屋顶间的哲学家_梭维斯特-第12节
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dinconcealingthisblotoffriendshipagainstpolicy；butsoonerorlaterthenewspaperswillbeinformedofit；andwilldenouncehimtothecountryasanobjectofdistrust。
forwhetherhatredbehonestordishonest；itnevershrinksfromanyaccusation。sometimesitevenproceedstocrime。theusherassuredmethatseveralwarningshadbeengiventheministerwhichhadmadehimfearthevengeanceofanassassin；andthathenolongerventuredoutonfoot。
then；fromonethingtoanother；ilearnedwhattemptationscameintomisleadoroverehisjudgment；howhefoundhimselffatallyledintoobliquitieswhichhecouldnotbutdeplore。misledbypassion；over…persuadedbyentreaties；orpelledforreputationssake；hehasmanytimesheldthebalancewithanunsteadyhand。howsadtheconditionofhimwhoisinauthority！notonlyarethemiseriesofpowerimposeduponhim；butitsvicesalso；which；notcontentwithtorturing；succeedincorruptinghim。
weprolongedourconversationtillitwasinterruptedbytheministersreturn。hethrewhimselfoutofthecarriagewithahandfulofpapers；andwithananxiousmannerwentintohisownroom。aninstantafterwardhisbellwasheard；hissecretarywascalledtosendoffnoticestoallthoseinvitedfortheevening；theballwouldnottakeplace；theyspokemysteriouslyofbadnewstransmittedbythetelegraph；andinsuchcircumstancesanentertainmentwouldseemtoinsultthepublicsorrow。
itookleaveofmyfriend；andhereiamathome。whatihavejustseenisananswertomydoubtstheotherday。nowiknowwithwhatpangsmenpayfortheirdignities；nowiunderstandthatfortunesellswhatwebelieveshegives。
thisexplainstomethereasonwhycharlesvaspiredtothereposeofthecloister。
andyetihaveonlyglancedatsomeofthesufferingsattachedtopower。
whatshallisayofthefallsinwhichitspossessorsareprecipitatedfromtheheightsofheaventotheverydepthsoftheearth？ofthatpathofpainalongwhichtheymustforeverbeartheburdenoftheirresponsibility？ofthatchainofdecorumsandennuiswhichenpasseseveryactoftheirlives；andleavesthemsolittleliberty？
thepartisansofdespotismadherewithreasontoformsandceremonies。
ifmenwishtogiveunlimitedpowertotheirfellow…man；theymustkeephimseparatedfromordinaryhumanity；theymustsurroundhimwithacontinualworship；and；byaconstantceremonial；keepupforhimthesuperhumanparttheyhavegrantedhim。ourmasterscannotremainabsolute；exceptonconditionofbeingtreatedasidols。
but；afterall；theseidolsaremen；and；iftheexclusivelifetheymustleadisaninsulttothedignityofothers；itisalsoatormenttothemselves。everyoneknowsthelawofthespanishcourt；whichusedtoregulate；hourbyhour；theactionsofthekingandqueen；〃sothat；〃
saysvoltaire；〃byreadingitonecantellallthatthesovereignsofspainhavedone；orwilldo；fromphilipiitothedayofjudgment。〃itwasbythislawthatphilipiii；whensick；wasobligedtoenduresuchanexcessofheatthathediedinconsequence；becausethedukeofuzeda；whoalonehadtherighttoputoutthefireintheroyalchamber；happenedtobeabsent。
whenthewifeofcharlesiiwasrunawaywithonaspiritedhorse；shewasabouttoperishbeforeanyonedaredtosaveher；becauseetiquetteforbadethemtotouchthequeen。twoyoungofficersendangeredtheirlivesforherbystoppingthehorse。theprayersandtearsofherwhomtheyhadjustsnatchedfromdeathwerenecessarytoobtainpardonfortheircrime。everyoneknowstheanecdoterelatedbymadamecampanofmarieantoinette；wifeoflouisxvi。oneday；beingathertoilet；whenthechemisewasabouttobepresentedtoherbyoneoftheassistants；aladyofveryancientfamilyenteredandclaimedthehonor；asshehadtherightbyetiquette；but；atthemomentshewasabouttofulfilherduty；aladyofhigherrankappeared；andinherturntookthegarmentshewasabouttooffertothequeen；whenathirdladyofstillhighertitlecameinherturn；andwasfollowedbyafourth；whowasnootherthanthekingssister。thechemisewasinthismannerpassedfromhandtohand；withceremonies；courtesies；andpliments；beforeitcametothequeen；who；halfnakedandquiteashamed；wasshiveringwithcoldforthegreathonorofetiquette。
12th；sevenoclock；p。m鈥斺�攐ninghomethisevening；isaw；standingatthedoorofahouse；anoldman；whoseappearanceandfeaturesremindedmeofmyfather。therewasthesamebeautifulsmile；thesamedeepandpenetratingeye；thesamenoblebearingofthehead；andthesamecarelessattitude。
ibeganlivingoveragainthefirstyearsofmylife；andrecallingtomyselftheconversationsofthatguidewhomgodinhismercyhadgivenme；andwhominhisseverityhehadtoosoonwithdrawn。
whenmyfatherspoke；itwasnotonlytobringourtwomindstogetherbyaninterchangeofthought；buthiswordsalwayscontainedinstruction。
notthatheendeavoredtomakemefeelitso：myfatherfearedeverythingthathadtheappearanceofalesson。heusedtosaythatvirtuecouldmakeherselfdevotedfriends；butshedidnottakepupils：thereforehewasnotdesiroustoteachgoodness；hecontentedhimselfwithsowingtheseedsofit；certainthatexperiencewouldmakethemgrow。
howoftenhasgoodgrainfallenthusintoacorneroftheheart；and；whenithasbeenlongforgotten；allatonceputforththebladeandeintoear！itisatreasurelaidasideinatimeofignorance；andwedonotknowitsvaluetillwefindourselvesinneedofit。
amongthestorieswithwhichheenlivenedourwalksorourevenings；thereisonewhichnowreturnstomymemory；doubtlessbecausethetimeisetoderiveitslessonfromit。
myfather；whowasapprenticedattheageoftwelvetooneofthosetradingcollectorswhocallthemselvesnaturalists；becausetheyputallcreationunderglassesthattheymaysellitbyretail；hadalwaysledalifeofpovertyandlabor。obligedtorisebeforedaybreak；byturnsshop…boy；clerk；andlaborer；hewasmadetobearalonealltheworkofatradeofwhichhismasterreapedalltheprofits。intruth；thislatterhadapeculiartalentformakingthemostofthelaborofotherpeople。
thoughunfithimselffortheexecutionofanykindofwork；nooneknewbetterhowtosellit。hiswordswereanet；inwhichpeoplefoundthemselvestakenbeforetheywereaware。andsincehewasdevotedtohimselfalone；andlookedontheproducerashisenemy；andthebuyerasprey；heusedthembothwiththatobstinateperseverancewhichavariceteaches。
myfatherwasaslavealltheweek；andcouldcallhimselfhisownonlyonsunday。themasternaturalist；whousedtospendthedayatthehouseofanoldfemalerelative；thengavehimhislibertyonconditionthathedinedout；andathisownexpense。butmyfatherusedsecretlytotakewithhimacrustofbread；whichhehidinhisbotanizing…box；and；leavingparisassoonasitwasday；hewouldwanderfarintothevalleyofmontmorency；thewoodofmeudon；oramongthewindingsofthemarne。
excitedbythefreshair；thepenetratingperfumeofthegrowingvegetation；orthefragranceofthehoneysuckles；hewouldwalkonuntilhungerorfatiguemadeitselffelt。thenhewouldsitunderahedge；orbythesideofastream；andwouldmakearusticfeast；byturnsonwatercresses；woodstrawberries；andblackberriespickedfromthehedges；hewouldgatherafewplants；readafewpagesofflorian；theningreatestvogue；ofgessner；whowasjusttranslated；orofjeanjacques；ofwhomhepossessedthreeoldvolumes。thedaywasthuspassedalternatelyinactivityandrest；inpursuitandmeditation；untilthedecliningsunwarnedhimtotakeagaintheroadtoparis；wherehewouldarrive；hisfeettornanddusty；buthismindinvigoratedforawholeweek。
oneday；ashewasgoingtowardthewoodofviroflay；hemet；closetoit；astrangerwhowasoccupiedinbotanizingandinsortingtheplantshehadjustgathered。hewasanelderlymanwithanhonestface；buthiseyes；whichwereratherdeep…setunderhiseyebrows；hadasomewhatuneasyandtimidexpression。hewasdressedinabrownclothcoat；agraywaistcoat；blackbreeches；andworstedstockings；andheldanivory…headedcaneunderhisarm。hisappearancewasthatofasmallretiredtradesmanwhowaslivingonhismeans；andratherbelowthegoldenmeanofhorace。
myfather；whohadgreatrespectforage；civillyraisedhishattohimashepassed。indoingso；aplantheheldfellfromhishand；thestrangerstoopedtotakeitup；andrecognizedit。
〃itisadeutariaheptaphyllos；〃saidhe；〃ihavenotyetseenanyoftheminthesewoods；didyoufinditnearhere；sir？〃
myfatherrepliedthatitwastobefoundinabundanceonthetopofthehill；towardsevres；aswellasthegreatlaserpitium。
〃that；too！〃repeatedtheoldmanmorebriskly。〃ah！ishallgoandlookforthem；ihavegatheredthemformerlyonthehillsideofrobaila。〃
myfatherproposedtotakehim。thestrangeracceptedhisproposalwiththanks；andhastenedtocollecttogethertheplantshehadgathered；butallofasuddenheappearedseizedwithascruple。heobservedtohispanionthattheroadhewasgoingwashalfwayupthehill；andledinthedirectionofthecastleofthedamesroyalesatbellevue；thatbygoingtothetophewouldconsequentlyturnoutofhisroad；andthatitwasnotrightheshouldtakethistroubleforastranger。
myfatherinsisteduponitwithhishabitualgood…nature；but；themoreeagernessheshowed；themoreobstinatelytheoldmanrefused；itevenseemedtomyfatherthathisgoodintentionatlastexcitedhissuspicion。hethereforecontentedhimselfwithpointingouttheroadtothestranger；whomhesaluted；andhesoonlostsightofhim。
manyhourspassedby；andhethoughtnomoreofthemeeting。hehadreachedthecopsesofchaville；where；stretchedonthegroundinamossyglade；hereadoncemorethelastvolumeofemile。thedelightofreadingithadsopletelyabsorbedhimthathehadceasedtoseeorhearanythingaroundhim。withhischeeksflushedandhiseyesmoist；herepeatedaloudapassagewhichhadparticularlyaffectedhim。
anexclamationutteredclosebyhimawokehimfromhisecstasy；heraisedhishead；andperceivedthetradesman…lookingpersonhehadmetbeforeonthecrossroadatviroflay。
hewasloadedwithplants；thecollectionofwhichseemedtohaveputhimintohighgood…humor。
〃athousandthanks；sir；〃saidhetomyfather。〃ihavefoundallthatyoutoldmeof；andiamindebtedtoyouforacharmingwalk。〃
myfatherrespectfullyrose；andmadeacivilreply。thestrangerhadgrownquitefamiliar；andevenaskedifhisyoung〃brotherbotanist〃didnotthinkofreturningtoparis。myfatherrepliedintheaffirmative；andopenedhistinboxtoputhisbookbackinit。
