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cousin betty-第38部分

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〃Monsieur le Comte; do you love my daughter as well as I loved her
mother?〃 he asked。

〃More; monsieur;〃 said the sculptor。

〃Her mother was a peasant's daughter; and had not a farthing of her
own。〃

〃Only give me Mademoiselle Hortense just as she is; without a
trousseau even〃

〃So I should think!〃 said the Baron; smiling。 〃Hortense is the
daughter of the Baron Hulot d'Ervy; Councillor of State; high up in
the War Office; Grand Commander of the Legion of Honor; and the
brother to Count Hulot; whose glory is immortal; and who will ere long
be Marshal of France! Andshe has a marriage portion。

〃It is true;〃 said the impassioned artist。 〃I must seem very
ambitious。 But if my dear Hortense were a laborer's daughter; I would
marry her〃

〃That is just what I wanted to know;〃 replied the Baron。 〃Run away;
Hortense; and leave me to talk business with Monsieur le Comte。He
really loves you; you see!〃

〃Oh; papa; I was sure you were only in jest;〃 said the happy girl。

〃My dear Steinbock;〃 said the Baron; with elaborate grace of diction
and the most perfect manners; as soon as he and the artist were alone;
〃I promised my son a fortune of two hundred thousand francs; of which
the poor boy has never had a sou; and he never will get any of it。 My
daughter's fortune will also be two hundred thousand francs; for which
you will give a receipt〃

〃Yes; Monsieur le Baron。〃

〃You go too fast;〃 said Hulot。 〃Have the goodness to hear me out。 I
cannot expect from a son…in…law such devotion as I look for from my
son。 My son knew exactly all I could and would do for his future
promotion: he will be a Minister; and will easily make good his two
hundred thousand francs。 But with you; young man; matters are
different。 I shall give you a bond for sixty thousand francs in State
funds at five per cent; in your wife's name。 This income will be
diminished by a small charge in the form of an annuity to Lisbeth; but
she will not live long; she is consumptive; I know。 Tell no one; it is
a secret; let the poor soul die in peace。My daughter will have a
trousseau worth twenty thousand francs; her mother will give her six
thousand francs worth of diamonds。

〃Monsieur; you overpower me!〃 said Steinbock; quite bewildered。

〃As to the remaining hundred and twenty thousand francs〃

〃Say no more; monsieur;〃 said Wenceslas。 〃I ask only for my beloved
Hortense〃

〃Will you listen to me; effervescent youth!As to the remaining
hundred and twenty thousand francs; I have not got them; but you will
have them〃

〃Monsieur?〃

〃You will get them from the Government; in payment for commissions
which I will secure for you; I pledge you my word of honor。 You are to
have a studio; you see; at the Government depot。 Exhibit a few fine
statues; and I will get you received at the Institute。 The highest
personages have a regard for my brother and for me; and I hope to
succeed in securing for you a commission for sculpture at Versailles
up to a quarter of the whole sum。 You will have orders from the City
of Paris and from the Chamber of Peers; in short; my dear fellow; you
will have so many that you will be obliged to get assistants。 In that
way I shall pay off my debt to you。 You must say whether this way of
giving a portion will suit you; whether you are equal to it。〃

〃I am equal to making a fortune for my wife single…handed if all else
failed!〃 cried the artist…nobleman。

〃That is what I admire!〃 cried the Baron。 〃High…minded youth that
fears nothing。 Come;〃 he added; clasping hands with the young sculptor
to conclude the bargain; 〃you have my consent。 We will sign the
contract on Sunday next; and the wedding shall be on the following
Saturday; my wife's fete…day。〃

〃It is alright;〃 said the Baroness to her daughter; who stood glued to
the window。 〃Your suitor and your father are embracing each other。〃

On going home in the evening; Wenceslas found the solution of the
mystery of his release。 The porter handed him a thick sealed packet;
containing the schedule of his debts; with a signed receipt affixed at
the bottom of the writ; and accompanied by this letter:

  〃MY DEAR WENCESLAS;I went to fetch you at ten o'clock this
  morning to introduce you to a Royal Highness who wishes to see
  you。 There I learned that the duns had had you conveyed to a
  certain little domainchief town; /Clichy Castle/。

  〃So off I went to Leon de Lora; and told him; for a joke; that you
  could not leave your country quarters for lack of four thousand
  francs; and that you would spoil your future prospects if you did
  not make your bow to your royal patron。 Happily; Bridau was there
  a man of genius; who has known what it is to be poor; and has
  heard your story。 My boy; between them they have found the money;
  and I went off to pay the Turk who committed treason against
  genius by putting you in quod。 As I had to be at the Tuileries at
  noon; I could not wait to see you sniffing the outer air。 I know
  you to be a gentleman; and I answered for you to my two friends
  but look them up to…morrow。

  〃Leon and Bridau do not want your cash; they will ask you to do
  them each a groupand they are right。 At least; so thinks the man
  who wishes he could sign himself your rival; but is only your
  faithful ally;

〃STIDMANN。

  〃P。 S。I told the Prince you were away; and would not return till
  to…morrow; so he said; 'Very goodto…morrow。' 〃


Count Wenceslas went to bed in sheets of purple; without a rose…leaf
to wrinkle them; that Favor can make for usFavor; the halting
divinity who moves more slowly for men of genius than either Justice
or Fortune; because Jove has not chosen to bandage her eyes。 Hence;
lightly deceived by the display of impostors; and attracted by their
frippery and trumpets; she spends the time in seeing them and the
money in paying them which she ought to devote to seeking out men of
merit in the nooks where they hide。

It will now be necessary to explain how Monsieur le Baron Hulot had
contrived to count up his expenditure on Hortense's wedding portion;
and at the same time to defray the frightful cost of the charming
rooms where Madame Marneffe was to make her home。 His financial scheme
bore that stamp of talent which leads prodigals and men in love into
the quagmires where so many disasters await them。 Nothing can
demonstrate more completely the strange capacity communicated by vice;
to which we owe the strokes of skill which ambitious or voluptuous men
can occasionally achieveor; in short; any of the Devil's pupils。

On the day before; old Johann Fischer; unable to pay thirty thousand
francs drawn for on him by his nephew; had found himself under the
necessity of stopping payment unless the Baron could remit the sum。

This ancient worthy; with the white hairs of seventy years; had such
blind confidence in Hulotwho; to the old Bonapartist; was an
emanation from the Napoleonic sunthat he was calmly pacing his
anteroom with the bank clerk; in the little ground…floor apartment
that he rented for eight hundred francs a year as the headquarters of
his extensive dealings in corn and forage。

〃Marguerite is gone to fetch the money from close by;〃 sa
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