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第36章

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a pretty sheet of perfumed paper; that true heart; that young girl;

that woman in whom love wears the livery of flattery; who loves us for

ourselves; who offers us felicity? It needed but an angel or a demon

to perceive her; and what am I but the ambitious head of a Court of

Claims! Ah; my friend; fame makes us the target of a thousand arrows。

One of us owes his rich marriage to an hydraulic piece of poetry;

while I; more seductive; more a woman's man than he; have missed mine;

for; do you love her; poor girl?〃 he said; looking up at La Briere。



〃Oh!〃 ejaculated the young man。



〃Well then;〃 said the poet; taking his secretary's arm and leaning

heavily upon it; 〃be happy; Ernest。 By a mere accident I have been not

ungrateful to you。 You are richly rewarded for your devotion; and I

will generously further your happiness。〃



Canalis was furious; but he could not behave otherwise than with

propriety; and he made the best of his disappointment by mounting it

as a pedestal。



〃Ah; Canalis; I have never really known you till this moment。〃



〃Did you expect to? It takes some time to go round the world;〃 replied

the poet with his pompous irony。



〃But think;〃 said La Briere; 〃of this enormous fortune。〃



〃Ah; my friend; is it not well invested in you?〃 cried Canalis;

accompanying the words with a charming gesture。



〃Melchior;〃 said La Briere; 〃I am yours for life and death。〃



He wrung the poet's hand and left him abruptly; for he was in haste to

meet Monsieur Mignon。







CHAPTER XV



A FATHER STEPS IN



The Comte de La Bastie was at this moment overwhelmed with the sorrows

which lay in wait for him as their prey。 He had learned from his

daughter's letter of Bettina's death and of his wife's infirmity; and

Dumay related to him; when they met; his terrible perplexity as to

Modeste's love affairs。



〃Leave me to myself;〃 he said to his faithful friend。



As the lieutenant closed the door; the unhappy father threw himself on

a sofa; with his head in his hands; weeping those slow; scanty tears

which suffuse the eyes of a man of sixty; but do not fall;tears soon

dried; yet quick to start again;the last dews of the human autumn。



〃To have children; to have a wife; to adore themwhat is it but to

have many hearts and bare them to a dagger?〃 he cried; springing up

with the bound of a tiger and walking up and down the room。 〃To be a

father is to give one's self over; bound hand and foot to sorrow。 If I

meet that D'Estourny I will kill him。 To have daughters!one gives

her life to a scoundrel; the other; my Modeste; falls a victim to

whom? a coward; who deceives her with the gilded paper of a poet。 If

it were Canalis himself it might not be so bad; but that Scapin of a

lover!I will strangle him with my two hands;〃 he cried; making an

involuntary gesture of furious determination。 〃And what then? suppose

my Modeste were to die of grief?〃



He gazed mechanically out of the windows of the hotel des Princes; and

then returned to the sofa; where he sat motionless。 The fatigues of

six voyages to India; the anxieties of speculation; the dangers he had

encountered and evaded; and his many griefs; had silvered Charles

Mignon's head。 His handsome soldierly face; so pure in outline and now

bronzed by the suns of China and the southern seas; had acquired an

air of dignity which his present grief rendered almost sublime。



〃Mongenod told me he felt confidence in the young man who is coming to

ask me for my daughter;〃 he thought at last; and at this moment Ernest

de La Briere was announced by one of the servants whom Monsieur de La

Bastie had attached to himself during the last four years。



〃You have come; monsieur; from my friend Mongenod?〃 he said。



〃Yes;〃 replied Ernest; growing timid when he saw before him a face as

sombre as Othello's。 〃My name is Ernest de La Briere; related to the

family of the late cabinet minister; and his private secretary during

his term of office。 On his dismissal; his Excellency put me in the

Court of Claims; to which I am legal counsel; and where I may possibly

succeed as chief〃



〃And how does all this concern Mademoiselle de La Bastie?〃 asked the

count。



〃Monsieur; I love her; and I have the unhoped…for happiness of being

loved by her。 Hear me; monsieur;〃 cried Ernest; checking a violent

movement on the part of the angry father。 〃I have the strangest

confession to make to you; a shameful one for a man of honor; but the

worst punishment of my conduct; natural enough in itself; is not the

telling of it to you; no; I fear the daughter even more than the

father。〃



Ernest then related simply; and with the nobleness that comes of

sincerity; all the facts of his little drama; not omitting the twenty

or more letters; which he had brought with him; nor the interview

which he had just had with Canalis。 When Monsieur Mignon had finished

reading the letters; the unfortunate lover; pale and suppliant;

actually trembled under the fiery glance of the Provencal。



〃Monsieur;〃 said the latter; 〃in this whole matter there is but one

error; but that is cardinal。 My daughter will not have six millions;

at the utmost; she will have a marriage portion of two hundred

thousand francs; and very doubtful expectations。〃



〃Ah; monsieur!〃 cried Ernest; rising and grasping Monsieur Mignon's

hand; 〃you take a load from my breast。 Nothing can now hinder my

happiness。 I have friends; influence; I shall certainly be chief of

the Court of Claims。 Had Mademoiselle Mignon no more than ten thousand

francs; if I had even to make a settlement on her; she should still be

my wife; and to make her happy as you; monsieur; have made your wife

happy; to be to you a real son (for I have no father); are the deepest

desires of my heart。〃



Charles Mignon stepped back three paces and fixed upon La Briere a

look which entered the eyes of the young man as a dagger enters its

sheath; he stood silent a moment; recognizing the absolute candor; the

pure truthfulness of that open nature in the light of the young man's

inspired eyes。 〃Is fate at last weary of pursuing me?〃 he asked

himself。 〃Am I to find in this young man the pearl of sons…in…law?〃 He

walked up and down the room in strong agitation。



〃Monsieur;〃 he said at last; 〃you are bound to submit wholly to the

judgment which you have come here to seek; otherwise you are now

playing a farce。〃



〃Oh; monsieur!〃



〃Listen to me;〃 said the father; nailing La Briere where he stood with

a glance。 〃I shall be neither harsh; nor hard; nor unjust。 You shall

have the advantages and the disadvantages of the false position in

which you have placed yourself。 My daughter believes that she loves

one of the great poets of the day; whose fame is really that which has

attracted her。 Well; I; her father; intend to give her the opportunity

to choose between the celebrity which has been a beacon to her; and

the poor reality which the irony of fate has flung at her feet。 Ought

she not to choose between Canalis and yourself? I rely upon your honor

not to repeat what I have told you as to the state of my affairs。 You

may each come; I mean you and your friend the Baron de Canalis; to

Havre for the last two weeks of October。 My house will be open to both

of you; and my daughter must have an opportunity to study you。 You

must yourself bring your rival; and not disabuse him as to the foolish

tales he will hear about the wealth of the Comte de La Bastie。 I go to

Havre to…morrow; and I shall expect you three days later。 Adieu;

monsieur。〃



Poor La Briere went back to Canalis with a dragging step。 The poet;

meantime; left to himself; had given way to a current of thought out

of which had come that secondary impulse which Monsieur de Talleyrand

valued so much。 The first impulse is the voice of nature; the second

that of society。



〃A girl worth six millions;〃 he thought to himself; 〃and my eyes were

not able to see tha

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