juana-第10章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



suffer　and　a　weakness　which　leads　her　to　resignation。　Juana　resigned

herself；　and　without　restriction。　She　determined　to　obey　her　mother's

prayer；　and　cross　the　desert　of　life　to　reach　God's　heaven；　knowing

well　that　no　flowers　grew　for　her　along　the　way　of　that　painful

journey。



She　married　Diard。　As　for　the　quartermaster；　though　he　had　no　grace　in

Juana's　eyes；　we　may　well　absolve　him。　He　loved　her　distractedly。　The

Marana；　so　keen　to　know　the　signs　of　love；　had　recognized　in　that　man

the　accents　of　passion　and　the　brusque　nature；　the　generous　impulses；

that　are　common　to　Southerners。　In　the　paroxysm　of　her　anger　and　her

distress　she　had　thought　such　qualities　enough　for　her　daughter's

happiness。



The　first　days　of　this　marriage　were　apparently　happy；　or；　to　express

one　of　those　latent　facts；　the　miseries　of　which　are　buried　by　women

in　the　depths　of　their　souls；　Juana　would　not　cast　down　her　husband's

joy；a　double　role；　dreadful　to　play；　but　to　which；　sooner　or　later；

all　women　unhappily　married　come。　This　is　a　history　impossible　to

recount　in　its　full　truth。　Juana；　struggling　hourly　against　her

nature；　a　nature　both　Spanish　and　Italian；　having　dried　up　the　source

of　her　tears　by　dint　of　weeping；　was　a　human　type；　destined　to

represent　woman's　misery　in　its　utmost　expression；　namely；　sorrow

undyingly　active；　the　description　of　which　would　need　such　minute

observations　that　to　persons　eager　for　dramatic　emotions　they　would

seem　insipid。　This　analysis；　in　which　every　wife　would　find　some　one

of　her　own　sufferings；　would　require　a　volume　to　express　them　all；　a

fruitless；　hopeless　volume　by　its　very　nature；　the　merit　of　which

would　consist　in　faintest　tints　and　delicate　shadings　which　critics

would　declare　to　be　effeminate　and　diffuse。　Besides；　what　man　could

rightly　approach；　unless　he　bore　another　heart　within　his　heart；　those

solemn　and　touching　elegies　which　certain　women　carry　with　them　to

their　tomb；　melancholies；　misunderstood　even　by　those　who　cause　them；

sighs　unheeded；　devotions　unrewarded；on　earth　at　least；splendid

silences　misconstrued；　vengeances　withheld；　disdained；　generosities

perpetually　bestowed　and　wasted；　pleasures　longed　for　and　denied；

angelic　charities　secretly　accomplished；in　short；　all　the　religions

of　womanhood　and　its　inextinguishable　love。



Juana　knew　that　life；　fate　spared　her　nought。　She　was　wholly　a　wife；

but　a　sorrowful　and　suffering　wife；　a　wife　incessantly　wounded；　yet

forgiving　always；　a　wife　pure　as　a　flawless　diamond；she　who　had　the

beauty　and　the　glow　of　the　diamond；　and　in　that　beauty；　that　glow；　a

vengeance　in　her　hand；　for　she　was　certainly　not　a　woman　to　fear　the

dagger　added　to　her　〃dot。〃



At　first；　inspired　by　a　real　love；　by　one　of　those　passions　which　for

the　time　being　change　even　odious　characters　and　bring　to　light　all

that　may　be　noble　in　a　soul；　Diard　behaved　like　a　man　of　honor。　He

forced　Montefiore　to　leave　the　regiment　and　even　the　army　corps；　so

that　his　wife　might　never　meet　him　during　the　time　they　remained　in

Spain。　Next；　he　petitioned　for　his　own　removal；　and　succeeded　in

entering　the　Imperial　Guard。　He　desired　at　any　price　to　obtain　a

title；　honors；　and　consideration　in　keeping　with　his　present　wealth。

With　this　idea　in　his　mind；　he　behaved　courageously　in　one　of　the　most

bloody　battles　in　Germany；　but；　unfortunately；　he　was　too　severely

wounded　to　remain　in　the　service。　Threatened　with　the　loss　of　a　leg；

he　was　forced　to　retire　on　a　pension；　without　the　title　of　baron；

without　those　rewards　he　hoped　to　win；　and　would　have　won　had　he　not

been　Diard。



This　event；　this　wound；　and　his　thwarted　hopes　contributed　to　change

his　character。　His　Provencal　energy；　roused　for　a　time；　sank　down。　At

first　he　was　sustained　by　his　wife；　in　whom　his　efforts；　his　courage；

his　ambition　had　induced　some　belief　in　his　nature；　and　who　showed

herself；　what　women　are；　tender　and　consoling　in　the　troubles　of　life。

Inspired　by　a　few　words　from　Juana；　the　retired　soldier　came　to　Paris；

resolved　to　win　in　an　administrative　career　a　position　to　command

respect；　bury　in　oblivion　the　quartermaster　of　the　6th　of　the　line；

and　secure　for　Madame　Diard　a　noble　title。　His　passion　for　that

seductive　creature　enabled　him　to　divine　her　most　secret　wishes。　Juana

expressed　nothing；　but　he　understood　her。　He　was　not　loved　as　a　lover

dreams　of　being　loved；　he　knew　this；　and　he　strove　to　make　himself

respected；　loved；　and　cherished。　He　foresaw　a　coming　happiness；　poor

man；　in　the　patience　and　gentleness　shown　on　all　occasions　by　his

wife；　but　that　patience；　that　gentleness；　were　only　the　outward　signs

of　the　resignation　which　had　made　her　his　wife。　Resignation；　religion；

were　they　love？　Often　Diard　wished　for　refusal　where　he　met　with

chaste　obedience；　often　he　would　have　given　his　eternal　life　that

Juana　might　have　wept　upon　his　bosom　and　not　disguised　her　secret

thoughts　behind　a　smiling　face　which　lied　to　him　nobly。　Many　young　men

for　after　a　certain　age　men　no　longer　strugglepersist　in　the

effort　to　triumph　over　an　evil　fate；　the　thunder　of　which　they　hear；

from　time　to　time；　on　the　horizon　of　their　lives；　and　when　at　last

they　succumb　and　roll　down　the　precipice　of　evil；　we　ought　to　do　them

justice　and　acknowledge　these　inward　struggles。



Like　many　men　Diard　tried　all　things；　and　all　things　were　hostile　to

him。　His　wealth　enabled　him　to　surround　his　wife　with　the　enjoyments

of　Parisian　luxury。　She　lived　in　a　fine　house；　with　noble　rooms；　where

she　maintained　a　salon；　in　which　abounded　artists　（by　nature　no　judges

of　men）；　men　of　pleasure　ready　to　amuse　themselves　anywhere；　a　few

politicians　who　swelled　the　numbers；　and　certain　men　of　fashion；　all

of　whom　admired　Juana。　Those　who　put　themselves　before　the　eyes　of　the

public　in　Paris　must　either　conquer　Paris　or　be　subject　to　it。　Diard's

character　was　not　sufficiently　strong；　compact；　or　persistent　to

command　society　at　that　epoch；　because　it　was　an　epoch　when　all　men

were　endeavoring　to　rise。　Social　classifications　ready…made　are

perhaps　a　great　boon　even　for　the　people。　Napoleon　has　confided　to　us

the　pains　he　took　to　inspire　respect　in　his　court；　where　most　of　the

courtiers　had　been　his　equals。　But　Napoleon　was　Corsican；　and　Diard

Provencal。　Given　equal　genius；　an　islander　will　always　be　more　compact

and　rounded　than　the　man　of　terra　firma　in　the　same　latitude；　the　arm

of　the　sea　which　separates　Corsica　from　Provence　is；　in　spite　of　human

science；　an　ocean　which　has　made　two　nations。



Diard's　mongrel　position；　which　he　himself　made　still　more

questionable；　brought　him　great　troubles。　Perhaps　there　is　useful

instruction　to　be　derived　from　the　almost　imperceptible　connection　of

acts　which　led　to　the　finale　of　this　history。



In　the　first　place；　the　sneerers　of　Paris　did　not　see　without

malicious　smiles　and　words　the　pictures　with　which　the　former

quartermaster　adorned　his　handsome　mansion。　Works　of　art　purchased　the

night　before　were　said　to　be　spoils　from　Spain；　and　this　accusation

was　the　revenge　of　those　who　were　jealous　of　his　present　fortune。

Juana　comprehended　this　reproach；　and　by　her　advice　Diard　sent　back　to

Tarragona　all　the　pictures　he　had　brought　from　there。　But　the　public；

determined　to　see　things　in　the　worst　light；　only　said；　〃That　Diard　is

shrewd；　he　has　sold　his　pictures。〃　Worthy　people　continued　to　think

that　those　which　remained　in　the　Diard　salons　were　not　honorably

acquired。　Some　jealous　women　asked　how　it　was　that　a　DIARD　（！）　had

been　able　to　marry　so　rich　and　beautiful　a　young　girl。　Hence　comments

and　satires　without　end；　such　as　Paris　contributes。　And　yet；　it　must

be　said；　that　Juana　met　on　all　sides　the　respect　inspired　by　her　pure

and　religious　life；　which　triumphed　over　everything；　even　Parisian

calumny；　but　this　respect　stopped　short　with　her；　her　husband　received

none　of　it。　Juana's　feminine　perception　and　her　keen　eye　hovering　over

her　salons；　brought　her　no