　that　they　could　not　reproach　each　other。　　When　Maurice　Dupin　married　Sophie…Victoire；　a　month　before　the　birth　of　Aurore；　he　had　some　difficulty　in　obtaining　his　mother's　consent。　　She　finally　gave　in；　as　she　was　of　an　indulgent　nature。　　It　is　possible　that　Sophie…Victoire's　conduct　was　irreproachable　during　her　husband's　lifetime；　but；　after　his　death；　she　returned　to　her　former　ways。　　She　was　nevertheless　of　religious　habits　and　would　not；　upon　any　account；　have　missed　attending　Mass。　　She　was　quick…tempered；　jealous　and　noisy　and；　when　anything　annoyed　her；　extremely　hot…headed。　At　such　times　she　would　shout　and　storm；　so　that　the　only　way　to　silence　her　was　to　shout　still　more　loudly。　　She　never　bore　any　malice；　though；　and　wished　no　harm　to　those　she　had　insulted。　　She　was　of　course　sentimental；　but　more　passionate　than　tender；　and　she　quickly　forgot　those　whom　she　had　loved　most　fondly。　　There　seemed　to　be　gaps　in　her　memory　and　also　in　her　conscience。　　She　was　ignorant；　knowing　nothing　either　of　literature　or　of　the　usages　of　society。　　Her　_salon_　was　the　landing　of　her　flat　and　her　acquaintances　were　the　neighbours　who　happened　to　live　next　door　to　her。　　It　is　easy　to　imagine　what　she　thought　of　the　aristocrats　who　visited　her　mother…in…law。　She　was　amusing　when　she　joked　and　made　parodies　on　the　women　she　styled　〃the　old　Countesses。〃　　She　had　a　great　deal　of　natural　wit；　a　liveliness　peculiar　to　the　native　of　the　faubourgs；　all　the　impudence　of　the　street　arab；　and　a　veritable　talent　of　mimicry。　　She　was　a　good　housewife；　active；　industrious　and　most　clever　in　turning　everything　to　account。　　With　a　mere　nothing　she　could　improvise　a　dress　or　a　hat　and　give　it　a　certain　style。　　She　was　always　most　skilful　with　her　fingers；　a　typical　Parisian　work…girl；　a　daughter　of　the　street　and　a　child　of　the　people。　　In　our　times　she　would　be　styled　〃a　midinette。〃

Such　are　the　two　women　who　shared　the　affection　of　Aurore　Dupin。　　Fate　had　brought　them　together；　but　had　made　them　so　unlike　that　they　were　bound　to　dislike　each　other。　　The　childhood　of　little　Aurore　served　as　the　lists　for　their　contentions。　　Their　rivalry　was　the　dominating　note　in　the　sentimental　education　of　the　child。

As　long　as　Maurice　Dupin　lived；　Aurore　was　always　with　her　parents　in　their　little　Parisian　dwelling。　　Maurice　Dupin　was　a　brilliant　officer；　and　very　brave　and　jovial。　　In　1808；　Aurore　went　to　him　in　Madrid；　where　he　was　Murat's　_aide…de…camp_。　She　lived　in　the　palace　of　the　Prince　of　Peace；　that　vast　palace　which　Murat　filled　with　the　splendour　of　his　costumes　and　the　groans　caused　by　his　suffering。　　Like　Victor　Hugo；　who　went　to　the　same　place　at　about　the　same　time　and　under　similar　conditions；　Aurore　may　have　brought　back　with　her

_de　ses　courses　lointaines_

_Comme　un　vaguefaisceau　de　lueurs　incertaines。_

This　does　not　seem　probable；　though。　　The　return　was　painful；　as　they　came　back　worried　and　ill；　and　were　glad　to　take　refuge　at　Nohant。　　They　were　just　beginning　to　organize　their　life　when　Maurice　Dupin　died　suddenly；　from　an　accident　when　riding；　leaving　his　mother　and　his　wife　together。

From　this　time　forth；　Aurore　was　more　often　with　her　grandmother　at　Nohant　than　with　her　mother　in　Paris。　　Her　grandmother　undertook　the　care　of　her　education。　　Her　half…brother；　Hippolyte　Chatiron；　and　she　received　lessons　from　M。　Deschartres；　who　had　educated　Maurice　Dupin。　　He　was　steward　and　tutor　combined；　a　very　authoritative　man；　arrogant　and　a　great　pedant。　　He　was　affectionate；　though；　and　extremely　devoted。　　He　was　both　detestable　and　touching　at　the　same　time；　and　had　a　warm　heart　hidden　under　a　rough　exterior。　　Nohant　was　in　the　heart　of　Berry；　and　this　meant　the　country　and　Nature。　　For　Aurore　Dupin　Nature　proved　to　be　an　incomparable　educator。

There　was　only　one　marked　trait　in　the　child's　character　up　to　this　date；　and　that　was　a　great　tendency　to　reverie。　　For　long　hours　she　would　remain　alone；　motionless；　gazing　into　space。　　People　were　anxious　about　her　when　they　saw　her　looking　so　_stupid_；　but　her　mother　invariably　said：　　〃Do　not　be　alarmed。　　She　is　always　ruminating　about　something。〃　　Country　life；　while　providing　her　with　fresh　air　and　plenty　of　exercise；　so　that　her　health　was　magnificent；　gave　fresh　food　and　another　turn　to　her　reveries。　　Ten　years　earlier　Alphonse　de　Lamartine　had　been　sent　to　the　country　at　Milly；　and　allowed　to　frequent　the　little　peasant　children　of　the　place。　　Aurore　Dupin's　existence　was　now　very　much　the　same　as　that　of　Lamartine。　　Nohant　is　situated　in　the　centre　of　the　Black　Valley。　　The　ground　is　dark　and　rich；　there　are　narrow；　shady　paths。　　It　is　not　a　hilly　country；　and　there　are　wide；　peaceful　horizons。　　At　all　hours　of　the　day　and　at　all　seasons　of　the　year；　Aurore　wandered　along　the　Berry　roads　with　her　little　playfellows；　the　farmers'　children。　　There　was　Marie　who　tended　the　flock；　Solange　who　collected　leaves；　and　Liset　and　Plaisir　who　minded　the　pigs。　　She　always　knew　in　what　meadow　or　in　what　place　she　would　find　them。　　She　played　with　them　amongst　the　hay；　climbed　the　trees　and　dabbled　in　the　water。　　She　minded　the　flock　with　them；　and　in　winter；　when　the　herdsmen　talked　together；　assembled　round　their　fire；　she　listened　to　their　wonderful　stories。　　These　credulous　country　children　had　〃seen　with　their　own　eyes〃　Georgeon；　the　evil　spirit　of　the　Black　Valley。　　They　had　also　seen　will…o'…the…wisps；　ghosts；　the　〃white　greyhound〃　and　the　〃Big　Beast〃！　In　the　evenings；　she　sat　up　listening　to　the　stories　told　by　the　hemp…weaver。　Her　fresh　young　soul　was　thus　impregnated　at　an　early　age　with　the　poetry　of　the　country。　　And　it　was　all　the　poetry　of　the　country；　that　which　comes　from　things；　such　as　the　freshness　of　the　air　and　the　perfume　of　the　flowers；　but　also　that　which　is　to　be　found　in　the　simplicity　of　sentiments　and　in　that　candour　and　surprise　face　to　face　with　those　sights　of　Nature　which　have　remained　the　same　and　have　been　just　as