george sand-第6章

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　believe　much　in　the　influence　of　the　physical　over　the　moral　nature；　but　I　am　fully　convinced　of　the　action　of　the　moral　over　the　physical　nature。　　In　certain　cases　and　in　presence　of　extremely　accentuated　conditions；　physiological　explanations　must　be　taken　into　account。　　All　these　fits　of　melancholy　and　weeping；　this　prostration；　these　high　spirits　and　the　long　walks；　in　order　to　sober　down；　denote　the　exigencies　of　an　abnormal　temperament。　　When　once　the　crisis　was　passed；　it　must　not　be　supposed　that；　as　with　many　other　people；　nothing　remained　of　it　all。　　This　was　by　no　means　the　case；　as　in　a　nature　so　extraordinarily　organized　for　storing　up　sensations　nothing　was　lost；　nothing　evaporated；　and　everything　increased。　　The　still　water　seemed　to　be　slumbering。　　Its　violence；　though　held　in　check；　was　increasing　in　force；　and　when　once　let　loose；　it　would　carry　all　before　it。

Such　was　the　woman　whom　Casimir　Dudevant　was　to　marry。　　The　fascination　was　great；　the　honour　rather　to　be　feared；　for　all　depended　on　his　skill　in　guiding　this　powerful　energy。

The　question　is　whether　he　loved　her。　　It　has　been　said　that　it　was　a　marriage　of　interest；　as　Aurore's　fortune　amounted　to　twenty　thousand　pounds；　and　he　was　by　no　means　rich。　　This　may　have　been　so；　but　there　is　no　reason　why　money　should　destroy　one's　sentiments；　and　the　fact　that　Aurore　had　money　was　not　likely　to　prevent　Casimir　from　appreciating　the　charms　of　a　pretty　girl。　　It　seems；　therefore；　very　probable　that　he　loved　his　young　wife；　at　any　rate　as　much　as　this　Casimir　was　capable　of　loving　his　wife。

The　next　question　is　whether　she　loved　him。　　It　has　been　said　that　she　did；　simply　because　she　declared　that　she　did　not。　　When；　later　on；　after　her　separation；　she　spoke　of　her　marriage；　all　her　later　grievances　were　probably　in　her　mind。　　There　are　her　earlier　letters；　though；　which　some　people　consider　a　proof　that　she　cared　for　Casimir；　and　there　are　also　a　few　words　jotted　down　in　her　notebook。　　When　her　husband　was　absent；　she　was　anxious　about　him　and　feared　that　he　had　met　with　an　accident。　　It　would　be　strange　indeed　if　a　girl　of　eighteen　did　not　feel　some　affection　for　the　man　who　had　been　the　first　to　make　love　to　her；　a　man　whom　she　had　married　of　her　own　free…will。　It　is　rare　for　a　woman　to　feel　no　kind　of　attachment　for　her　husband；　but　is　that　attachment　love？　　When　a　young　wife　complains　of　her　husband；　we　hear　in　her　reproaches　the　protest　of　her　offended　dignity；　of　her　humbled　pride。　　When　a　woman　loves　her　husband；　though；　she　does　not　reproach　him；　guilty　though　he　may　be；　with　having　humiliated　and　wounded　her。　　What　she　has　against　him　then；　is　that　he　has　broken　her　heart　by　his　lack　of　love　for　her。　　This　note　and　this　accent　can　never　be　mistaken；　and　never　once　do　we　find　it　with　Aurore。　　We　may　therefore　conclude　that　she　had　never　loved　her　husband。

Casimir　did　not　know　how　to　win　her　affection。　　He　did　not　even　realize　that　he　needed　to　win　it。　　He　was　very　much　like　all　men。　　The　idea　never　occurs　to　them　that；　when　once　they　are　married；　they　have　to　win　their　wife。

He　was　very　much　like　all　men。　。　。　。　　That　is　the　most　faithful　portrait　that　can　be　traced　of　Casimir　at　this　epoch。　　He　had　not　as　yet　the　vices　which　developed　in　him　later　on。　　He　had　nothing　to　distinguish　him　from　the　average　man。　　He　was　selfish；　without　being　disagreeable；　rather　idle；　rather　incapable；　rather　vain　and　rather　foolish。　　He　was　just　an　ordinary　man。　　The　wife　he　had　married；　though；　was　not　an　ordinary　woman。　　That　was　their　misfortune。　　As　Emile　Faguet　has　very　wittily　put　it；　〃Monsieur　Dudevant；　about　whom　she　complained　so　much；　seems　to　have　had　no　other　fault　than　that　of　being　merely　an　ordinary　man；　which；　of　course；　is　unendurable　to　a　superior　woman。　　The　situation　was　perhaps　equally　unendurable　for　the　man。〃　　This　is　quite　right；　for　Casimir　was　very　soon　considerably　disconcerted。　　He　was　incapable　of　understanding　her　psychology；　and；　as　it　seemed　impossible　to　him　that　a　woman　was　not　his　inferior；　he　came　to　the　logical　conclusion　that　his　wife　was　〃idiotic。〃　　This　was　precisely　his　expression；　and　at　every　opportunity　he　endeavoured　to　crush　her　by　his　own　superiority。　　All　this　seems　to　throw　some　light　on　his　character　and　also　on　the　situation。　　Here　was　a　man　who　had　married　the　future　George　Sand；　and　he　complained；　in　all　good　faith；　that　his　wife　was　〃idiotic〃！

Certainly；　on　comparing　the　_Correspondance_　with　the　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_；　the　difference　of　tone　is　most　striking。　　The　letters　in　which　Baronne　Dudevant　tells；　day　by　day；　of　her　home　life　are　too　enthusiastic　for　the　letters　of　an　unhappy　wife。　　There　are　receptions　at　Nohant；　lively　dinners；　singing　and　dancing。　　All　this　is；　at　any　rate；　the　surface；　but　gradually　the　misunderstandings　are　more　pronounced；　and　the　gulf　widens。

There　may　have　been　a　misunderstanding　at　the　very　beginning　of　their　married　life；　and　Aurore　may　have　had　a　surprise　of　the　nature　of　the　one　to　which　Jane　de　Simerose　confesses　in　_L'Ami　des　femmes_。　　In　an　unpublished　letter　written　much　later　on；　in　the　year　1843；　from　George　Sand　to　her　half…brother　Hippolyte　Chatiron　on　the　occasion　of　his　daughter's　engagement；　the　following　lines　occur：　　〃See　that　your　son…in…law　is　not　brutal　to　your　daughter　the　first　night　of　their　marriage。　。　。　。　　Men　have　no　idea　that　this　amusement　of　theirs　is　a　martyrdom　for　us。　　Tell　him　to　sacrifice　his　own　pleasure　a　little；　and　to　wait　until　he　has　taught　his　wife　gradually　to　understand　things　and　to　be　willing。　　There　is　nothing　so　frightful　as　the　horror；　the　suffering　and　the　disgust　of　a　poor　girl　who　knows　nothing　and　who　is　suddenly　violated　by　a　brute。　　We　bring　girls　up　as　much　as　possible　like　saints；　and　then　we　hand　them　over　like　fillies。　　If　your　son…in…law　is　an　intelligent　man　and　if　he　really　loves　your　daughter；　he　will　understand　his　_role_；　and　will　not　take　it　amiss　that　you　should　speak　to　him　beforehand。〃＇2＇


＇2＇　Communicated　by　M。　S。　Rocheblave。


Is　George　Sand　recalling　here　any　hidden　and　painful　memories？　　Casimir　had；　at　bottom；　a　certain　brutality；　which；　later　on；　was　very　evident。　　The　question　is　whether　he　had　shown　proofs　of　it　at　a　time　when　it　would　have　been　wiser　to　have　refrained。

However　that　may　be；　the　fundamental　disagreement　of　their　natures　was　not　long　in　making　itself　felt　between　the　husband　and　wife。　　He　was　matter…of…fact；　and　she　was　romantic；　he　only　believed　in　facts；　and　she　in　ideas；　he　was　of　the　earth；　earthy；　whilst　she　aspired　to　the　impossible。　　They　had　nothing　to　say　to　each　other；　and　when　two　people　have　nothing　to　say；　and　love　does　not　fill　up　the　silences；　what　torture　the　daily　_tete…a…tete_　must　be。　　Before　they　had　been　married　two　years；　they　were　bored　to　death。　　They　blamed　Nohant；　but　the　fault　was　in　themselves。　　Nohant　seemed　unbearable　to　them；　simply　because　they　were　there　alone　with　each　other。　　They　went　to　Plessis；　perhaps　in　the　hope　that　the　remembrance　of　the　days　of　their　engagement　might　have　some　effect　on　them。　　It　was　there；　in　1824；　that　the　famous　scene　of　the　blow　took　place。　　They　were　playing　at　a　regular　children's　game　in　the　park；　and　throwing　sand　at　each　other。　　Casimir　lost　his　patience　and　struck　his　wife。　　It　was　certainly　impolite；　but　Aurore　did　not　appear　to　have　been　very　indignant　with　her　husband　at　the　time。　　Her　grievances　were　quite　of　another　kind；　less　tangible　and　much　more　deeply　felt。

From　Plessis　they　went　to　Ormesson。　　We　do　not　know　what　took　place　there；　but　evidently　something　which　made　a　deep　impression　morally；　something　very　serious。　　A　few　years　later；　referring　to　this　stay　at　Ormesson；　George　Sand　wrote　to　one　of　her　friends：　　〃You　pass　by　a　wall　and　come　to　a　house。　。　。　。　　If　you　are　allowed　to　enter　you　will　find　a　delightful　English　garden；　at　the　bottom　of　which　is　a　spring　of　water　hidden　under　a　kind　of　grotto。　　It　is　all　very　stiff　and　uninteresting；　but　it　is　very　lonely。　　I　spent　several　months　there；　and　it　was　there　that　I　lost　my　health；　my　confidence　in　the　future；　my　gaiety　and　my　happiness。　　It　was　there　that　I　felt；　and　very　deeply　too；　my　first　approach　of　trouble。　。　。　。〃＇3＇


＇3＇　Extrac