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cousin betty-第68部分
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twenty…four years of despair; of ceaseless sorrow; of bitterness〃
〃But you had ten years; dear mamma; and I have had but three!〃 said
the self…absorbed girl。
〃Nothing is lost yet;〃 said Adeline。 〃Only wait till Wenceslas comes。〃
〃Mother;〃 said she; 〃he lied; he deceived me。 He said; 'I will not
go;' and he went。 And that over his child's cradle。〃
〃For pleasure; my child; men will commit the most cowardly; the most
infamous actionseven crimes; it lies in their nature; it would seem。
We wives are set apart for sacrifice。 I believed my troubles were
ended; and they are beginning again; for I never thought to suffer
doubly by suffering with my child。 Courageand silence!My Hortense;
swear that you will never discuss your griefs with anybody but me;
never let them be suspected by any third person。 Oh! be as proud as
your mother has been。〃
Hortense started; she had heard her husband's step。
〃So it would seem;〃 said Wenceslas; as he came in; 〃that Stidmann has
been here while I went to see him。〃
〃Indeed!〃 said Hortense; with the angry irony of an offended woman who
uses words to stab。
〃Certainly;〃 said Wenceslas; affecting surprise。 〃We have just met。〃
〃And yesterday?〃
〃Well; yesterday I deceived you; my darling love; and your mother
shall judge between us。〃
This candor unlocked his wife's heart。 All really lofty women like the
truth better than lies。 They cannot bear to see their idol smirched;
they want to be proud of the despotism they bow to。
There is a strain of this feeling in the devotion of the Russians to
their Czar。
〃Now; listen; dear mother;〃 Wenceslas went on。 〃I so truly love my
sweet and kind Hortense; that I concealed from her the extent of our
poverty。 What could I do? She was still nursing the boy; and such
troubles would have done her harm; you know what the risk is for a
woman。 Her beauty; youth; and health are imperiled。 Did I do wrong?
She believes that we owe five thousand francs; but I owe five thousand
more。 The day before yesterday we were in the depths! No one on earth
will lend to us artists。 Our talents are not less untrustworthy than
our whims。 I knocked in vain at every door。 Lisbeth; indeed; offered
us her savings。〃
〃Poor soul!〃 said Hortense。
〃Poor soul!〃 said the Baroness。
〃But what are Lisbeth's two thousand francs? Everything to her;
nothing to us。Then; as you know; Hortense; she spoke to us of Madame
Marneffe; who; as she owes so much to the Baron; out of a sense of
honor; will take no interest。 Hortense wanted to send her diamonds to
the Mont…de…Piete; they would have brought in a few thousand francs;
but we needed ten thousand。 Those ten thousand francs were to be had
free of interest for a year!I said to myself; 'Hortense will be none
the wiser; I will go and get them。'
〃Then the woman asked me to dinner through my father…in…law; giving me
to understand that Lisbeth had spoken of the matter; and I should have
the money。 Between Hortense's despair on one hand; and the dinner on
the other; I could not hesitate。That is all。
〃What! could Hortense; at four…and…twenty; lovely; pure; and virtuous;
and all my pride and glory; imagine that; when I have never left her
since we married; I could now preferwhat?a tawny; painted; ruddled
creature?〃 said he; using the vulgar exaggeration of the studio to
convince his wife by the vehemence that women like。
〃Oh! if only your father had ever spoken so!〃 cried the Baroness。
Hortense threw her arms round her husband's neck。
〃Yes; that is what I should have done;〃 said her mother。 〃Wenceslas;
my dear fellow; your wife was near dying of it;〃 she went on very
seriously。 〃You see how well she loves you。 And; alasshe is yours!〃
She sighed deeply。
〃He may make a martyr of her; or a happy woman;〃 thought she to
herself; as every mother thinks when she sees her daughter married。
〃It seems to me;〃 she said aloud; 〃that I am miserable enough to hope
to see my children happy。〃
〃Be quite easy; dear mamma;〃 said Wenceslas; only too glad to see this
critical moment end happily。 〃In two months I shall have repaid that
dreadful woman。 How could I help it;〃 he went on; repeating this
essentially Polish excuse with a Pole's grace; 〃there are times when a
man would borrow of the Devil。And; after all; the money belongs to
the family。 When once she had invited me; should I have got the money
at all if I had responded to her civility with a rude refusal?〃
〃Oh; mamma; what mischief papa is bringing on us!〃 cried Hortense。
The Baroness laid her finger on her daughter's lips; aggrieved by this
complaint; the first blame she had ever uttered of a father so
heroically screened by her mother's magnanimous silence。
〃Now; good…bye; my children;〃 said Madame Hulot。 〃The storm is over。
But do not quarrel any more。〃
When Wenceslas and his wife returned to their room after letting out
the Baroness; Hortense said to her husband:
〃Tell me all about last evening。〃
And she watched his face all through the narrative; interrupting him
by the questions that crowd on a wife's mind in such circumstances。
The story made Hortense reflect; she had a glimpse of the infernal
dissipation which an artist must find in such vicious company。
〃Be honest; my Wenceslas; Stidmann was there; Claude Vignon;
Vernisset。Who else? In short; it was good fun?〃
〃I; I was thinking of nothing but our ten thousand francs; and I was
saying to myself; 'My Hortense will be freed from anxiety。' 〃
This catechism bored the Livonian excessively; he seized a gayer
moment to say:
〃And you; my dearest; what would you have done if your artist had
proved guilty?〃
〃I;〃 said she; with an air of prompt decision; 〃I should have taken up
Stidmannnot that I love him; of course!〃
〃Hortense!〃 cried Steinbock; starting to his feet with a sudden and
theatrical emphasis。 〃You would not have had the chanceI would have
killed you!〃
Hortense threw herself into his arms; clasping him closely enough to
stifle him; and covered him with kisses; saying:
〃Ah; you do love me! I fear nothing!But no more Marneffe。 Never go
plunging into such horrible bogs。〃
〃I swear to you; my dear Hortense; that I will go there no more;
excepting to redeem my note of hand。〃
She pouted at this; but only as a loving woman sulks to get something
for it。 Wenceslas; tired out with such a morning's work; went off to
his studio to make a clay sketch of the /Samson and Delilah/; for
which he had the drawings in his pocket。
Hortense; penitent for her little temper; and fancying that her
husband was annoyed with her; went to the studio just as the sculptor
had finished handling the clay with the impetuosity that spurs an
artist when the mood is on him。 On seeing his wife; Wenceslas hastily
threw the wet wrapper over the group; and putting both arms round her;
he said:
〃We were not really angry; were we; my pretty puss?〃
Hortense had caught sight of the group; had seen the linen thrown over
it; and had said nothing; but as she was leaving; she took off the
rag; looked at the model; and asked:
〃What is that?〃
〃A group for which I had just had an idea。〃
〃And why did you hide it?〃
〃I did
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