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第44章

modeste mignon-第44章

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He was fond of exchanging glances with his hearers; throwing himself

into postures of self…complacency and practising those tricks of

demeanor which actors call 〃balancoires;〃the picturesque phrase of

an artistic people。 Canalis had his imitators; and was in fact the

head of a school of his kind。 This habit of declamatory chanting

slightly affected his conversation; as we have seen in his interview

with Dumay。 The moment the mind becomes finical the manners follow

suit; and the great poet ended by studying his demeanor; inventing

attitudes; looking furtively at himself in mirrors; and suiting his

discourse to the particular pose which he happened to have taken up。

He was so preoccupied with the effect he wished to produce; that a

practical joke; Blondet; had bet once or twice; and won the wager;

that he could nonplus him at any moment by merely looking fixedly at

his hair; or his boots; or the tails of his coats。



These airs and graces; which started in life with a passport of

flowery youth; now seemed all the more stale and old because Melchior

himself was waning。 Life in the world of fashion is quite as

exhausting to men as it is to women; and perhaps the twenty years by

which the duchess exceeded her lover's age; weighed more heavily upon

him than upon her; for to the eyes of the world she was always

handsome;without rouge; without wrinkles; and without heart。 Alas!

neither men nor women have friends who are friendly enough to warn

them of the moment when the fragrance of their modesty grows stale;

when the caressing glance is but an echo of the stage; when the

expression of the face changes from sentiment to sentimentality; and

the artifices of the mind show their rusty edges。 Genius alone renews

its skin like a snake; and in the matter of charm; as in everything

else; it is only the heart that never grows old。 People who have

hearts are simple in all their ways。 Now Canalis; as we know; had a

shrivelled heart。 He misused the beauty of his glance by giving it;

without adequate reason; the fixity that comes to the eyes in

meditation。 In short; applause was to him a business; in which he was

perpetually on the lookout for gain。 His style of paying compliments;

charming to superficial people; seemed insulting to others of more

delicacy; by its triteness and the cool assurance of its cut…and…

dried flattery。 As a matter of fact; Melchior lied like a courtier。 He

remarked without blushing to the Duc de Chaulieu; who made no

impression whatever when he was obliged to address the Chamber as

minister of foreign affairs; 〃Your excellency was truly sublime!〃 Many

men like Canalis are purged of their affectations by the

administration of non…success in little doses。



These defects; slight in the gilded salons of the faubourg Saint…

Germain; where every one contributes his or her quota of absurdity;

and where these particular forms of exaggerated speech and affected

dictionmagniloquence; if you please to call it soare surrounded by

excessive luxury and sumptuous toilettes; which are to some extent

their excuse; were certain to be far more noticed in the provinces;

whose own absurdities are of a totally different type。 Canalis; by

nature over…strained and artificial; could not change his form; in

fact; he had had time to grow stiff in the mould into which the

duchess had poured him; moreover; he was thoroughly Parisian; or; if

you prefer it; truly French。 The Parisian is amazed that everything

everywhere is not as it in Paris; the Frenchman; as it is in France。

Good taste; on the contrary; demands that we adapt ourselves to the

customs of foreigners without losing too much of our own character;

as did Alcibiades; that model of a gentleman。 True grace is elastic;

it lends itself to circumstances; it is in harmony with all social

centres; it wears a robe of simple material in the streets; noticeable

only by its cut; in preference to the feathers and flounces of middle…

class vulgarity。 Now Canalis; instigated by a woman who loved herself

much more than she loved him; wished to lay down the law and be;

everywhere; such as he himself might see fit to be。 He believed he

carried his own public with him wherever he went;an error shared by

several of the great men of Paris。



While the poet made a studied and effective entrance into the salon of

the Chalet; La Briere slipped in behind him like a person of no

account。



〃Ha! do I see my soldier?〃 said Canalis; perceiving Dumay; after

addressing a compliment to Madame Mignon; and bowing to the other

women。 〃Your anxieties are relieved; are they not?〃 he said; offering

his hand effusively; 〃I comprehend them to their fullest extent after

seeing mademoiselle。 I spoke to you of terrestrial creatures; not of

angels。〃



All present seemed by their attitudes to ask the meaning of this

speech。



〃I shall always consider it a triumph;〃 resumed the poet; observing

that everybody wished for an explanation; 〃to have stirred to mention

on of those men of iron whom Napoleon had the eye to find and make the

supporting piles on which he tried to build an empire; too colossal to

be lasting: for such structures time alone is the cement。 But this

triumphwhy should I be proud of it?I count for nothing。 It was the

triumph of ideas over facts。 Your battles; my dear Monsieur Dumay;

your heroic charges; Monsieur le comte; nay; war itself was the form

in which Napoleon's idea clothed itself。 Of all of these things; what

remains? The sod that covers them knows nothing; harvests come and go

without revealing their resting…place; were it not for the historian;

the writer; futurity would have no knowledge of those heroic days。

Therefore your fifteen years of war are now ideas and nothing more;

that which preserves the Empire forever is the poem that the poets

make of them。 A nation that can win such battles must know how to sing

them。〃



Canalis paused; to gather by a glance that ran round the circle the

tribute of amazement which he expected of provincials。



〃You must be aware; monsieur; of the regret I feel at not seeing you;〃

said Madame Mignon; 〃since you compensate me with the pleasure of

hearing you。〃



Modeste; determined to think Canalis sublime; sat motionless with

amazement; the embroidery slipped from her fingers; which held it only

by the needleful of thread。



〃Modeste; this is Monsieur Ernest de La Briere。 Monsieur Ernest; my

daughter;〃 said the count; thinking the secretary too much in the

background。



The young girl bowed coldly; giving Ernest a glance that was meant to

prove to every one present that she saw him for the first time。



〃Pardon me; monsieur;〃 she said without blushing; 〃the great

admiration I feel for the greatest of our poets is; in the eyes of my

friends; a sufficient excuse for seeing only him。〃



The pure; fresh voice; with accents like that of Mademoiselle Mars;

charmed the poor secretary; already dazzled by Modeste's beauty; and

in his sudden surprise he answered by a phrase that would have been

sublime; had it been true。



〃He is my friend;〃 he said。



〃Ah; then you do pardon me;〃 she replied。



〃He is more than a friend;〃 cried Canalis taking Ernest by the

shoulder and leaning upon it like Alexander on Hephaestion; 〃we love

each other as though we were brothers〃



Madame Latournelle cut short the poet's speech by pointing to Ernest

and saying aloud to her husband; 〃Surely that is the gentleman we saw

at church。〃



〃Why not?〃 said Charles Mignon; quickly; observing that Ernest

reddened。



Modeste coldly took up her embroidery。



〃Madame may be right; I have been twice in Havre lately;〃 replied La

Briere; sitting down by Dumay。



Canalis; charmed with Modeste's beauty; mistook the admiration she

expressed; and flattered himself he had succeeded in producing his

desired effects。



〃I should think a man without heart; if he had no devoted friend near

him;〃 said Modeste; 

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