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第87章

cousin betty-第87章

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〃The Baroness would willingly go to join her husband in his disgrace;
to comfort him and hide him in her heart from every eye;〃 Celestine
went on。 〃Why; she has a room made ready upstairs for Monsieur Hulot;
as if she expected to find him and bring him home from one day to the
next。〃

〃Oh yes; my mother is sublime!〃 replied Hortense。 〃She has been so
every minute of every day for six…and…twenty years; but I am not like
her; it is not my nature。How can I help it? I am angry with myself
sometimes; but you do not know; Celestine; what it would be to make
terms with infamy。〃

〃There is my father!〃 said Celestine placidly。 〃He has certainly
started on the road that ruined yours。 He is ten years younger than
the Baron; to be sure; and was only a tradesman; but how can it end?
This Madame Marneffe has made a slave of my father; he is her dog; she
is mistress of his fortune and his opinions; and nothing can open his
eyes。 I tremble when I remember that their banns of marriage are
already published!My husband means to make a last attempt; he thinks
it a duty to try to avenge society and the family; and bring that
woman to account for all her crimes。 Alas! my dear Hortense; such
lofty souls as Victorin and hearts like ours come too late to a
comprehension of the world and its ways!This is a secret; dear; and
I have told you because you are interested in it; but never by a word
or a look betray it to Lisbeth; or your mother; or anybody; for〃

〃Here is Lisbeth!〃 said Hortense。 〃Well; cousin; and how is the
Inferno of the Rue Barbet going on?〃

〃Badly for you; my children。Your husband; my dear Hortense; is more
crazy about that woman than ever; and she; I must own; is madly in
love with him。Your father; dear Celestine; is gloriously blind。
That; to be sure; is nothing; I have had occasion to see it once a
fortnight; really; I am lucky never to have had anything to do with
men; they are besotted creatures。Five days hence you; dear child;
and Victorin will have lost your father's fortune。〃

〃Then the banns are cried?〃 said Celestine。

〃Yes;〃 said Lisbeth; 〃and I have just been arguing your case。 I
pointed out to that monster; who is going the way of the other; that
if he would only get you out of the difficulties you are in by paying
off the mortgage on the house; you would show your gratitude and
receive your stepmother〃

Hortense started in horror。

〃Victorin will see about that;〃 said Celestine coldly。

〃But do you know what Monsieur le Maire's answer was?〃 said Lisbeth。
〃 'I mean to leave them where they are。 Horses can only be broken in
by lack of food; sleep; and sugar。'Why; Baron Hulot was not so bad
as Monsieur Crevel。

〃So; my poor dears; you may say good…bye to the money。 And such a fine
fortune! Your father paid three million francs for the Presles estate;
and he has thirty thousand francs a year in stocks! Oh!he has no
secrets from me。 He talks of buying the Hotel de Navarreins; in the
Rue du Bac。 Madame Marneffe herself has forty thousand francs a year。
Ah!here is our guardian angel; here comes your mother!〃 she
exclaimed; hearing the rumble of wheels。

And presently the Baroness came down the garden steps and joined the
party。 At fifty…five; though crushed by so many troubles; and
constantly trembling as if shivering with ague; Adeline; whose face
was indeed pale and wrinkled; still had a fine figure; a noble
outline; and natural dignity。 Those who saw her said; 〃She must have
been beautiful!〃 Worn with the grief of not knowing her husband's
fate; of being unable to share with him this oasis in the heart of
Paris; this peace and seclusion and the better fortune that was
dawning on the family; her beauty was the beauty of a ruin。 As each
gleam of hope died out; each day of search proved vain; Adeline sank
into fits of deep melancholy that drove her children to despair。

The Baroness had gone out that morning with fresh hopes; and was
anxiously expected。 An official; who was under obligations to Hulot;
to whom he owed his position and advancement; declared that he had
seen the Baron in a box at the Ambigu…Comique theatre with a woman of
extraordinary beauty。 So Adeline had gone to call on the Baron
Verneuil。 This important personage; while asserting that he had
positively seen his old patron; and that his behaviour to the woman
indicated an illicit establishment; told Madame Hulot that to avoid
meeting him the Baron had left long before the end of the play。

〃He looked like a man at home with the damsel; but his dress betrayed
some lack of means;〃 said he in conclusion。

〃Well?〃 said the three women as the Baroness came towards them。

〃Well; Monsieur Hulot is in Paris; and to me;〃 said Adeline; 〃it is a
gleam of happiness only to know that he is within reach of us。〃

〃But he does not seem to have mended his ways;〃 Lisbeth remarked when
Adeline had finished her report of her visit to Baron Verneuil。 〃He
has taken up some little work…girl。 But where can he get the money
from? I could bet that he begs of his former mistressesMademoiselle
Jenny Cadine or Josepha。〃

The Baroness trembled more severely than ever; every nerve quivered;
she wiped away the tears that rose to her eyes and looked mournfully
up to heaven。

〃I cannot think that a Grand Commander of the Legion of Honor will
have fallen so low;〃 said she。

〃For his pleasure what would he not do?〃 said Lisbeth。 〃He robbed the
State; he will rob private persons; commit murderwho knows?〃

〃Oh; Lisbeth!〃 cried the Baroness; 〃keep such thoughts to yourself。〃

At this moment Louise came up to the family group; now increased by
the arrival of the two Hulot children and little Wenceslas to see if
their grandmother's pockets did not contain some sweetmeats。

〃What is it; Louise?〃 asked one and another。

〃A man who wants to see Mademoiselle Fischer。〃

〃Who is the man?〃 asked Lisbeth。

〃He is in rags; mademoiselle; and covered with flue like a mattress…
picker; his nose is red; and he smells of brandy。He is one of those
men who work half of the week at most。〃

This uninviting picture had the effect of making Lisbeth hurry into
the courtyard of the house in the Rue Louis…le…Grand; where she found
a man smoking a pipe colored in a style that showed him an artist in
tobacco。

〃Why have you come here; Pere Chardin?〃 she asked。 〃It is understood
that you go; on the first Saturday in every month; to the gate of the
Hotel Marneffe; Rue Barbet…de…Jouy。 I have just come back after
waiting there for five hours; and you did not come。〃

〃I did go there; good and charitable lady!〃 replied the mattress…
picker。 〃But there was a game at pool going on at the Cafe des
Savants; Rue du Cerf…Volant; and every man has his fancy。 Now; mine is
billiards。 If it wasn't for billiards; I might be eating off silver
plate。 For; I tell you this;〃 and he fumbled for a scrap of paper in
his ragged trousers pocket; 〃it is billiards that leads on to a dram
and plum…brandy。It is ruinous; like all fine things; in the things
it leads to。 I know your orders; but the old 'un is in such a quandary
that I came on to forbidden grounds。If the hair was all hair; we
might sleep sound on it; but it is mixed。 God is not for all; as the
saying goes。 He has His favoriteswell; He has the right。 Now; here
is the writing of your estimable relative and my very good friendhis
political opinion。〃

Chardin attempted to trace some zigzag lines in the air with the
forefinger of his right hand。

Lisbeth; not listening to him; read these few words:

  〃DEAR COUSIN;Be my Providence; give me three hundred francs this
  day。

〃HECTOR。〃


〃What does he want so much money for?〃

〃The lan'lord!〃 said Chardin; still trying to sketch arabesques。 〃And
then my son; you see; has come back from Algiers through Spain and
Bayonee; and; andhe has /found/ nothingagainst his rule; for a
sharp cove is my son; saving your presence。 How can he help it; he is
in want of food; but he will repay all we lend him; for he is going to
get up a company。 He has ideas; he has; that will carry him〃

〃To the police court;〃 Lisbeth put in。 〃He murdered my uncle; I shall
not forget that。〃

〃Hewhy; he could not bleed a 

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