贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the two brothers >

第2章

the two brothers-第2章

小说: the two brothers 字数: 每页4000字

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!




after the doctor's death。



The first words of Madame Rouget; when informed by her husband that he

meant to send Agathe to Paris; were: 〃I shall never see my daughter

again。〃



〃And she was right;〃 said the worthy Madame Hochon。



After this; the poor mother grew as yellow as a quince; and her

appearance did not contradict the tongues of those who declared that

Doctor Rouget was killing her by inches。 The behavior of her booby of

a son must have added to the misery of the poor woman so unjustly

accused。 Not restrained; possibly encouraged by his father; the young

fellow; who was in every way stupid; paid her neither the attentions

nor the respect which a son owes to a mother。 Jean…Jacques Rouget was

like his father; especially on the latter's worst side; and the doctor

at his best was far from satisfactory; either morally or physically。



The arrival of the charming Agathe Rouget did not bring happiness to

her uncle Descoings; for in the same week (or rather; we should say

decade; for the Republic had then been proclaimed) he was imprisoned

on a hint from Robespierre given to Fouquier…Tinville。 Descoings; who

was imprudent enough to think the famine fictitious; had the

additional folly; under the impression that opinions were free; to

express that opinion to several of his male and female customers as he

served them in the grocery。 The citoyenne Duplay; wife of a cabinet…

maker with whom Robespierre lodged; and who looked after the affairs

of that eminent citizen; patronized; unfortunately; the Descoings

establishment。 She considered the opinions of the grocer insulting to

Maximilian the First。 Already displeased with the manners of

Descoings; this illustrious 〃tricoteuse〃 of the Jacobin club regarded

the beauty of his wife as a kind of aristocracy。 She infused a venom

of her own into the grocer's remarks when she repeated them to her

good and gentle master; and the poor man was speedily arrested on the

well…worn charge of 〃accaparation。〃



No sooner was he put in prison; than his wife set to work to obtain

his release。 But the steps she took were so ill…judged that any one

hearing her talk to the arbiters of his fate might have thought that

she was in reality seeking to get rid of him。 Madame Descoings knew

Bridau; one of the secretaries of Roland; then minister of the

interior;the right…hand man of all the ministers who succeeded each

other in that office。 She put Bridau on the war…path to save her

grocer。 That incorruptible officialone of the virtuous dupes who are

always admirably disinterestedwas careful not to corrupt the men on

whom the fate of the poor grocer depended; on the contrary; he

endeavored to enlighten them。 Enlighten people in those days! As well

might he have begged them to bring back the Bourbons。 The Girondist

minister; who was then contending against Robespierre; said to his

secretary; 〃Why do you meddle in the matter?〃 and all others to whom

the worthy Bridau appealed made the same atrocious reply: 〃Why do you

meddle?〃 Bridau then sagely advised Madame Descoings to keep quiet and

await events。 But instead of conciliating Robespierre's housekeeper;

she fretted and fumed against that informer; and even complained to a

member of the Convention; who; trembling for himself; replied hastily;

〃I will speak of it to Robespierre。〃 The handsome petitioner put faith

in this promise; which the other carefully forgot。 A few loaves of

sugar; or a bottle or two of good liqueur; given to the citoyenne

Duplay would have saved Descoings。



This little mishap proves that in revolutionary times it is quite as

dangerous to employ honest men as scoundrels; we should rely on

ourselves alone。 Descoings perished; but he had the glory of going to

the scaffold with Andre Chenier。 There; no doubt; grocery and poetry

embraced for the first time in the flesh; although they have; and ever

have had; intimate secret relations。 The death of Descoings produced

far more sensation than that of Andre Chenier。 It has taken thirty

years to prove to France that she lost more by the death of Chenier

than by that of Descoings。



This act of Robespierre led to one good result: the terrified grocers

let politics alone until 1830。 Descoings's shop was not a hundred

yards from Robespierre's lodging。 His successor was scarcely more

fortunate than himself。 Cesar Birotteau; the celebrated perfumer of

the 〃Queen of Roses;〃 bought the premises; but; as if the scaffold had

left some inexplicable contagion behind it; the inventor of the 〃Paste

of Sultans〃 and the 〃Carminative Balm〃 came to his ruin in that very

shop。 The solution of the problem here suggested belongs to the realm

of occult science。



During the visits which Roland's secretary paid to the unfortunate

Madame Descoings; he was struck with the cold; calm; innocent beauty

of Agathe Rouget。 While consoling the widow; who; however; was too

inconsolable to carry on the business of her second deceased husband;

he married the charming girl; with the consent of her father; who

hastened to give his approval to the match。 Doctor Rouget; delighted

to hear that matters were going beyond his expectations;for his

wife; on the death of her brother; had become sole heiress of the

Descoings;rushed to Paris; not so much to be present at the wedding

as to see that the marriage contract was drawn to suit him。 The ardent

and disinterested love of citizen Bridau gave carte blanche to the

perfidious doctor; who made the most of his son…in…law's blindness; as

the following history will show。



Madame Rouget; or; to speak more correctly; the doctor; inherited all

the property; landed and personal; of Monsieur and Madame Descoings

the elder; who died within two years of each other; and soon after

that; Rouget got the better; as we may say; of his wife; for she died

at the beginning of the year 1799。 So he had vineyards and he bought

farms; he owned iron…works and he sold fleeces。 His well…beloved son

was stupidly incapable of doing anything; but the father destined him

for the state in life of a land proprietor and allowed him to grow up

in wealth and silliness; certain that the lad would know as much as

the wisest if he simply let himself live and die。 After 1799; the

cipherers of Issoudun put; at the very least; thirty thousand francs'

income to the doctor's credit。 From the time of his wife's death he

led a debauched life; though he regulated it; so to speak; and kept it

within the closed doors of his own house。 This man; endowed with 〃strength

of character;〃 died in 1805; and God only knows what the townspeople

of Issoudun said about him then; and how many anecdotes they related

of his horrible private life。 Jean…Jacques Rouget; whom his father;

recognizing his stupidity; had latterly treated with severity;

remained a bachelor for certain reasons; the explanation of which will

form an important part of this history。 His celibacy was partly his

father's fault; as we shall see later。



Meantime; it is well to inquire into the results of the secret

vengeance the doctor took on a daughter whom he did not recognize as

his own; but who; you must understand at once; was legitimately his。

Not a person in Issoudun had noticed one of those capricious facts

that make the whole subject of generation a vast abyss in which

science flounders。 Agathe bore a strong likeness to the mother of

Doctor Rouget。 Just as gout is said to skip a generation and pass from

grandfather to grandson; resemblances not uncommonly follow the same

course。



In like manner; the eldest of Agathe's children; who physically

resembled his mother; had the moral qualities of his grandfather;

Doctor Rouget。 We will leave the solution of this problem to the

twentieth century; with a fine collection of microscopic animalculae;

our descendants may perhaps write as much nonsense as the scientific

schools of the nineteenth century have uttered on this mysterious and

perplexing question。



返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的