george sand-第42章

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t　so　much　labour；　but　which　is　destined　to　keep　life　in　them　all。　　Claudie　is　one　of　those　young　peasant　girls；　whom　we　met　with　in　the　novel　entitled　_Jeanne_。　　She　had　been　unfortunate；　but　Jeanne；　although　virtuous　and　pure　herself；　did　not　despise　her；　for　in　the　country　there　is　great　latitude　in　certain　matters。　　This　is　just　the　plain　story；　but　on　the　stage　everything　becomes　more　dramatic　and　is　treated　in　a　more　detailed　and　solemn　fashion。　　Claudie's　misfortune　causes　her　to　become　a　sort　of　personage　apart；　and　it　raises　her　very　high　in　her　own　esteem。

〃I　am　not　afraid　of　anything　that　can　be　said　about　me；〃　observes　Claudie；　〃for；　on　knowing　the　truth；　kind…hearted；　upright　people　will　acknowledge　that　I　do　not　deserve　to　be　insulted。〃　　Her　old　grandfather；　Remy；　has　completely　absolved　her。

〃You　have　repented　and　suffered　enough；　and　you　have　worked　and　wept　and　expiated　enough；　too；　my　poor　Claudie；〃　he　says。　　Through　all　this　she　has　become　worthy　to　make　an　excellent　marriage。　　It　is　a　case　of　that　special　moral　code　by　which；　after　free　love；　the　fault　must　be　recompensed。

Claudie　is　later　on　the　Jeannine　of　the　_Idees　de　Madame　Aubray_；　the　Denise　of　Alexandre　Dumas。　　She　is　the　unmarried　mother；　whose　misfortunes　have　not　crushed　her　pride；　who；　after　being　outraged；　has　a　right　now　to　a　double　share　of　respect。　　The　first　good　young　man　is　called　upon　to　accept　her　past　life；　for　there　is　a　law　of　solidarity　in　the　world。　　The　human　species　is　divided　into　two　categories；　the　one　is　always　busy　doing　harm；　and　the　other　is　naturally　obliged　to　give　itself　up　to　making　good　the　harm　done。

_The　Mariage　de　Victorine_　belongs　to　a　well…known　kind　of　literary　exercise；　which　was　formerly　very　much　in　honour　in　the　colleges。　　This　consists　in　taking　a　celebrated　work　at　the　place　where　the　author　has　left　it　and　in　imagining　the　〃sequel。〃　　For　instance；　after　the　_Cid_；　there　would　be　the　marriage　of　Rodrigue　and　Chimene　for　us。　　As　a　continuation　of　_L'Ecole　des　Femmes_；　there　is　the　result　of　the　marriage　of　the　young　Horace　with　the　tiresome　little　Agnes。　　Corneille　gave　a　sequel　to　the　_Menteur_　himself。　　Fabre　d'Eglantine　wrote　the　sequel　to　_Le　Misanthrope_；　and　called　it　_Le　Philinte　de　Moliere_。　　George　Sand　gives　us　here　the　sequel　of　Sedaine's　_chef…d'oeuvre_　（that　is；　a　_chef…d'oeuvre_　for　Sedaine）；　_Le　Philosophe　sans　le　savor。_

In　_Le　Philosophe　sans　le　savoir_　Monsieur　Vanderke　is　a　nobleman；　who　has　become　a　merchant　in　order　to　be　in　accordance　with　the　ideas　of　the　times。　　He　is　a　Frenchman；　but　he　has　taken　a　Dutch　name　out　of　snobbishness。　　He　has　a　clerk　or　a　confidential　servant　named　Antoine。　　Victorine　is　Antoine's　daughter。　　Vanderke's　son　is　to　fight　a　duel；　and　from　Victorine's　emotion；　whilst　awaiting　the　result　of　this　duel；　it　is　easy　to　see　that　she　is　in　love　with　this　young　man。　　George　Sand's　play　turns　on　the　question　of　what　is　to　be　done　when　the　day　comes　for　Victorine　to　marry。　　An　excellent　husband　is　found　for　her；　a　certain　Fulgence；　one　of　Monsieur　Vanderke's　clerks。　　He　belongs　to　her　own　class；　and　this　is　considered　one　of　the　indispensable　conditions　for　happiness　in　marriage。　　He　loves　her；　so　that　everything　seems　to　favour　Victorine。　　We　are　delighted；　and　she；　too；　seems　to　be　in　good　spirits；　but；　all　the　time　that　she　is　receiving　congratulations　and　presents；　we　begin　to　see　that　she　has　some　great　trouble。

〃Silk　and　pearls！〃　she　exclaims；　〃oh；　how　heavy　they　are；　but　I　am　sure　that　they　are　very　fine。　　Lace；　too；　and　silver；　oh；　such　a　quantity　of　silver。　　How　rich　and　fine　and　happy　I　shall　be。　　And　then　Fulgence　is　so　fond　of　me。〃　　（She　gets　sadder　and　sadder。）　〃And　father　is　so　pleased。　　How　strange。　　I　feel　stifled。〃　　（She　sits　down　in　Antoinc's　chair。）　〃Is　this　joy？　。　。　。　　I　feel　。　。　。　　Ah；　it　hurts　to　be　as　happy　as　this。　。　。　。〃　　She　bursts　into　tears。　　This　suppressed　emotion　to　which　she　finally　gives　vent；　and　this　forced　smile　which　ends　in　sobs　are　very　effective　on　the　stage。　　The　question　is；　how　can　Victorine's　tears　be　dried？　　She　wants　to　marry　young　Vanderke；　the　son　of　her　father's　employer；　instead　of　the　clerk。　　The　only　thing　is；　then；　to　arrange　this　marriage。

〃Is　it　a　crime；　then；　for　my　brother　to　love　Victorine？〃　asks　Sophie；　〃and　is　it　mad　of　me　to　think　that　you　will　give　your　consent？〃

〃My　dear　Sophie；〃　replies　Monsieur　Vanderke；　〃there　are　no　unequal　marriages　in　the　sight　of　God。　　A　servitor　like　Antoine　is　a　friend；　and　I　have　always　brought　you　up　to　consider　Victorine　as　your　companion　and　equal。〃

This　is　the　way　the　father　of　the　family　speaks。　　Personally；　I　consider　him　rather　imprudent。

As　this　play　is　already　a　sequel　to　another　one；　I　do　not　wish　to　propose　a　sequel　to　_Le　Mariage　de　Victorine_；　but　I　cannot　help　wondering　what　will　happen　when　Vanderke's　son　finds　himself　the　son…in…law　of　an　old　servant…man；　and　also　what　will　occur　if　he　should　take　his　wife　to　call　on　some　of　his　sister's　friends。　　It　seems　to　me　that　he　would　then　find　out　he　had；　made　a　mistake。　　Among　the　various　personages；　only　one　appears　to　me　quite　worthy　of　interest；　and　that　is　poor　Fulgence；　who　was　so　straightforward　and　honest；　and　who　is　treated　so　badly。

But　how　deep　Victorine　was！　　Even　if　we　admit　that　she　did　not　deliberately　scheme　and　plot　to　get　herself　married　by　the　son　of　the　family；　she　did　instinctively　all　that　had　to　be　done　for　that。　　She　was　very　deep　in　an　innocent　way；　and　I　have　come　to　the　conclusion　that　such　deepness　is　the　most　to　be　feared。

I　see　quite　well　all　that　is　lacking　in　these　pieces；　and　that　they　are　not　very　great；　but　all　the　same　they　form　a　〃theatre〃　apart。　　There　is　unity　in　this　theatrical　work　of　George　Sand。　　Whether　it　makes　a　hero　of　the　natural　son；　rehabilitates　the　seduced　girl；　or　cries　down　the　idea　of　_mesalliances_；　it　is　always　the　same　fight　in　which　it　is　engaged；　it　is　always　fighting　against　the　same　enemies；　prejudice　and　narrow…mindedness。　On　the　stage；　we　call　every　opinion　contrary　to　our　own　prejudice　or　narrow…mindedness。　The　theatre　lives　by　fighting。　　It　matters　little　what　the　author　is　attacking。　　He　may　wage　war　with　principles；　prejudices；　giants；　or　windmills。　　Provided　that　there　be　a　battle；　there　will　be　a　theatre　for　it。

The　fact　that　George　Sand's　theatre　was　the　forerunner　of　the　theatre　of　Dumas　_fils_　gives　it　additional　value。　　We　have　already　noticed　the　analogy　of　situations　and　the　kinship　of　theories　contained　in　George　Sand's　best　plays　and　in　the　most　noted　ones　by　Dumas。　　I　have　no　doubt　that　Dumas　owed　a　great　deal　to　George　Sand。　　We　shall　see　that　he　paid　his　debt　as　only　he　could　have　done。　　He　knew　the　novelist　when　he　was　quite　young；　as　Dumas　_pere_　and　George　Sand　were　on　very　friendly　terms。　　In　her　letter　telling　Sainte…Beuve　not　to　take　Musset　to　call　on　her；　as　she　thought　him　impertinent；　she　tells　him　to　bring　Dumas　_pere_；　whom　she　evidently　considered　well　bred。　　As　she　was　a　friend　of　his　father's；　she　was　like　a　mother　for　the　son。　　The　first　letter　to　him　in　the　_Correspondance_　is　dated　1850。　　Dumas　_fils_　was　then　twenty…six　years　of　age；　and　she　calls　him　〃my　son。〃

He　had　not　written　_La　Dame　aux　Camelias_　then。　　It　was　performed　for　the　first　time　in　February；　1852。　　He　was　merely　the　author　of　a　few　second…rate　novels　and　of　a　volume　of　execrable　poetry。　　He　had　not　found　out　his　capabilities　at　that　time。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　he　was　greatly　struck　by　George　Sand's　plays；　imbued　as　they　were　with　the　ideas　we　have　just　pointed　out。

All　this　is　worthy　of　note；　as　it　is　essential　for　understanding　the　work　of　Alexandre　Dumas　_fils_。　　He；　too；　was　a　natural　son；　and　his　illegitimate　birth　had　caused　him　much　suffering。　　He　was　sent　to　the　Pension　Goubaux；　and　for　several　years　he　endured　the　torture　he　describes　with　such　harshness　at　the　beginning　of　_L'Affaire　Clemenceau_。　　He　was　exposed　to　all　kinds　of　insults　and　blows。　　His　first　contact　with　society　taught　him　that　this　society　was　unjust；　and　that　it　made　the　innocent　suffer。　　The　first　experience　he　had　was　that　of　the　cruelty　and　cowardice　of　men。　　His　mind　was　deeply　impressed　by　this；　and　he　never　lost　the　impression。　　He　did　not