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第57章

modeste mignon-第57章

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heart is a locked box; padlocked! My mouth never opens to let out

anything about a client。 I know all; and I know nothing。 Besides; my

passion is well known。 I love Modeste; she is my pupil; and she must

make a good marriage。 I'll fool the duke; if need be; and you shall

marry〃



〃Germain; coffee and liqueurs;〃 said Canalis。



〃Liqueurs!〃 repeated Butscha with a wave of his hand; and the air of a

sham virgin repelling seduction; 〃Ah; those poor deeds! one of 'em was

a marriage contract; and that second clerk of mine is as stupid asas

an epithalamium; and he's capable of digging his penknife right

through the bride's paraphernalia; he thinks he's a handsome man

because he's five feet six;idiot!〃



〃Here is some creme de the; a liqueur of the West Indies;〃 said

Canalis。 〃You; whom Mademoiselle Modeste consults〃



〃Yes; she consults me。〃



〃Well; do you think she loves me?〃 asked the poet。



〃Loves you? yes; more than she loves the duke; answered the dwarf;

rousing himself from a stupor which was admirably played。 〃She loves

you for your disinterestedness。 She told me she was ready to make the

greatest sacrifices for your sake; to give up dress and spend as

little as possible on herself; and devote her life to showing you that

in marrying her you hadn't done so〃 (hiccough) 〃bad a thing for

yourself。 She's as right as a trivet;yes; and well informed。 She

knows everything; that girl。〃



〃And she has three hundred thousand francs?〃



〃There may be quite as much as that;〃 cried the dwarf;

enthusiastically。 〃Papa Mignon;mignon by name; mignon by nature; and

that's why I respect him;well; he would rob himself of everything to

marry his daughter。 Your Restoration〃 (hiccough) 〃has taught him how

to live on half…pay; he'd be quite content to live with Dumay on next

to nothing; if he could rake and scrape enough together to give the

little one three hundred thousand francs。 But don't let's forget that

Dumay is going to leave all his money to Modeste。 Dumay; you know; is

a Breton; and that fact clinches the matter; he won't go back from his

word; and his fortune is equal to the colonel's。 But I don't approve

of Monsieur Mignon's taking back that villa; and; as they often ask my

advice; I told them so。 'You sink too much in it;' I said; 'if Vilquin

does not buy it back there's two hundred thousand francs which won't

bring you a penny; it only leaves you a hundred thousand to get along

with; and it isn't enough。' The colonel and Dumay are consulting about

it now。 But nevertheless; between you and me; Modeste is sure to be

rich。 I hear talk on the quays against it; but that's all nonsense;

people are jealous。 Why; there's no such 'dot' in Havre;〃 cried

Butscha; beginning to count on his fingers。 〃Two to three hundred

thousand in ready money;〃 bending back the thumb of his left hand with

the forefinger of his right; 〃that's one item; the reversion of the

villa Mignon; that's another; 'tertio;' Dumay's property!〃 doubling

down his middle finger。 〃Ha! little Modeste may count upon her six

hundred thousand francs as soon as the two old soldiers have got their

marching orders for eternity。〃



This coarse and candid statement; intermingled with a variety of

liqueurs; sobered Canalis as much as it appeared to befuddle Butscha。

To the latter; a young provincial; such a fortune must of course seem

colossal。 He let his head fall into the palm of his right hand; and

putting his elbows majestically on the table; blinked his eyes and

continued talking to himself:



〃In twenty years; thanks to that Code; which pillages fortunes under

what they call 'Successions;' an heiress worth a million will be as

rare as generosity in a money…lender。 Suppose Modeste does want to

spend all the interest of her own money;well; she is so pretty; so

sweet and pretty; why she'syou poets are always after metaphors

she's a weasel as tricky as a monkey。〃



〃How came you to tell me she had six millions?〃 said Canalis to La

Briere; in a low voice。



〃My friend;〃 said Ernest; 〃I do assure you that I was bound to silence

by an oath; perhaps; even now; I ought not to say as much as that。〃



〃Bound! to whom?〃



〃To Monsieur Mignon。〃



〃Ernest! you who know how essential fortune is to me〃



Butscha snored。



〃who know my situation; and all that I shall lose in the Duchesse de

Chaulieu; by this attempt at marrying; YOU could coldly let me plunge

into such a thing as this?〃 exclaimed Canalis; turning pale。 〃It was a

question of friendship; and ours was a compact entered into long

before you ever saw that crafty Mignon。〃



〃My dear fellow;〃 said Ernest; 〃I love Modeste too well to〃



〃Fool! then take her;〃 cried the poet; 〃and break your oath。〃



〃Will you promise me on your word of honor to forget what I now tell

you; and to behave to me as though this confidence had never been

made; whatever happens?〃



〃I'll swear that; by my mother's memory。〃



〃Well then;〃 said La Briere; 〃Monsieur Mignon told me in Paris that he

was very far from having the colossal fortune which the Mongenods told

me about and which I mentioned to you。 The colonel intends to give two

hundred thousand francs to his daughter。 And now; Melchior; I ask you;

was the father really distrustful of us; as you thought; or was he

sincere? It is not for me to answer those questions。 If Modeste

without a fortune deigns to choose me; she will be my wife。〃



〃A blue…stocking! educated till she is a terror! a girl who has read

everything; who knows everything;in theory;〃 cried Canalis; hastily;

noticing La Briere's gesture; 〃a spoiled child; brought up in luxury

in her childhood; and weaned of it for five years。 Ah! my poor friend;

take care what you are about。〃



〃Ode and Code;〃 said Butscha; waking up; 〃you do the ode and I the

code; there's only a C's difference between us。 Well; now; code comes

from 'coda;' a tail;mark that word! See here! a bit of good advice

is worth your wine and your cream of tea。 Father Mignonhe's cream;

too; the cream of honest menhe is going with his daughter on this

riding party; do you go up frankly and talk 'dot' to him。 He'll answer

plainly; and you'll get at the truth; just as surely as I'm drunk; and

you're a great poet;but no matter for that; we are to leave Havre

together; that's settled; isn't it? I'm to be your secretary in place

of that little fellow who sits there grinning at me and thinking I'm

drunk。 Come; let's go; and leave him to marry the girl。〃



Canalis rose to leave the room to dress for the excursion。



〃Hush; not a word;he is going to commit suicide;〃 whispered Butscha;

sober as a judge; to La Briere as he made the gesture of a street boy

at Canalis's back。 〃Adieu; my chief!〃 he shouted; in stentorian tones;

〃will you allow me to take a snooze in that kiosk down in the garden?〃



〃Make yourself at home;〃 answered the poet。



Butscha; pursued by the laughter of the three servants of the

establishment; gained the kiosk by walking over the flower…beds and

round the vases with the perverse grace of an insect describing its

interminable zig…zags as it tries to get out of a closed window。 When

he had clambered into the kiosk; and the servants had retired; he sat

down on a wooden bench and wallowed in the delights of his triumph。 He

had completely fooled a great man; he had not only torn off his mask;

but he had made him untie the strings himself; and he laughed like an

author over his own play;that is to say; with a true sense of the

immense value of his 〃vis comica。〃



〃Men are tops!〃 he cried; 〃you've only to find the twine to wind 'em

up with。 But I'm like my fellows;〃 he added; presently。 〃I should

faint away if any one came and said to me 'Mademoiselle Modeste has

been thrown from her horse; and has broken her leg。'〃







CHAPTER XXIV



THE POET FEELS THAT HE IS LOVED TOO WELL



An hour later; Modeste; charmingly equipped in a bottle…green

cassim

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