the girl with the golden eyes-第3章

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of　this　secondary　life　of　Paris；　of　which　here　is　one　of　the　formulae？
Have　you　seen　one　of　those　little　constructionscold　in　summer；　and
with　no　other　warmth　than　a　small　stove　in　winterplaced　beneath　the
vast　copper　dome　which　crowns　the　Halle…auble？　Madame　is　there　by
morning。　She　is　engaged　at　the　markets；　and　makes　by　this　occupation
twelve　thousand　francs　a　year；　people　say。　Monsieur；　when　Madame　is
up；　passes　into　a　gloomy　office；　where　he　lends　money　till　the　week…
end　to　the　tradesmen　of　his　district。　By　nine　o'clock　he　is　at　the
passport　office；　of　which　he　is　one　of　the　minor　officials。　By　evening
he　is　at　the　box…office　of　the　Theatre　Italien；　or　of　any　other
theatre　you　like。　The　children　are　put　out　to　nurse；　and　only　return
to　be　sent　to　college　or　to　boarding…school。　Monsieur　and　Madame　live
on　the　third　floor；　have　but　one　cook；　give　dances　in　a　salon　twelve
foot　by　eight；　lit　by　argand　lamps；　but　they　give　a　hundred　and　fifty
thousand　francs　to　their　daughter；　and　retire　at　the　age　of　fifty；　an
age　when　they　begin　to　show　themselves　on　the　balcony　of　the　opera；　in
a　/fiacre/　at　Longchamps；　or；　on　sunny　days；　in　faded　clothes　on　the
boulevardsthe　fruit　of　all　this　sowing。　Respected　by　their
neighbors；　in　good　odor　with　the　government；　connected　with　the　upper
middle　classes；　Monsieur　obtains　at　sixty…five　the　Cross　of　the　Legion
of　Honor；　and　his　daughter's　father…in…law；　a　parochial　mayor；　invites
him　to　his　evenings。　These　life…long　labors；　then；　are　for　the　good　of
the　children；　whom　these　lower　middle　classes　are　inevitably　driven　to
exalt。　Thus　each　sphere　directs　all　its　efforts　towards　the　sphere
above　it。　The　son　of　the　rich　grocer　becomes　a　notary；　the　son　of　the
timber　merchant　becomes　a　magistrate。　No　link　is　wanting　in　the　chain；
and　everything　stimulates　the　upward　march　of　money。

Thus　we　are　brought　to　the　third　circle　of　this　hell；　which；　perhaps；
will　some　day　find　its　Dante。　In　this　third　social　circle；　a　sort　of
Parisian　belly；　in　which　the　interests　of　the　town　are　digested；　and
where　they　are　condensed　into　the　form　known　as　/business/；　there
moves　and　agitates；　as　by　some　acrid　and　bitter　intestinal　process；
the　crowd　of　lawyers；　doctors；　notaries；　councillors；　business　men；
bankers；　big　merchants；　speculators；　and　magistrates。　Here　are　to　be
found　even　more　causes　of　moral　and　physical　destruction　than
elsewhere。　These　peoplealmost　all　of　themlive　in　unhealthy
offices；　in　fetid　ante…chambers；　in　little　barred　dens；　and　spend
their　days　bowed　down　beneath　the　weight　of　affairs；　they　rise　at　dawn
to　be　in　time；　not　to　be　left　behind；　to　gain　all　or　not　to　lose；　to
overreach　a　man　or　his　money；　to　open　or　wind　up　some　business；　to
take　advantage　of　some　fleeting　opportunity；　to　get　a　man　hanged　or
set　him　free。　They　infect　their　horses；　they　overdrive　and　age　and
break　them；　like　their　own　legs；　before　their　time。　Time　is　their
tyrant：　it　fails　them；　it　escapes　them；　they　can　neither　expand　it　nor
cut　it　short。　What　soul　can　remain　great；　pure；　moral；　and　generous；
and；　consequently；　what　face　retain　its　beauty　in　this　depraving
practice　of　a　calling　which　compels　one　to　bear　the　weight　of　the
public　sorrows；　to　analyze　them；　to　weigh　them；　estimate　them；　and
mark　them　out　by　rule？　Where　do　these　folk　put　aside　their
hearts？　。　。　。　I　do　not　know；　but　they　leave　them　somewhere　or　other；
when　they　have　any；　before　they　descend　each　morning　into　the　abyss　of
the　misery　which　puts　families　on　the　rack。　For　them　there　is　no　such
thing　as　mystery；　they　see　the　reverse　side　of　society；　whose
confessors　they　are；　and　despise　it。　Then；　whatever　they　do；　owing　to
their　contact　with　corruption；　they　either　are　horrified　at　it　and
grow　gloomy；　or　else；　out　of　lassitude；　or　some　secret　compromise；
espouse　it。　In　fine；　they　necessarily　become　callous　to　every
sentiment；　since　man；　his　laws　and　his　institutions；　make　them　steal；
like　jackals；　from　corpses　that　are　still　warm。　At　all　hours　the
financier　is　trampling　on　the　living；　the　attorney　on　the　dead；　the
pleader　on　the　conscience。　Forced　to　be　speaking　without　a　rest；　they
all　substitute　words　for　ideas；　phrases　for　feelings；　and　their　soul
becomes　a　larynx。　Neither　the　great　merchant；　nor　the　judge；　nor　the
pleader　preserves　his　sense　of　right；　they　feel　no　more；　they　apply
set　rules　that　leave　cases　out　of　count。　Borne　along　by　their　headlong
course；　they　are　neither　husbands　nor　fathers　nor　lovers；　they　glide
on　sledges　over　the　facts　of　life；　and　live　at　all　times　at　the　high
pressure　conduced　by　business　and　the　vast　city。　When　they　return　to
their　homes　they　are　required　to　go　to　a　ball；　to　the　opera；　into
society；　where　they　can　make　clients；　acquaintances；　protectors。　They
all　eat　to　excess；　play　and　keep　vigil；　and　their　faces　become
bloated；　flushed；　and　emaciated。

To　this　terrific　expenditure　of　intellectual　strength；　to　such
multifold　moral　contradictions；　they　opposenot；　indeed　pleasure；　it
would　be　too　pale　a　contrastbut　debauchery；　a　debauchery　both　secret
and　alarming；　for　they　have　all　means　at　their　disposal；　and　fix　the
morality　of　society。　Their　genuine　stupidity　lies　hid　beneath　their
specialism。　They　know　their　business；　but　are　ignorant　of　everything
which　is　outside　it。　So　that　to　preserve　their　self…conceit　they
question　everything；　are　crudely　and　crookedly　critical。　They　appear
to　be　sceptics　and　are　in　reality　simpletons；　they　swamp　their　wits　in
interminable　arguments。　Almost　all　conveniently　adopt　social；
literary；　or　political　prejudices；　to　do　away　with　the　need　of　having
opinions；　just　as　they　adapt　their　conscience　to　the　standard　of　the
Code　or　the　Tribunal　of　Commerce。　Having　started　early　to　become　men
of　note；　they　turn　into　mediocrities；　and　crawl　over　the　high　places
of　the　world。　So；　too；　their　faces　present　the　harsh　pallor；　the
deceitful　coloring；　those　dull；　tarnished　eyes；　and　garrulous；　sensual
mouths；　in　which　the　observer　recognizes　the　symptoms　of　the
degeneracy　of　the　thought　and　its　rotation　in　the　circle　of　a　special
idea　which　destroys　the　creative　faculties　of　the　brain　and　the　gift
of　seeing　in　large；　of　generalizing　and　deducing。　No　man　who　has
allowed　himself　to　be　caught　in　the　revolutions　of　the　gear　of　these
huge　machines　can　ever　become　great。　If　he　is　a　doctor；　either　he　has
practised　little　or　he　is　an　exceptiona　Bichat　who　dies　young。　If　a
great　merchant；　something　remainshe　is　almost　Jacques　Coeur。　Did
Robespierre　practise？　Danton　was　an　idler　who　waited。　But　who；
moreover　has　ever　felt　envious　of　the　figures　of　Danton　and
Robespierre；　however　lofty　they　were？　These　men　of　affairs；　/par
excellence/；　attract　money　to　them；　and　hoard　it　in　order　to　ally
themselves　with　aristocratic　families。　If　the　ambition　of　the　working…
man　is　that　of　the　small　tradesman；　here；　too；　are　the　same　passions。
The　type　of　this　class　might　be　either　an　ambitious　bourgeois；　who；
after　a　life　of　privation　and　continual　scheming；　passes　into　the
Council　of　State　as　an　ant　passes　through　a　chink；　or　some　newspaper
editor；　jaded　with　intrigue；　whom　the　king　makes　a　peer　of　France
perhaps　to　revenge　himself　on　the　nobility；　or　some　notary　become
mayor　of　his　parish：　all　people　crushed　with　business；　who；　if　they
attain　their　end；　are　literally　/killed/　in　its　attainment。　In　France
the　usage　is　to　glorify　wigs。　Napoleon；　Louis　XVI。；　the　great　rulers；
alone　have　always　wished　for　young　men　to　fulfil　their　projects。

Above　this　sphere　the　artist　world　exists。　But　here；　too；　the　faces
stamped　with　the　seal　of　originality　are　worn；　nobly　indeed；　but　worn；
fatigued；　nervous。　Harassed　by　a　need　of　production；　outrun　by　their
costly　fantasies；　worn　out　by　devouring　genius；　hungry　for　pleasure；
the　artists　of　Paris　would　all　regain　by　excessive　labor　what　they
have　lost　by　idleness；　and　vainly　seek　to　reconcile　the　world　and
glory；　money　and　art。　To　begin　with；　the　artist　is　ceaselessly　panting
under　his　creditors；　his　necessities　beget　his　debts；　and　his　debts
require　of　him　his　nights。　After　his　labor；　his　pleasure。　The　comedian
plays　till　midnight；　studies　in　the　morning；　rehearses　at　noon；　the
sculptor　is