george sand-第26章

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overs　that　this　man　is　an　abominable　swindler。　　If　we　try　to　imagine　all　the　infamous　things　of　which　an　_apache_　would　be　capable；　who　at　the　same　time　is　devoted　to　the　women　of　the　pavement；　we　then　have　Leone　Leoni。　　Juliette；　who　is　naturally　honest　and　straightforward；　has　a　horror　of　all　the　atrocities　and　shameful　things　she　sees。　　And　yet；　in　spite　of　all；　she　comes　back　to　Leone　Leoni；　and　cannot　love　any　one　else。　　Her　love　is　stronger　than　she　is；　and　her　passion　sweeps　away　all　scruples　and　triumphs　over　all　scruples。　　The　difference　between　the　novel　of　the　eighteenth　century；　which　was　so　true　to　life；　and　this　lyrical　fantasy　of　the　nineteenth　century　is　very　evident。　　Manon　and　Des　Grieux　always　remained　united　to　each　other；　for　they　were　of　equal　value。　　Everything　took　place　in　the　lower　depths　of　society；　and　in　the　mire；　as　it　were；　of　the　heart。　　You　have　only　to　make　a　good　man　of　Des　Grieux；　or　a　virtuous　girl　of　Manon；　and　it　is　all　over。　　The　transposing　of　Leone　Leoni　is　just　this；　and　the　romanticism　of　it　delighted　Liszt。

He　had　just　given　a　fine　example　of　applying　romanticism　to　life。　　Marie　d'Agoult；　_nee_　de　Flavigny；　had　decided；　one　fine　day；　to　leave　her　husband　and　daughter　for　the　sake　of　the　passion　that　was　everything　to　her。　　She　accordingly　started　for　Geneva；　and　Liszt　joined　her　there。

Between　these　two　women　a　friendship　sprang　up；　which　was　due　rather　to　a　wish　to　like　each　other　than　to　a　real　attraction　or　real　fellow…feeling。　The　Comtesse　d'Agoult；　with　her　blue　eyes；　her　slender　figure；　and　somewhat　ethereal　style；　was　a　veritable　Diana；　an　aristocrat　and　a　society　woman。　　George　Sand　was　her　exact　opposite。　　But　the　Comtesse　d'Agoult　had　just　〃sacrificed　all　the　vanities　of　the　world　for　the　sake　of　an　artist；〃　so　that　she　deserved　consideration。　　The　stay　at　Geneva　was　gay　and　animated。　　The　_Piffoels_　（George　Sand　and　her　children）　and　the　_Fellows_　（Liszt　and　his　pupil；　Hermann　Cohen）　enjoyed　scandalizing　the　whole　hotel　by　their　Bohemian　ways。　　They　went　for　an　excursion　to　the　frozen　lake。　　At　Lausanne　Liszt　played　the　organ。　　On　returning　to　Paris　the　friends　did　not　want　to　separate。　　In　October；　1836；　George　Sand　took　up　her　abode　on　the　first　floor　of　the　Hotel　de　France；　in　the　Rue　Laffitte；　and　Liszt　and　the　Corntesse　d'Agoult　took　a　room　on　the　floor　above。　　The　trio　shared；　a　drawing…room　between　them；　but　in　reality　it　became　more　the　Comtesse　d'Agoult's　_salon_　than　George　Sand's。　Lamennais；　Henri　Heine；　Mickiewicz；　Michel　of　Bourges　and　Charles　Didier　were　among　their　visitors；　and　we　are　told　that　this　_salon_；　improvised　in　a　hotel　was　〃a　reunion　of　the　_elite_；　over　which　the　Comtesse　d'Agoult　presided　with　exquisite　grace。〃　　She　was　a　true　society　woman；　a　veritable　mistress　of　her　home；　one　of　those　who　could　transform　a　room　in　a　hotel；　a　travelling　carriage；　or　even　a　prison　into　that　exquisite　thing；　so　dear　to　French　polite　society　of　yorea　_salon_。

Among　the　_habitues_　of　Madame　d'Agoult's　_salon_　was　Chopin。　　This　is　a　new　chapter　in　George　Sand's　life；　and　a　little　later　on　we　shall　be　able　to　consider；　as　a　whole；　the　importance　of　this　intercourse　with　great　artists　as　regards　her　intellectual　development。


Before　finishing　our　study　of　this　epoch　in　her　life；　we　must　notice　how　much　George　Sand's　talent　had　developed　and　blossomed　out。　　_Mauprat_　was　published　in　1837；　and　is　undoubtedly　the　first　of　her　_chefs…d'oeuvre_。　In　her　uninterrupted　literary　production；　which　continued　regularly　in　spite　of　and　through　all　the　storms　of　her　private　life；　there　is　much　that　is　strange　and　second…rate　and　much　that　is　excellent。　　_Jacques_　is　an　extraordinary　piece　of　work。　　It　was　written　at　Venice　when　she　was　with　Pagello。　　George　Sand　declared　that　she　had　neither　put　herself　nor　Musset　into　this　book。　　She　was　nevertheless　inspired　by　their　case；　and　she　merely　transposed　their　ideal　of　renunciation。　　_Andre_　may　be　classed　among　the　second…rate　work。　　It　is　the　story　of　a　young　noble　who　seduces　a　girl　of　the　working…class。　It　is　a　souvenir　of　Berry；　written　in　a　home…sick　mood　when　George　Sand　was　at　Venice。　　_Simon_　also　belongs　to　the　second…rate　category。　　The　portrait　of　Michel　of　Bourges　can　easily　be　traced　in　it。　　George　Sand　had　intended　doing　more　for　Michel　than　this。　　She　composed　a　revolutionary　novel　in　three　volumes；　in　his　honour；　entitled：　　_Engelwald　with　the　high　forehead_。　　Buloz　neither　cared　for　_Engelwald_　nor　for　his　high　forehead；　and　this　novel　was　never　published。

According　to　George　Sand；　when　she　wrote　_Mauprat_　her　idea　was　the　rehabilitation　of　marriage。　　〃I　had　just　been　petitioning　for　a　separation；〃　she　says。　　I　had；　until　then；　been　fighting　against　the　abuses　of　marriage；　and；　as　I　had　never　developed　my　ideas　sufficiently；　I　had　given　every　one　the　notion　that　I　despised　the　essential　principles　of　it。　　On　the　contrary；　marriage　really　appeared　to　me　in　all　the　moral　beauty　of　those　principles；　and　in　my　book　I　make　my　hero；　at　the　age　of　eighty；　proclaim　his　faithfulness　to　the　only　woman　he　has　ever　loved。〃

〃She　is　the　only　woman　I　have　ever　loved；〃　says　Bernard　de　Mauprat。　　〃No　other　woman　has　ever　attracted　my　attention　or　been　embraced　by　me。　　I　am　like　that。　　When　I　love；　I　love　for　ever；　in　the　past；　in　the　present　and　in　the　future。〃

_Mauprat_；　then；　according　to　George　Sand；　was　a　novel　with　a　purpose；　just　as　_Indiana_　was；　although　they　each　had　an　opposite　purpose。　　Fortunately　it　is　nothing　of　the　kind。　　This　is　one　of　those　explanations　arranged　afterwards；　peculiar　sometimes　to　authors。　　The　reality　about　all　this　is　quite　different。

In　this　book　George　Sand　had　just　given　the　reins　to　her　imagination；　without　allowing　sociological　preoccupations　to　spoil　everything。　　During　her　excursions　in　Berry；　she　had　stopped　to　gaze　at　the　ruins　of　an　old　feudal　castle。　　We　all　know　the　power　of　suggestion　contained　in　those　old　stones；　and　how　wonderfully　they　tell　stories　of　the　past　they　have　witnessed　to　those　persons　who　know　how　to　question　them。　　The　remembrance　of　the　_chateau_　of　Roche　Mauprat　came　to　the　mind　of　the　novelist。　　She　saw　it　just　as　it　stood　before　the　Revolution；　a　fortress；　and　at　the　same　time　a　refuge　for　the　wild　lord　and　his　eight　sons；　who　used　to　sally　forth　and　ravage　the　country。　　In　French　narrative　literature　there　is　nothing　to　surpass　the　first　hundred　pages　in　which　George　Sand　introduces　us　to　the　burgraves　of　central　France。　　She　is　just　as　happy　when　she　takes　us　to　Paris　with　Bernard　de　Mauprat；　to　Paris　of　the　last　days　of　the　old　_regime_。　　She　introduces　us　to　the　society　which　she　had　learnt　to　know　through　the　traditions　of　her　grandmother。　　It　is　not　only　Nature；　but　history；　which　she　uses　as　a　setting　for　her　story。　　How　cleverly；　too；　she　treats　the　analysis　which　is　the　true　subject　of　the　book；　that　of　education　through　love。　　We　see　the　untamed　nature　of　Bernard　de　Mauprat　gradually　giving　way　under　the　influence　of　the　noble　and　delicious　Edmee。

There　are　typical　peasants；　too；　in　_Mauprat_。　　We　have　Marcasse；　the　mole…catcher；　and　Patience；　the　good…natured　Patience；　the　rustic　philosopher；　well　up　in　Epictetus　and　in　Jean…Jacques　Rousseau；　who　has　gone　into　the　woods　to　live　his　life　according　to　the　laws　of　Nature　and　to　find　the　wisdom　of　the　primitive　days　of　the　world。　　We　are　told　that；　during　the　Revolution；　Patience　was　a　sort　of　intermediary　between　the　_chateau_　and　the　cottage；　and　that　he　helped　in　bringing　about　the　reign　of　equity　in　his　district。　　It　is　to　be　hoped　this　was　so。

In　any　case；　it　is　very　certain　that　we　come　across　this　Patience　again　in　Russian　novels　with　a　name　ending　in　_ow_　or　_ew_。　　This　is　a　proof　that　if　the　personage　seems　somewhat　impossible；　he　was　at　any　rate　original；　new　and　entertaining。

We　hear　people　say　that　George　Sand　is　no　longer　read。　　It　is　to　be　hoped　that　_Mauprat_　is　still　read；　otherwise　our　modern　readers　miss　one　of　the　finest　stories　in　the　history　of　novels。　　This；　then；　is　the　point　at　which　we　have　arrived　in　the　evolution　of　George　Sand's　genius。　　There　may　still　be　modifications　in　her　style；　and　her　talent　may　still　be　refreshed　under　various　influences；　but　with