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第56节

modeste mignon-第56节

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Maufrigneuse; de Lenoncourt…Chaulieu; and other ladies; were prepared

to meet her。 It was in fact an excessively amusing little warfare;

with its marches and countermarches and stratagems;all of which were

keenly enjoyed by the Dumays; the Latournelles; Gobenheim; and

Butscha; who; in conclave assembled; said horrible things of these

noble personages; cruelly noting and intelligently studying all their

little meannesses。



The promises on the d'Herouville side were; however; confirmed by the

arrival of an invitation; couched in flattering terms; from the Duc de

Verneuil and the Master of the Hunt to Monsieur le Comte de La Bastie

and his daughter; to stay at Rosembray and be present at a grand hunt

on the seventh; eighth; ninth; and tenth; of November following。



La Briere; full of dark presentiments; craved the presence of Modeste

with an eagerness whose bitter joys are known only to lovers who feel

that they are parted; and parted fatally from those they love。 Flashes

of joy came to him intermingled with melancholy meditations on the one

theme; 〃I have lost her;〃 and made him all the more interesting to

those who watched him; because his face and his whole person were in

keeping with his profound feeling。 There is nothing more poetic than a

living elegy; animated by a pair of eyes; walking about; and sighing

without rhymes。



The Duc d'Herouville arrived at last to arrange for Modeste's

departure; after crossing the Seine she was to be conveyed in the

duke's caleche; accompanied by the Demoiselles d'Herouville。 The duke

was charmingly courteous; he begged Canalis and La Briere to be of the

party; assuring them; as he did the colonel; that he had taken

particular care that hunters should be provided for them。 The colonel

invited the three lovers to breakfast on the morning of the start。

Canalis then began to put into execution a plan that he had been

maturing in his own mind for the last few days; namely; to quietly

reconquer Modeste; and throw over the duchess; La Briere; and the

duke。 A graduate of diplomacy could hardly remain stuck in the

position in which he found himself。 On the other hand La Briere had

come to the resolution of bidding Modeste an eternal farewell。 Each

suitor was therefore on the watch to slip in a last word; like the

defendant's counsel to the court before judgment is pronounced; for

all felt that the three weeks' struggle was approaching its

conclusion。 After dinner on the evening before the start was to be

made; the colonel had taken his daughter by the arm and made her feel

the necessity of deciding。



〃Our position with the d'Herouville family will be quite intolerable

at Rosembray;〃 he said to her。 〃Do you mean to be a duchess?〃



〃No; father;〃 she answered。



〃Then do you love Canalis?〃



〃No; papa; a thousand times no!〃 she exclaimed with the impatience of

a child。



The colonel looked at her with a sort of joy。



〃Ah; I have not influenced you;〃 cried the true father; 〃and I will

now confess that I chose my son…in…law in Paris when; having made him

believe that I had but little fortune; he grasped my hand and told me

I took a weight from his mind〃



〃Who is it you mean?〃 asked Modeste; coloring。



〃THE MAN OF FIXED PRINCIPLES AND SOUND MORALITIES;〃 said her father;

slyly; repeating the words which had dissolved poor Modeste's dream on

the day after his return。



〃I was not even thinking of him; papa。 Please leave me at liberty to

refuse the duke myself; I understand him; and I know how to soothe

him。〃



〃Then your choice is not made?〃



〃Not yet; there is another syllable or two in the charade of my

destiny still to be guessed; but after I have had a glimpse of court

life at Rosembray I will tell you my secret。〃



〃Ah! Monsieur de La Briere;〃 cried the colonel; as the young man

approached them along the garden path in which they were walking; 〃I

hope you are going to this hunt?〃



〃No; colonel;〃 answered Ernest。 〃I have come to take leave of you and

of mademoiselle; I return to Paris〃



〃You have no curiosity;〃 said Modeste; interrupting; and looking at

him。



〃A wishthat I cannot expectwould suffice to keep me;〃 he replied。



〃If that is all; you must stay to please me; I wish it;〃 said the

colonel; going forward to meet Canalis; and leaving his daughter and

La Briere together for a moment。



〃Mademoiselle;〃 said the young man; raising his eyes to hers with the

boldness of a man without hope; 〃I have an entreaty to make to you。〃



〃To me?〃



〃Let me carry away with me your forgiveness。 My life can never be

happy; it must be full of remorse for having lost my happinessno

doubt by my own fault; but; at least;〃



〃Before we part forever;〃 said Modeste; interrupting a la Canalis; and

speaking in a voice of some emotion; 〃I wish to ask you one thing; and

though you once disguised yourself; I think you cannot be so base as

to deceive me now。〃



The taunt made him turn pale; and he cried out; 〃Oh; you are

pitiless!〃



〃Will you be frank?〃



〃You have the right to ask me that degrading question;〃 he said; in a

voice weakened by the violent palpitation of his heart。



〃Well; then; did you read my letters to Monsieur de Canalis?〃



〃No; mademoiselle; and I allowed your father to read them it was to

justify my love by showing him how it was born; and how sincere my

efforts were to cure you of your fancy。〃



〃But how came the idea of that unworthy masquerade ever to arise?〃 she

said; with a sort of impatience。



La Briere related truthfully the scene in the poet's study which

Modeste's first letter had occasioned; and the sort of challenge that

resulted from his expressing a favorable opinion of a young girl thus

led toward a poet's fame; as a plant seeks its share of the sun。



〃You have said enough;〃 said Modeste; restraining some emotion。 〃If

you have not my heart; monsieur; you have at least my esteem。〃



These simple words gave the young man a violent shock; feeling himself

stagger; he leaned against a tree; like a man deprived for a moment of

reason。 Modest; who had left him; turned her head and came hastily

back。



〃What is the matter?〃 she asked; taking his hand to prevent him from

falling。



〃Forgive meI thought you despised me。〃



〃But;〃 she answered; with a distant and disdainful manner; 〃I did not

say that I loved you。〃



And she left him again。 But this time; in spite of her harshness; La

Briere thought he walked on air; the earth softened under his feet;

the trees bore flowers; the skies were rosy; the air cerulean; as they

are in the temples of Hymen in those fairy pantomimes which finish

happily。 In such situations every woman is a Janus; and sees behind

her without turning round; and thus Modeste perceived on the face of

her lover the indubitable symptoms of a love like Butscha's;surely

the 〃ne plus ultra〃 of a woman's hope。 Moreover; the great value which

La Briere attached to her opinion filled Modeste with an emotion that

was inestimably sweet。



〃Mademoiselle;〃 said Canalis; leaving the colonel and waylaying

Modeste; 〃in spite of the little value you attach to my sentiments; my

honor is concerned in effacing a stain under which I have suffered too

long。 Here is a letter which I received from the Duchesse de Chaulieu

five days after my arrival in Havre。〃



He let Modeste read the first lines of the letter we have seen; which

the duchess began by saying that she had seen Mongenod; and now wished

to marry her poet to Modeste; then he tore that passage from the body

of the letter; and placed the fragment in her hand。



〃I cannot let you read the rest;〃 he said; putting the paper in his

pocket; 〃but I confide these few lines to your discretion; so that you

may verify the writing。 A young girl who could accuse me of ignoble

sentiments is quite capable of suspecting some collusion; some

trickery。 Ah; Modeste;〃 he said; with tears in his voice; 〃your poet;

the poet of Madame de Chaulieu; has no less poetry in his heart than

in his mind。 You are about to see the duchess; suspend your judgment

of me till then。〃



He left Modeste half bewildered。



〃Oh; dear!〃 she said to herself; 〃it seems they are all angelsand

not marriageable; the duke is the only one that belongs to humanity。〃



〃Mademoiselle Modeste;〃 said Butscha; appearing with a parcel under

his arm; 〃this hunt makes me very uneasy。 I dreamed your horse ran

away with you; and I have been to Rouen to see if I could get a

Spanish bit which; they tell me; a horse can't take between his teeth。

I entreat you to use it。 I have shown it to the colonel; and he has

thanked me more than there is any occasion for。〃



〃Poor; dear Butscha!〃 cried Modeste; moved to tears by this maternal

care。



Butscha went skipping off like a man who has just heard of the death

of a rich uncle。



〃My dear father;〃 said Modeste; returning to the s

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