友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
cousin betty-第88部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
evening; as thou didst this morning; to inspire me with holy thoughts;
and I will quit the path of sin; like the Magdalen; I will give up
deluding joys and the false glitter of the world; even the man I love
so well〃
〃My precious duck!〃
〃No more of the 'precious duck;' monsieur!〃 said she; turning round
like a virtuous wife; her eyes full of tears; but dignified; cold; and
indifferent。
〃Leave me;〃 she went on; pushing him from her。 〃What is my duty? To
belong wholly to my husband。He is a dying man; and what am I doing?
Deceiving him on the edge of the grave。 He believes your child to be
his。 I will tell him the truth; and begin by securing his pardon
before I ask for God's。We must part。 Good…bye; Monsieur Crevel;〃 and
she stood up to offer him an icy cold hand。 〃Good…bye; my friend; we
shall meet no more till we meet in a better world。You have to thank
me for some enjoyment; criminal indeed; now I wantoh yes; I shall
have your esteem。〃
Crevel was weeping bitter tears。
〃You great pumpkin!〃 she exclaimed; with an infernal peal of laughter。
〃That is how your pious women go about it to drag from you a plum of
two hundred thousand francs。 And you; who talk of the Marechal de
Richelieu; the prototype of Lovelace; you could be taken in by such a
stale trick as that! I could get hundreds of thousands of francs out
of you any day; if I chose; you old ninny!Keep your money! If you
have more than you know what to do with; it is mine。 If you give two
sous to that 'respectable' woman; who is pious forsooth; because she
is fifty…six years of age; we shall never meet again; and you may take
her for your mistress! You could come back to me next day bruised all
over from her bony caresses and sodden with her tears; and sick of her
little barmaid's caps and her whimpering; which must turn her favors
into showers〃
〃In point of fact;〃 said Crevel; 〃two hundred thousand francs is a
round sum of money。〃
〃They have fine appetites; have the goody sort! By the poker! they
sell their sermons dearer than we sell the rarest and realest thing on
earthpleasure。And they can spin a yarn! There; I know them。 I have
seen plenty in my mother's house。 They think everything is allowable
for the Church and forReally; my dear love; you ought to be ashamed
of yourselffor you are not so open…handed! You have not given me two
hundred thousand francs all told!〃
〃Oh yes;〃 said Crevel; 〃your little house will cost as much as that。〃
〃Then you have four hundred thousand francs?〃 said she thoughtfully。
〃No。〃
〃Then; sir; you meant to lend that old horror the two hundred thousand
francs due for my hotel? What a crime; what high treason!〃
〃Only listen to me。〃
〃If you were giving the money to some idiotic philanthropic scheme;
you would be regarded as a coming man;〃 she went on; with increasing
eagerness; 〃and I should be the first to advise it; for you are too
simple to write a big political book that might make you famous; as
for style; you have not enough to butter a pamphlet; but you might do
as other men do who are in your predicament; and who get a halo of
glory about their name by putting it at the top of some social; or
moral; or general; or national enterprise。 Benevolence is out of date;
quite vulgar。 Providing for old offenders; and making them more
comfortable than the poor devils who are honest; is played out。 What I
should like to see is some invention of your own with an endowment of
two hundred thousand francssomething difficult and really useful。
Then you would be talked about as a man of mark; a Montyon; and I
should be very proud of you!
〃But as to throwing two hundred thousand francs into a holy…water
shell; or lending them to a bigotcast off by her husband; and who
knows why? there is always some reason: does any one cast me off; I
ask you?is a piece of idiocy which in our days could only come into
the head of a retired perfumer。 It reeks of the counter。 You would not
dare look at yourself in the glass two days after。
〃Go and pay the money in where it will be saferun; fly; I will not
admit you again without the receipt in your hand。 Go; as fast and soon
as you can!〃
She pushed Crevel out of the room by the shoulders; seeing avarice
blossoming in his face once more。 When she heard the outer door shut;
she exclaimed:
〃Then Lisbeth is revenged over and over again! What a pity that she is
at her old Marshal's now! We would have had a good laugh! So that old
woman wants to take the bread out of my mouth。 I will startle her a
little!〃
Marshal Hulot; being obliged to live in a style suited to the highest
military rank; had taken a handsome house in the Rue du Mont…Parnasse;
where there are three or four princely residences。 Though he rented
the whole house; he inhabited only the ground floor。 When Lisbeth went
to keep house for him; she at once wished to let the first floor;
which; as she said; would pay the whole rent; so that the Count would
live almost rent…free; but the old soldier would not hear of it。
For some months past the Marshal had had many sad thoughts。 He had
guessed how miserably poor his sister…in…law was; and suspected her
griefs without understanding their cause。 The old man; so cheerful in
his deafness; became taciturn; he could not help thinking that his
house would one day be a refuge for the Baroness and her daughter; and
it was for them that he kept the first floor。 The smallness of his
fortune was so well known at headquarters; that the War Minister; the
Prince de Wissembourg; begged his old comrade to accept a sum of money
for his household expenses。 This sum the Marshal spent in furnishing
the ground floor; which was in every way suitable; for; as he said; he
would not accept the Marshal's baton to walk the streets with。
The house had belonged to a senator under the Empire; and the ground
floor drawing…rooms had been very magnificently fitted with carved
wood; white…and…gold; still in very good preservation。 The Marshal had
found some good old furniture in the same style; in the coach…house he
had a carriage with two batons in saltire on the panels; and when he
was expected to appear in full fig; at the Minister's; at the
Tuileries; for some ceremony or high festival; he hired horses for the
job。
His servant for more than thirty years was an old soldier of sixty;
whose sister was the cook; so he had saved ten thousand francs; adding
it by degrees to a little hoard he intended for Hortense。 Every day
the old man walked along the boulevard; from the Rue du Mont…Parnasse
to the Rue Plumet; and every pensioner as he passed stood at
attention; without fail; to salute him: then the Marshal rewarded the
veteran with a smile。
〃Who is the man you always stand at attention to salute?〃 said a young
workman one day to an old captain and pensioner。
〃I will tell you; boy;〃 replied the officer。
The 〃boy〃 stood resigned; as a man does to listen to an old gossip。
〃In 1809;〃 said the captain; 〃we were covering the flank of the main
army; marching on Vienna under the Emperor's command。 We came to a
bridge defended by three batteries of cannon; one above another; on a
sort of cliff; three redoub
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!