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A Sentimental Journey-Part11_Laurence Sterne(1713-1768)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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Thus:

[Picture which cannot be reproduced]



- And let the herald's officers twist his neck about if they dare.

THE ADDRESS. VERSAILLES.



I should not like to have my enemy take a view of my mind when I am

going to ask protection of any man; for which reason I generally



endeavour to protect myself; but this going to Monsieur le Duc de

C- was an act of compulsion; had it been an act of choice, I should



have done it, I suppose, like other people.

How many mean plans of dirty address, as I went along, did my



servile heart form! I deserved the Bastile for every one of them.

Then nothing would serve me when I got within sight of Versailles,



but putting words and sentences together, and conceiving attitudes

and tones to wreath myself into Monsieur le Duc de C-'s good



graces. - This will do, said I. - Just as well, retorted I again,

as a coat carried up to him by an adventuroustailor, without



taking his measure. Fool! continued I, - see Monsieur le Duc's

face first; - observe what character is written in it; - take



notice in what posture he stands to hear you; - mark the turns and

expressions of his body and limbs; - and for the tone, - the first



sound which comes from his lips will give it you; and from all

these together you'll compound an address at once upon the spot,



which cannot disgust the Duke; - the ingredients are his own, and

most likely to go down.



Well! said I, I wish it well over. - Coward again! as if man to man

was not equal throughout the whole surface of the globe; and if in



the field - why not face to face in the cabinet too? And trust me,

Yorick, whenever it is not so, man is false to himself and betrays



his own succours ten times where nature does it once. Go to the

Duc de C- with the Bastile in thy looks; - my life for it, thou



wilt be sent back to Paris in half an hour with an escort.

I believe so, said I. - Then I'll go to the Duke, by heaven! with



all the gaiety and debonairness in the world. -

- And there you are wrong again, replied I. - A heart at ease,



Yorick, flies into no extremes - 'tis ever on its centre. - Well!

well! cried I, as the coachman turn'd in at the gates, I find I



shall do very well: and by the time he had wheel'd round the court,

and brought me up to the door, I found myself so much the better



for my own lecture, that I neither ascended the steps like a victim

to justice, who was to part with life upon the top most, - nor did



I mount them with a skip and a couple of strides, as I do when I

fly up, Eliza! to thee to meet it.



As I entered the door of the saloon I was met by a person, who

possibly might be the maitre d'hotel, but had more the air of one



of the under secretaries, who told me the Duc de C- was busy. - I

am utterly ignorant, said I, of the forms of obtaining an audience,



being an absolute stranger, and what is worse in the present

conjuncture of affairs, being an Englishman too. - He replied, that



did not increase the difficulty. - I made him a slight bow, and

told him, I had something of importance to say to Monsieur le Duc.



The secretary look'd towards the stairs, as if he was about to

leave me to carry up this account to some one. - But I must not



mislead you, said I, - for what I have to say is of no manner of

importance to Monsieur le Duc de C- - but of great importance to



myself. - C'est une autre affaire, replied he. - Not at all, said

I, to a man of gallantry. - But pray, good sir, continued I, when



can a stranger hope to have access? - In not less than two hours,

said he, looking at his watch. The number of equipages in the



court-yard seemed to justify the calculation, that I could have no

nearer a prospect; - and as walking backwards and forwards in the



saloon, without a soul to commune with, was for the time as bad as

being in the Bastile itself, I instantly went back to my remise,



and bid the coachman drive me to the Cordon Bleu, which was the

nearest hotel.



I think there is a fatality in it; - I seldom go to the place I set

out for.



LE PATISSIER. VERSAILLES.

Before I had got half way down the street I changed my mind: as I



am at Versailles, thought I, I might as well take a view of the

town; so I pull'd the cord, and ordered the coachman to drive round



some of the principal streets. - I suppose the town is not very

large, said I. - The coachman begg'd pardon for setting me right,






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