george sand-第30章

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or　the　ornamentation　of　Christian　temples。　　Nothing　could　have　been　purer　and　at　the　same　time　more　enthusiastic　than　his　ideas。　　。　。　。　　He　was　always　lost　in　his　dreams；　and　had　no　sense　of　reality。　。　。　。〃　　His　exquisite　politeness　was　then　described；　and　the　ultra　acuteness　and　nervosity　which　resulted　in　that　power　of　divination　which　he　possessed。　　For　a　portrait　to　be　living；　it　must　have　some　faults　as　well　as　qualities。　　His　delineator　does　not　forget　to　mention　the　attitude　of　mystery　in　which　the　Prince　took　refuge　whenever　his　feelings　were　hurt。　　She　speaks　also　of　his　intense　susceptibility。　　〃His　wit　was　very　brilliant；〃　she　says；　〃it　consisted　of　a　kind　of　subtle　mocking　shrewdness；　not　really　playful；　but　a　sort　of　delicate；　bantering　gaiety。〃　　It　may　have　been　to　the　glory　of　Prince　Karol　to　resemble　Chopin；　but　it　was　also　quite　creditable　to　Chopin　to　have　been　the　model　from　which　this　distinguished　neurasthenic　individual　was　taken。

Prince　Karol　meets　a　certain　Lucrezia　Floriani；　a　rich　actress　and　courtesan。　　She　is　six　years　older　than　he　is；　somewhat　past　her　prime；　and　now　leading　a　quiet　life。　　She　has　done　with　love　and　love　affairs；　or；　at　least；　she　thinks　so。　　〃The　fifteen　years　of　passion　and　torture；　which　she　had　gone　through；　seemed　to　her　now　so　cruel　that　she　was　hoping　to　have　them　counted　double　by　the　supreme　Dispenser　of　our　trials。〃　　It　was；　of　course；　natural　that　she　should　acknowledge　God's　share　in　the　matter。　　We　are　told　that　〃implacable　destiny　was　not　satisfied；〃　so　that　when　Karol　makes　his　first　declaration；　Lucrezia　yields　to　him；　but　at　the　same　time　she　puts　a　suitable　colouring　on　her　fall。　　There　are　many　ways　of　loving；　and　it　is　surely　noble　and　disinterested　in　a　woman　to　love　a　man　as　his　mother。　　〃I　shall　love　him；〃　she　says；　kissing　the　young　Prince's　pale　face　ardently；　〃but　it　will　be　as　his　mother　loved　him；　just　as　fervently　and　just　as　faithfully。　　This　maternal　affection；　etc。　。　。　。〃　　Lucrezia　Floriani　had　a　way　of　introducing　the　maternal　instinct　everywhere。　　She　undertook　to　encircle　her　children　and　Prince　Karol　with　the　same　affection；　and　her　notions　of　therapeutics　were　certainly　somewhat　strange　and　venturesome；　for　she　fetched　her　children　to　the　Prince's　bedside。　　〃Karol　breathed　more　freely；〃　we　are　told；　〃when　the　children　were　there。　　Their　pure　breath　mingling　with　their　mother's　made　the　air　milder　and　more　gentle　for　his　feverish　lungs。〃　　This　we　shall　not　attempt　to　dispute。　　It　is　the　study　of　the　situation；　though；　that　forms　the　subject　of　_Lucrezia　Floriani_。　　George　Sand　gives　evidence　of　wonderful　clear…sightedness　and　penetration　in　the　art　of　knowing　herself。

She　gives　us　warning　that　it　is　〃a　sad　story　and　sorrowful　truth〃　that　she　is　telling　us。　　She　has　herself　the　better　_role_　of　the　two　naturally。　　It　could　not　have　been　on　that；　account　that　Chopin'　was　annoyed。　　He　was　a　Pole；　and　therefore　doubly　chivalrous；　so　that　such　an　objection　would　have　been　unworthy　of　a　lover。　　What　concerns　us　is　that　George　Sand　gives；　with　great　nicety；　the；　exact　causes　of　the　rupture。　　In　the　first　place；　Karol　was　jealous　of　Lucrezia's　stormy　past；　then　his　refined　nature　shrank　from　certain　of　her　comrades　of　a　rougher　kind。　　The　invalid　was　irritated　by　her　robust　health；　and　by　the　presence　and；　we　might　almost　say；　the　rivalry　of　the　children。　　Prince　Karol　finds　them　nearly　always　in　his　way；　and　he　finally　takes　a　dislike　to　them。　　There　comes　a　moment　when　Lucrezia　sees　herself　obliged　to　choose　between　the　two　kinds　of　maternity；　the　natural　kind　and　the　maternity　according　to　the　convention　of　lovers。

The　special　kind　of　sentiment；　then；　between　George　Sand　and　Chopin；　Just　as　between　Lucrezia　and　Prince　Karol；　was　just　this：　　love　with　maternal　affection。　　This　is　extremely　difficult　to　define；　as　indeed　is　everything　which　is　extremely　complex。　　George　Sand　declares　that　her　reason　for　not　refusing　intimacy　with　Chopin　was　that　she　considered　this　in　the　light　of　a　duty　and　as　a　safeguard。　　〃One　duty　more；〃　she　writes；　〃in　a　life　already　so　full；　a　life　in　which　I　was　overwhelmed　with　fatigue；　seemed　to　me　one　chance　more　of　arriving　at　that　austerity　towards　which　I　felt　myself　being　drawn　with　a　kind　of　religious　enthusiasm。〃＇30＇


＇30＇　_Histoire　de　via　vie。_


We　can　only　imagine　that　she　was　deceiving　herself。　　To　accept　a　lover　for　the　sake　of　giving　up　lovers　altogether　seems　a　somewhat　heroic　means　to　an　end；　but　also　somewhat　deceptive。　　It　is　certainly　true　that　there　was　something　more　in　this　love　than　the　attraction　she　felt　for　Musset　and　for　Michel。　　In　the　various　forms　and　degrees　of　our　feelings；　there　is　nothing　gained　by　attempting　to　establish　decided　divisions　and　absolute　demarcations　for　the　sake　of　classifying　them　all。　　Among　sentiments　which　are　akin；　but　which　our　language　distinguishes　when　defining　them；　there　may　be　some　mixture　or　some　confusion　with　regard　to　their　origin。　　Alfred　de　Vigny　gives　us　in　_Samson_；　as　the　origin　of　love；　even　in　man；　the　remembrance　of　his　mother's　caresses：

_Il　revera　toujours　a　la　chaleur　du　sein。_


It　seems；　therefore；　that　we　cannot　apply　the　same　reasoning；　with　regard　to　love；　when　referring　to　the　love　of　a　man　or　of　a　woman。　　With　the　man　there　is　more　pride　of　possession；　and　with　the　woman　there　is　more　tenderness；　more　pity；　more　charity。　　All　this　leads　us　to　the　conclusion　that　maternal　affection　in　love　is　not　an　unnatural　sentiment；　as　has　so　often　been　said；　or　rather　a　perversion　of　sentiment。　　It　is　rather　a　sentiment　in　which　too　much　instinct　and　heredity　are　mingled　in　a　confused　way。　　The　object　of　the　education　of　feeling　is　to　arrive　at　discerning　and　eliminating　the　elements　which　interfere　with　the　integrity　of　it。　　Rousseau　called　Madame　de　Warens　his　mother；　but　he　was　a　man　who　was　lacking　in　good　taste。　　George　Sand　frequently　puts　into　her　novels　this　conception　of　love　which　we　see　her　put　into　practice　in　life。　　It　is　impossible　when　analyzing　it　closely　not　to　find　something　confused　and　disturbing　in　it　which　somewhat　offends　us。

It　now　remains　for　us　to　study　what　influence　George　Sand's　friendship　with　some　of　the　greatest　artists　of　her　times　had　on　her　works。　　Beside　Liszt　and　Chopin；　she　knew　Delacroix；　Madame　Dorval；　Pauline　Viardot；　Nourrit　and　Lablache。　　Through　them　she　went　into　artistic　circles。　　Some　of　her　novels　are　stories　of　the　life　of　artists。　　_Les　Maitres　Mosaistes_　treats　of　the　rivalry　between　two　studios。　　_La　derniere　Aldini_　is　the　story　of　a　handsome　gondolier　who；　as　a　tenor；　turned　the　heads　of　patrician　women。　　The　first　part　of　_Consuelo_　takes　us　back　to　the　singing　schools　and　theatres　of　Venice　in　the　eighteenth　century；　and　introduces　us　to　individuals　taken　from　life　and　cleverly　drawn。　　We　have　Comte　Zustiniani；　the　dilettante；　a　wealthy　patron　of　the　fine　arts；　Porpora；　the　old　master；　who　looks　upon　his　art　as　something　sacred；　Corilla；　the　prima　donna；　annoyed　at　seeing　a　new　star　appear；　Anzoleto；　the　tenor；　who　is　jealous　because　he　gets　less　applause　than　his　friend；　and　above　and　beyond　all　the　others　Consuelo；　good　kind　Consuelo；　the　sympathetic　singer。

The　theatres　of　Venice　seem　to　be　very　much　like　those　of　Paris　and　of　other　places。　　We　have　the　following　sketch　of　the　vanity　of　the　comedian。　　〃Can　a　man　be　jealous　of　a　woman's　advantages？　　Can　a　lover　dislike　his　sweetheart　to　have　success？　　A　man　can　certainly　be　jealous　of　a　woman's　advantages　when　that　man　is　a　vain　artist；　and　a　lover　may　hate　his　sweetheart　to　have　any　success　if　they　both　belong　to　the　theatre。　　A　comedian　is　not　a　man；　Consuelo；　but　a　woman。　　He　lives　on　his　sickly　vanity；　he　only　thinks　of　satisfying　that　vanity；　and　he　works　for　the　sake　of　intoxicating　himself　with　vanity。　　A　woman's　beauty　is　apt　to　take　attention　from　him　and　a　woman's　talent　may　cause　his　talent　to　be　thrown　in　the　background。　　A　woman　is　his　rival；　or　rather　he　is　the　rival　of　a　woman。　　He　has　all　the　little　meannesses；　the　caprices；　the　exigences　and　the　weak　points　of　a　coquette。〃　　Such　is　the　note　of　this　picture　of　things　and　people　in　the　theatrical　world。　　How　can　we　doubt　its　veracity！

At　any　rate；　the　general　idea