a little tour in france-第1章

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A　Little　Tour　In　France

by　Henry　James





We　good　Americans　…　I　say　it　without　presumption　…　are　too　apt　to　think　that　France　is　Paris；　just　as　we　are　accused　of　being　too　apt　to　think　that　Paris　is　the　celestial　city。　　This　is　by　no　means　the　case；　fortun…　ately　for　those　persons　who　take　an　interest　in　modern　Gaul；　and　yet　are　still　left　vaguely　unsatisfied　by　that　epitome　of　civilization　which　stretches　from　the　Arc　de　Triomphe　to　the　Gymnase　theatre。　　It　had　already　been　intimated　to　the　author　of　these　light　pages　that　there　are　many　good　things　in　the　_doux　pays　de　France_　of　which　you　get　no　hint　in　a　walk　between　those　ornaments　of　the　capital；　but　the　truth　had　been　re…　vealed　only　in　quick…flashing　glimpses；　and　he　was　conscious　of　a　desire　to　look　it　well　in　the　face。　　To　this　end　he　started；　one　rainy　morning　in　mid…Septem…　ber；　for　the　charming　little　city　of　Tours；　from　which　point　it　seemed　possible　to　make　a　variety　of　fruitful　excursions。　　His　excursions　resolved　themselves　ulti…　mately　into　a　journey　through　several　provinces；　…　a　journey　which　had　its　dull　moments　（as　one　may　defy　any　journey　not　to　have）；　but　which　enabled　him　to　feel　that　his　proposition　was　demonstrated。　　France　may　be　Paris；　but　Paris　is　not　France；　that　was　perfectly　evident　on　the　return　to　the　capital。

I　must　not　speak；　however；　as　if　I　had　discovered　the　provinces。　　They　were　discovered；　or　at　least　re…　vealed　by　BaIzac；　if　by　any　one；　and　are　now　easily　accessible　to　visitors。　　It　is　true；　I　met　no　visitors；　or　only　one　or　two；　whom　it　was　pleasant　to　meet。　Throughout　my　little　tour　I　was　almost　the　only　tourist。　That　is　perhaps　one　reason　why　it　was　so　successful。



I。

I　am　ashamed　to　begin　with　saying　that　Touraine　is　the　garden　of　France；　that　remark　has　long　ago　lost　its　bloom。　　The　town　of　Tours；　however；　has　some　thing　sweet　and　bright；　which　suggests　that　it　is　sur…　rounded　by　a　land　of　fruits。　　It　is　a　very　agreeable　little　city；　few　towns　of　its　size　are　more　ripe；　more　complete；　or；　I　should　suppose；　in　better　humor　with　themselves　and　less　disposed　to　envy　the　responsibili…　ties　of　bigger　places。　　It　is　truly　the　capital　of　its　smil…　ing　province；　a　region　of　easy　abundance；　of　good　living；　of　genial；　comfortable；　optimistic；　rather　indolent　opinions。　　Balzac　says　in　one　of　his　tales　that　the　real　Tourangeau　will　not　make　an　effort；　or　displace　him…　self　even；　to　go　in　search　of　a　pleasure；　and　it　is　not　difficult　to　understand　the　sources　of　this　amiable　cynicism。　　He　must　have　a　vague　conviction　that　he　can　only　lose　by　almost　any　change。　　Fortune　has　been　kind　to　him：　he　lives　in　a　temperate；　reasonable；　sociable　climate；　on　the　banks；　of　　a　river　which；　it　is　true；　sometimes　floods　the　country　around　it；　but　of　which　the　ravages　appear　to　be　so　easily　repaired　that　its　aggressions　may　perhaps　be　regarded　（in　a　region　where　so　many　good　things　are　certain）　merely　as　an　occasion　for　healthy　suspense。　　He　is　surrounded　by　fine　old　traditions；　religious；　social；　architectural；　culi…　nary；　and　he　may　have　the　satisfaction　of　feeling　that　he　is　French　to　the　core。　　No　part　of　his　admirable　country　is　more　characteristically　national。　　Normandy　is　Normandy；　Burgundy　is　Burgundy；　Provence　is　Pro…　vence；　but　Touraine　is　essentially　France。　　It　is　the　land　of　Rabelais；　of　Descartes；　of　Balzac；　of　good　books　and　good　company；　as　well　as　good　dinners　and　good　houses。　　George　Sand　has　somewhere　a　charm…　ing　passage　about　the　mildness；　the　convenient　quality；　of　the　physical　conditions　of　central　France；　…　〃son　climat　souple　et　chaud；　ses　pluies　abondantes　et　courtes。〃　　In　the　autumn　of　1882　the　rains　perhaps　were　less　short　than　abundant；　but　when　the　days　were　fine　it　　was　impossible　that　anything　in　the　way　of　weather　could　be　more　charming。　　The　vineyards　and　orchards　looked　rich　in　the　fresh；　gay　light；　cultivation　was　everywhere；　but　everywhere　it　seemed　to　be　easy。　There　was　no　visible　poverty；　thrift　and　success　pre…　sented　themselves　as　matters　of　good　taste。　　The　white　caps　of　the　women　glittered　in　the　sunshire；　and　their　well…made　sabots　clicked　cheerfully　on　the　hard；　clean　roads。　　Touraine　is　a　land　of　old　chateaux；　…　a　gallery　of　architectural　specimens　and　of　large　hereditary　pro…　perties。　　The　peasantry　have　less　of　the　luxury　of　ownership　than　in　most　other　parts　of　France；　though　they　have　enough　of　it　to　give　them　quite　their　share　of　that　shrewdly　conservative　look　which；　in　the　little；　chaffering；　_place_　of　the　market…town；　the　stranger　ob…　serves　so　often　in　the　wrinkled　brown　masks　that　sur…　mount　the　agricultural　blouse。　　This　is；　moreover；　the　heart　of　the　old　French　monarchy；　and　as　that　monarchy　was　splendid　and　picturesque；　a　reflection　of　the　splen…　dor　still　glitters　in　the　current　of　the　Loire。　　Some　of　the　most　striking　events　of　French　history　have　occurred　on　the　banks　of　that　river；　and　the　soil　it　waters　bloomed　for　a　while　with　the　flowering　of　the　Renais…　sance。　　The　Loire　gives　a　great　〃style〃　to　a　landscape　of　which　the　features　are　not；　as　the　phrase　is；　promi…　nent；　and　carries　the　eye　to　distances　even　more　poetic　than　the　green　horizons　of　Touraine。　　It　is　a　very　fit…　ful　stream；　and　is　sometimes　observed　to　run　thin　and　expose　all　the　crudities　of　its　channel；　…　a　great　defect　certainly　in　a　river　which　is　so　much　depended　upon　to　give　an　air　to　the　places　it　waters。　　But　I　speak　of　it　as　I　saw　it　last；　full；　tranquil；　powerful；　bending　in　large　slow　curves；　and　sending　back　half　the　light　of　the　sky。　　Nothing　can　be　finer　than　the　view　of　its　course　which　you　get　from　the　battlements　and　ter…　races　of　Amboise。　　As　I　looked　down　on　it　from　that　elevation　one　lovely　Sunday　morning；　through　a　mild　glitter　of　autumn　sunshine；　it　seemed　the　very　model　of　a　generous；　beneficent　stream。　　The　most　charming　part　of　Tours　is　naturally　the　shaded　quay　that　over…　looks　it；　and　looks　across　too　at　the　friendly　faubourg　of　Saint　Symphorien　and　at　the　terraced　heights　which　rise　above　this。　　Indeed；　throughout　Touraine；　it　is　half　the　charm　of　the　Loire　that　you　can　travel　beside　it。　　The　great　dike　which　protects　it；　or；　protects　the　country　from　it；　from　Blois　to　Angers；　is　an　admirable　road；　and　on　the　other　side；　as　well；　the　highway　con…　stantly　keeps　it　company。　　A　wide　river；　as　you　follow　a　wide　road；　is　excellent　company；　it　heightens　and　shortens　the　way。

The　inns　at　Tours　are　in　another　quarter；　and　one　of　them；　which　is　midway　between　the　town　and　the　station；　is　very　good。　　It　is　worth　mentioning　for　the　fact　that　every　one　belonging　to　it　is　extraordinarily　polite；　…　so　unnaturally　polite　as　at　first　to　excite　your　suspicion　that　the　hotel　has　some　hidden　vice；　so　that　the　waiters　and　chambermaids　are　trying　to　pacify　you　in　advance。　　There　was　one　waiter　in　especial　who　was　the　most　accomplished　social　being　I　have　ever　encountered；　from　morning　till　night　he　kept　up　an　inarticulate　murmur　of　urbanity；　like　the　hum　of　a　spinning…top。　　I　may　add　that　I　discovered　no　dark　secrets　at　the　Hotel　de　l'Univers；　for　it　is　not　a　secret　to　any　traveller　to…day　that　the　obligation　to　partake　of　a　lukewarm　dinner　in　an　overheated　room　is　as　imperative　as　it　is　detestable。　　For　the　rest；　at　Tours；　there　is　a　certain　Rue　Royale　which　has　pretensions　to　the　monumental；　it　was　constructed　a　hundred　years　ago；　and　the　houses；　all　alike；　have　on　a　moderate　scale　a　pompous　eighteenth…century　look。　　It　connects　the　Palais　de　Justice；　the　most　important　secular　building　in　the　town；　with　the　long　bridge　which　spans　the　Loire；　…　the　spacious；　solid　bridge　pronounced　by　Balzac；　in　〃Le　Cure　de　Tours；〃　〃one　of　the　finest　monuments　of　French　architecture。〃　　The　Palais　de　Justice　was　the　seat　of　the　Government　of　Leon　Gambetta　in　the　autumn　of　1870；　after　the　dictator　had　been　obliged　to　retire　in　his　balloon　from　Paris；　and　before　the　Assembly　was　constituted　at　Bordeaux。　　The　Germans　occupied　Tours　during　that　terrible　winter；　it　is　astonishing；　the　number　of　places　the　Germans　occupied。　　It　is　hardly　too　much　to　say　that　wherever　one　goes　in；　certain　parts　of　France；　one　encounters　two　great　historic　facts：　one　is　the　Revolution；　the　other　is　the　German　invasion。　The　traces　of　the　Revo