modeste mignon-第41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！



the　children　of　our　little　Modeste。〃　Every　one　in　Havre　had　therefore

propounded　the　same　question　that　the　notary　had　already　put　to

himself：　〃If　Dumay's　share　in　the　profits　is　six　hundred　thousand

francs；　and　he　is　going　to　be　Monsieur　Mignon's　bailiff；　then　Monsieur

Mignon　must　certainly　have　a　colossal　fortune。　He　arrived　at

Marseilles　on　a　ship　of　his　own；　loaded　with　indigo；　and　they　say　at

the　Bourse　that　the　cargo；　not　counting　the　ship；　is　worth　more　than

he　gives　out　as　his　whole　fortune。〃



The　colonel　was　unwilling　to　dismiss　the　servants　he　had　brought　back

with　him；　whom　he　had　chosen　with　care　during　his　travels；　and　he

therefore　hired　a　house　for　them　in　the　lower　part　of　Ingouville；

where　he　installed　his　valet；　cook；　and　coachman；　all　Negroes；　and

three　mulattos　on　whose　fidelity　he　could　rely。　The　coachman　was　told

to　search　for　saddle…horses　for　Mademoiselle　and　for　his　master；　and

for　carriage…horses　for　the　caleche　in　which　the　colonel　and　the

lieutenant　had　returned　to　Havre。　That　carriage；　bought　in　Paris；　was

of　the　latest　fashion；　and　bore　the　arms　of　La　Bastie；　surmounted　by　a

count's　coronet。　These　things；　insignificant　in　the　eyes　of　a　man　who

for　four　years　had　been　accustomed　to　the　unbridled　luxury　of　the

Indies　and　of　the　English　merchants　at　Canton；　were　the　subject　of

much　comment　among　the　business　men　of　Havre　and　the　inhabitants　of

Ingouville　and　Graville。　Before　five　days　had　elapsed　the　rumor　of

them　ran　from　one　end　of　Normandy　to　the　other　like　a　train　of

gunpowder　touched　by　fire。



〃Monsieur　Mignon　has　come　back　from　China　with　millions；〃　some　one

said　in　Rouen；　〃and　it　seems　he　was　made　a　count　in　mid…ocean。〃



〃But　he　was　the　Comte　de　La　Bastie　before　the　Revolution；〃　answered

another。



〃So　they　call　him　a　liberal　just　because　he　was　plain　Charles　Mignon

for　twenty…five　years！　What　are　we　coming　to？〃　said　a　third。



Modeste　was　considered；　therefore；　notwithstanding　the　silence　of　her

parents　and　friends；　as　the　richest　heiress　in　Normandy；　and　all　eyes

began　once　more　to　see　her　merits。　The　aunt　and　sister　of　the　Duc

d'Herouville　confirmed　in　the　aristocratic　salons　of　Bayeux　Monsieur

Charles　Mignon's　right　to　the　title　and　arms　of　count；　derived　from

Cardinal　Mignon；　for　whom　the　Cardinal's　hat　and　tassels　were　added　as

a　crest。　They　had　seen　Mademoiselle　de　La　Bastie　when　they　were

staying　at　the　Vilquins；　and　their　solicitude　for　the　impoverished

head　of　their　house　now　became　active。



〃If　Mademoiselle　de　La　Bastie　is　really　as　rich　as　she　is　beautiful；〃

said　the　aunt　of　the　young　duke；　〃she　is　the　best　match　in　the

province。　SHE　at　least　is　noble。〃



The　last　words　were　aimed　at　the　Vilquins；　with　whom　they　had　not　been

able　to　come　to　terms；　after　incurring　the　humiliation　of　staying　in

that　bourgeois　household。



Such　were　the　little　events　which；　contrary　to　the　rules　of　Aristotle

and　of　Horace；　precede　the　introduction　of　another　person　into　our

story；　but　the　portrait　and　the　biography　of　this　personage；　this　late

arrival；　shall　not　be　long；　taking　into　consideration　his　own

diminutiveness。　The　grand　equerry　shall　not　take　more　space　here　than

he　will　take　in　history。　Monsieur　le　Duc　d'Herouville；　offspring　of

the　matrimonial　autumn　of　the　last　governor　of　Normandy；　was　born

during　the　emigration　in　1799；　at　Vienna。　The　old　marechal；　father　of

the　present　duke；　returned　with　the　king　in　1814；　and　died　in　1819；

before　he　was　able　to　marry　his　son。　He　could　only　leave　him　the　vast

chateau　of　Herouville；　the　park；　a　few　dependencies；　and　a　farm　which

he　had　bought　back　with　some　difficulty；　all　of　which　returned　a

rental　of　about　fifteen　thousand　francs　a　year。　Louis　XVIII。　gave　the

post　of　grand　equerry　to　the　son；　who；　under　Charles　X。；　received　the

usual　pension　of　twelve　thousand　francs　which　was　granted　to　the

pauper　peers　of　France。　But　what　were　these　twenty…seven　thousand

francs　a　year　and　the　salary　of　grand　equerry　to　such　a　family？　In

Paris；　of　course；　the　young　duke　used　the　king's　coaches；　and　had　a

mansion　provided　for　him　in　the　rue　Saint…Thomas…du…Louvre；　near　the

royal　stables；　his　salary　paid　for　his　winters　in　the　city；　and　his

twenty…seven　thousand　francs　for　the　summers　in　Normandy。　If　this

noble　personage　was　still　a　bachelor　he　was　less　to　blame　than　his

aunt；　who　was　not　versed　in　La　Fontaine's　fables。　Mademoiselle

d'Herouville　made　enormous　pretensions　wholly　out　of　keeping　with　the

spirit　of　the　times；　for　great　names；　without　the　money　to　keep　them

up；　can　seldom　win　rich　heiresses　among　the　higher　French　nobility；

who　are　themselves　embarrassed　to　provide　for　their　sons　under　the　new

law　of　the　equal　division　of　property。　To　marry　the　young　Duc

d'Herouville；　it　was　necessary　to　conciliate　the　great　banking…houses；

but　the　haughty　pride　of　the　daughter　of　the　house　alienated　these

people　by　cutting　speeches。　During　the　first　years　of　the　Restoration；

from　1817　to　1825；　Mademoiselle　d'Herouville；　though　in　quest　of

millions；　refused；　among　others；　the　daughter　of　Mongenod　the　banker；

with　whom　Monsieur　de　Fontaine　afterwards　contented　himself。



At　last；　having　lost　several　good　opportunities　to　establish　her

nephew；　entirely　through　her　own　fault；　she　was　just　considering

whether　the　property　of　the　Nucingens　was　not　too　basely　acquired；　or

whether　she　should　lend　herself　to　the　ambition　of　Madame　de　Nucingen；

who　wished　to　make　her　daughter　a　duchess。　The　king；　anxious　to

restore　the　d'Herouvilles　to　their　former　splendor；　had　almost　brought

about　this　marriage；　and　when　it　failed　he　openly　accused　Mademoiselle

d'Herouville　of　folly。　In　this　way　the　aunt　made　the　nephew

ridiculous；　and　the　nephew；　in　his　own　way；　was　not　less　absurd。　When

great　things　disappear　they　leave　crumbs；　〃frusteaux；〃　Rabelais　would

say；　behind　them；　and　the　French　nobility　of　this　century　has　left　us

too　many　such　fragments。　Neither　the　clergy　nor　the　nobility　have

anything　to　complain　of　in　this　long　history　of　manners　and　customs。

Those　great　and　magnificent　social　necessities　have　been　well

represented；　but　we　ought　surely　to　renounce　the　noble　title　of

historian　if　we　are　not　impartial；　if　we　do　not　here　depict　the

present　degeneracy　of　the　race　of　nobles；　although　we　have　already

done　so　elsewhere；in　the　character　of　the　Comte　de　Mortsauf　（in　〃The

Lily　of　the　Valley〃）；　in　the　〃Duchesse　de　Langeais；〃　and　the　very

nobleness　of　the　nobility　in　the　〃Marquis　d'Espard。〃　How　then　could　it

be　that　the　race　of　heroes　and　valiant　men　belonging　to　the　proud

house　of　Herouville；　who　gave　the　famous　marshal　to　the　nation；

cardinals　to　the　church；　great　leaders　to　the　Valois；　knights　to　Louis

XIV。；　was　reduced　to　a　little　fragile　being　smaller　than　Butscha？　That

is　a　question　which　we　ask　ourselves　in　more　than　one　salon　in　Paris

when　we　hear　the　greatest　names　of　France　announced；　and　see　the

entrance　of　a　thin；　pinched；　undersized　young　man；　scarcely　possessing

the　breath　of　life；　or　a　premature　old　one；　or　some　whimsical　creature

in　whom　an　observer　can　with　great　difficulty　trace　the　signs　of　a

past　grandeur。　The　dissipations　of　the　reign　of　Louis　XV。；　the　orgies

of　that　fatal　and　egotistic　period；　have　produced　an　effete

generation；　in　which　manners　alone　survive　the　nobler　vanished

qualities；forms；　which　are　the　sole　heritage　our　nobles　have

preserved。　The　abandonment　in　which　Louis　XVI。　was　allowed　to　perish

may　thus　be　explained；　with　some　slight　reservations；　as　a　wretched

result　of　the　reign　of　Madame　de　Pompadour。



The　grand　equerry；　a　fair　young　man　with　blue　eyes　and　a　pallid　face；

was　not　without　a　certain　dignity　of　thought；　but　his　thin；　undersized

figure；　and　the　follies　of　his　aunt　who　had　taken　him　to　the　Vilquins

and　elsewhere　to　pay　his　court；　rendered　him　extremely　diffident。　The

house　of　Herouville　had　already　been　threatened　with　extinction　by　the

deed　of　a　deformed　being　（see　the　〃Enfa