the lesser bourgeoisie-第4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！


persons；　for　the　habit　of　looking　through　glasses　has　covered　the
pupils　of　his　eyes　with　a　sort　of　film。

Between　the　ages　of　eighteen　and　thirty；　young　Thuillier　had　much
success　among　women；　in　a　sphere　which　began　with　the　lesser　bourgeois
and　ended　in　that　of　the　heads　of　departments。　Under　the　Empire；　war
left　Parisian　society　rather　denuded　of　men　of　energy；　who　were　mostly
on　the　battlefield；　and　perhaps；　as　a　great　physician　has　suggested；
this　may　account　for　the　flabbiness　of　the　generation　which　occupies
the　middle　of　the　nineteenth　century。

Thuillier；　forced　to　make　himself　noticeable　by　other　charms　than
those　of　mind；　learned　to　dance　and　to　waltz　in　a　way　to　be　cited；　he
was　called　〃that　handsome　Thuillier〃；　he　played　billiards　to
perfection；　he　knew　how　to　cut　out　likenesses　in　black　paper；　and　his
friend　Colleville　coached　him　so　well　that　he　was　able　to　sing　all　the
ballads　of　the　day。　These　various　small　accomplishments　resulted　in
that　appearance　of　success　which　deceives　youth　and　befogs　it　about
the　future。　Mademoiselle　Thuillier；　from　1806　to　1814；　believed　in　her
brother　as　Mademoiselle　d'Orleans　believed　in　Louis…Philippe。　She　was
proud　of　Jerome；　she　expected　to　see　him　the　director…general　of　his
department　of　the　ministry；　thanks　to　his　successes　in　certain　salons；
where；　undoubtedly；　he　would　never　have　been　admitted　but　for　the
circumstances　which　made　society　under　the　Empire　a　medley。

But　the　successes　of　〃that　handsome　Thuillier〃　were　usually　of　short
duration；　women　did　not　care　to　keep　his　devotion　any　more　than　he
desired　to　make　his　devotion　eternal。　He　was　really　an　unwilling　Don
Juan；　the　career　of　a　〃beau〃　wearied　him　to　the　point　of　aging　him；
his　face；　covered　with　lines　like　that　of　an　old　coquette；　looked　a
dozen　years　older　than　the　registers　made　him。　There　remained　to　him
of　all　his　successes　in　gallantry；　a　habit　of　looking　at　himself　in
mirrors；　of　buttoning　his　coat　to　define　his　waist；　and　of　posing　in
various　dancing　attitudes；　all　of　which　prolonged；　beyond　the　period
of　enjoying　his　advantages；　the　sort　of　lease　that　he　held　on　his
cognomen；　〃that　handsome　Thuillier。〃

The　truth　of　1806　has；　however；　become　a　fable；　in　1826。　He　retains　a
few　vestiges　of　the　former　costume　of　the　beaux　of　the　Empire；　which
are　not　unbecoming　to　the　dignity　of　a　former　sub…director。　He　still
wears　the　white　cravat　with　innumerable　folds；　wherein　his　chin　is
buried；　and　the　coquettish　bow；　formerly　tied　by　the　hands　of　beauty；
the　two　ends　of　which　threaten　danger　to　the　passers　to　right　and
left。　He　follows　the　fashions　of　former　days；　adapting　them　to　his
present　needs；　he　tips　his　hat　on　the　back　of　his　head；　and　wears
shoes　and　thread　stockings　in　summer；　his　long…tailed　coats　remind　one
of　the　well…known　〃surtouts〃　of　the　Empire；　he　has　not　yet　abandoned
his　frilled　shirts　and　his　white　waistcoats；　he　still　plays　with　his
Empire　switch；　and　holds　himself　so　erect　that　his　back　bends　in。　No
one；　seeing　Thuillier　promenading　on　the　boulevards；　would　take　him
for　the　son　of　a　man　who　cooked　the　breakfasts　of　the　clerks　at　a
ministry　and　wore　the　livery　of　Louis　XVI。；　he　resembles　an　imperial
diplomatist　or　a　sub…prefect。　Now；　not　only　did　Mademoiselle　Thuillier
very　innocently　work　upon　her　brother's　weak　spot　by　encouraging　in
him　an　excessive　care　of　his　person；　which；　in　her；　was　simply　a
continuation　of　her　worship；　but　she　also　provided　him　with　family
joys；　by　transplanting　to　their　midst　a　household　which　had　hitherto
been　quasi…collateral　to　them。

It　was　that　of　Monsieur　Colleville；　an　intimate　friend　of　Thuillier。
But　before　we　proceed　to　describe　Pylades　let　us　finish　with　Orestes；
and　explain　why　Thuillierthat　handsome　Thuillierwas　left　without　a
family　of　his　ownfor　the　family；　be　it　said；　is　non…existent　without
children。　Herein　appears　one　of　those　deep　mysteries　which　lie　buried
in　the　arena　of　private　life；　a　few　shreds　of　which　rise　to　the
surface　at　moments　when　the　pain　of　a　concealed　situation　grows
poignant。　This　concerns　the　life　of　Madame　and　Mademoiselle　Thuillier；
so　far；　we　have　seen　only　the　life　（and　we　may　call　it　the　public
life）　of　Jerome　Thuillier。

Marie…Jeanne…Brigitte　Thuillier；　four　years　older　than　her　brother；
had　been　utterly　sacrificed　to　him；　it　was　easier　to　give　a　career　to
one　than　a　〃dot〃　to　the　other。　Misfortune　to　some　natures　is　a　pharos；
which　illumines　to　their　eyes　the　dark　low　corners　of　social
existence。　Superior　to　her　brother　both　in　mind　and　energy；　Brigitte
had　one　of　those　natures　which；　under　the　hammer　of　persecution；
gather　themselves　together；　become　compact　and　powerfully　resistant；
not　to　say　inflexible。　Jealous　of　her　independence；　she　kept　aloof
from　the　life　of　the　household；　choosing　to　make　herself　the　sole
arbiter　of　her　own　fate。　At　fourteen　years　of　age；　she　went　to　live
alone　in　a　garret；　not　far　from　the　ministry　of　finance；　which　was
then　in　the　rue　Vivienne；　and　also　not　far　from　the　Bank　of　France；
then；　and　now；　in　the　rue　de　la　Vrilliere。　There　she　bravely　gave
herself　up　to　a　form　of　industry　little　known　and　the　perquisite　of　a
few　persons；　which　she　obtained；　thanks　to　the　patrons　of　her　father。
It　consisted　in　making　bags　to　hold　coin　for　the　Bank；　the　Treasury；
and　the　great　financial　houses。　At　the　end　of　three　years　she　employed
two　workwomen。　By　investing　her　savings　on　the　Grand…Livre；　she　found
herself；　in　1814；　the　mistress　of　three　thousand　six　hundred　francs　a
year；　earned　in　fifteen　years。　As　she　spent　little；　and　dined　with　her
father　as　long　as　he　lived；　and；　as　government　securities　were　very
low　during　the　last　convulsions　of　the　Empire；　this　result；　which
seems　at　first　sight　exaggerated；　explains　itself。

On　the　death　of　their　father；　Brigitte　and　Jerome；　the　former　being
twenty…seven；　the　latter　twenty…three；　united　their　existence。　Brother
and　sister　were　bound　together　by　an　extreme　affection。　If　Jerome；
then　at　the　height　of　his　success；　was　pinched　for　money；　his　sister；
clothed　in　serge；　and　her　fingers　roughened　by　the　coarse　thread　with
which　she　sewed　her　bags；　would　give　him　a　few　louis。　In　Brigitte's
eyes　Jerome　was　the　handsomest　and　most　charming　man　in　the　whole
French　Empire。　To　keep　house　for　this　cherished　brother；　to　be
initiated　into　the　secrets　of　Lindor　and　Don　Juan；　to　be　his
handmaiden；　his　spaniel；　was　Brigitte's　dream。　She　immolated　herself
lovingly　to　an　idol　whose　selfishness；　always　great；　was　enormously
increased　by　her　self…sacrifice。　She　sold　her　business　to　her　fore…
woman　for　fifteen　thousand　francs　and　came　to　live　with　Thuillier　in
the　rue　d'Argenteuil；　where　she　made　herself　the　mother；　protectress；
and　servant　of　this　spoiled　child　of　women。　Brigitte；　with　the　natural
caution　of　a　girl　who　owed　everything　to　her　own　discretion　and　her
own　labor；　concealed　the　amount　of　her　savings　from　Jerome；fearing；
no　doubt；　the　extravagance　of　a　man　of　gallantry。　She　merely　paid　a
quota　of　six　hundred　francs　a　year　to　the　expenses　of　the　household；
and　this；　with　her　brother's　eighteen　hundred；　enabled　her　to　make
both　ends　meet　at　the　end　of　the　year。

From　the　first　days　of　their　coming　together；　Thuillier　listened　to
his　sister　as　to　an　oracle；　he　consulted　her　in　his　trifling　affairs；
kept　none　of　his　secrets　from　her；　and　thus　made　her　taste　the　fruit
of　despotism　which　was；　in　truth；　the　one　little　sin　of　her　nature。
But　the　sister　had　sacrificed　everything　to　the　brother；　she　had
staked　her　all　upon　his　heart；　she　lived　by　him　only。　Brigitte's
ascendancy　over　Jerome　was　singularly　proved　by　the　marriage　which　she
procured　for　him　about　the　year　1814。

Seeing　the　tendency　to　enforced　reduction　which　the　new…comers　to
power　under　the　Restoration　were　beginning　to　bring　about　in　the
government　offices；　and　particularly　since　the　return　of　the　old
society　which　sought　to　ride　over　the　bourgeoisie；　Brigitte
understood；　far　better　than　her　brother　could　explain　it　to　her；　the
social　crisis　which　presently　extinguished　their　common　hopes。　No　more
successes　for　that　handsome　Thuillier　in　the　salons　of　the　nobles　who
now　succeeded　the　plebeians　of