with claws of steel. What made me think of going to Mme. de

Nucingen? He guessed my motives before I knew them myself. To sum



it up, that outlaw has told me more about virtue than all I have

learned from men and books. If virtue admits of no compromises, I



have certainly robbed my sisters," he said, throwing down the

bags on the table.



He sat down again and fell, unconscious of his surroundings, into

deep thought.



"To be faithful to an ideal of virtue! A heroic martyrdom! Pshaw!

every one believes in virtue, but who is virtuous? Nations have



made an idol of Liberty, but what nation on the face of the earth

is free? My youth is still like a blue and cloudless sky. If I



set myself to obtainwealth or power, does it mean that I must

make up my mind to lie, and fawn, and cringe, and swagger, and



flatter, and dissemble? To consent to be the servant of others

who have likewise fawned, and lied, and flattered? Must I cringe



to them before I can hope to be their accomplice? Well, then, I

decline. I mean to work nobly and with a single heart. I will



work day and night; I will owe my fortune to nothing but my own

exertions. It may be the slowest of all roads to success, but I



shall lay my head on the pillow at night untroubled by evil

thoughts. Is there a greater thing than this--to look back over



your life and know that it is stainless as a lily? I and my life

are like a young man and his betrothed. Vautrin has put before me



all that comes after ten years of marriage. The devil! my head is

swimming. I do not want to think at all; the heart is a sure



guide."

Eugene was roused from his musings by the voice of the stout



Sylvie, who announced that the tailor had come, and Eugene

therefore made his appearance before the man with the two money



bags, and was not ill pleased that it should be so. When he had

tried on his dress suit, he put on his new morning costume, which



completely metamorphosed him.

"I am quite equal to M. de Trailles," he said to himself. "In



short, I look like a gentleman."

"You asked me, sir, if I knew the houses where Mme. de Nucingen



goes," Father Goriot's voice spoke from the doorway of Eugene's

room."



"Yes."

"Very well then, she is going to the Marechale Carigliano's ball



on Monday. If you can manage to be there, I shall hear from you

whether my two girls enjoyed themselves, and how they were



dressed, and all about it in fact."

"How did you find that out, my good Goriot?" said Eugene, putting



a chair by the fire for his visitor.

"Her maid told me. I hear all about their doings from Therese and



Constance," he added gleefully.

The old man looked like a lover who is still young enough to be



made happy by the discovery of some little stratagem which brings

him information of his lady-love without her knowledge.



"YOU will see them both!" he said, giving artless expression to a

pang of jealousy.



"I do not know," answered Eugene. "I will go to Mme. de Beauseant

and ask her for an introduction to the Marechale."



Eugene felt a thrill of pleasure at the thought of appearing

before the Vicomtesse, dressed as henceforward he always meant to



be. The "abysses of the human heart," in the moralists' phrase,

are only insidious thoughts, involuntary promptings of personal



interest. The instinct of enjoyment turns the scale; those rapid

changes of purpose which have furnished the text for so much



rhetoric are calculations prompted by the hope of pleasure.

Rastignac beholding himself well dressed and impeccable as to



gloves and boots, forgot his virtuous resolutions. Youth,

moreover, when bent upon wrongdoing does not dare to behold



himself in the mirror of consciousness; mature age has seen

itself; and therein lies the whole difference between these two



phases of life.

A friendship between Eugene and his neighbor, Father Goriot, had



been growing up for several days past. This secret friendship and

the antipathy that the student had begun to entertain for Vautrin



arose from the same psychological causes. The bold philosopher

who shall investigate the effects of mental action upon the



physical world will doubtless find more than one proof of the

material nature of our sentiments in other animals. What



physiognomist is as quick to discerncharacter as a dog is to

• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• partner [´pɑ:tnə] n.伙伴 v.同….合作 (初中英语单词)


• devotion [di´vəuʃən] n.献身；忠诚；热爱 (初中英语单词)


• talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)


• readily [´redili] ad.乐意地；容易地 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• humanity [hju:´mæniti] n.人类；人性；仁慈 (初中英语单词)


• agreement [ə´gri:mənt] n.同意；一致；协议 (初中英语单词)


• application [,æpli´keiʃən] n.申请；申请书；应用 (初中英语单词)


• christ [kraist] n.基督 int.天啊! (初中英语单词)


• behave [bi´heiv] v.举止；表现；举止端正 (初中英语单词)


• amusement [ə´mju:zmənt] n.娱乐；文娱设施 (初中英语单词)


• forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)


• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)


• system [´sistəm] n.系统，体系，制度 (初中英语单词)


• descend [di´send] v.下来，下降 (初中英语单词)


• banknote [´bæŋknəut] n.纸币 (初中英语单词)


• provision [prə´viʒən] n.供应；规定；条款 (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• properly [´prɔpəli] ad.适当地；严格地 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• likewise [´laikwaiz] ad.同样地；也，又 (初中英语单词)


• tailor [´teilə] n.裁缝 vt.裁制(衣服) (初中英语单词)


• costume [´kɔstju:m] n.服装(试样)；女装 (初中英语单词)


• doorway [´dɔ:wei] n.门口 (初中英语单词)


• doings [´du:iŋz] n.行动；所作的事 (初中英语单词)


• introduction [,intrə´dʌkʃən] n.介绍；引言；引导 (初中英语单词)


• thrill [θril] v.震惊；激动；刺激 (初中英语单词)


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• mental [´mentl] a.精神的；心理的 (初中英语单词)


• doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• millionaire [,miljə´neə] n.百万富翁 (高中英语单词)


• prejudice [´predʒədis] n.偏见；不利 vt.损害 (高中英语单词)


• injustice [in´dʒʌstis] n.不公正，不公平 (高中英语单词)


• spinning [´spiniŋ] n.纺织 a.纺织品的 (高中英语单词)


• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)


• rascal [´rɑ:skəl] n.流氓 (高中英语单词)


• ladder [´lædə] n.梯子；阶梯 (高中英语单词)


• charity [´tʃæriti] n.施舍；慈悲；博爱 (高中英语单词)


• fortnight [´fɔ:tnait] n.两星期 (高中英语单词)


• unconscious [ʌn´kɔnʃəs] a.无意识的；不觉察的 (高中英语单词)


• heroic [hi´rəuik] a.英雄的，英勇的 (高中英语单词)


• enjoyment [in´dʒɔimənt] n.享受；愉快；乐趣 (高中英语单词)


• consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)


• mature [mə´tjuə] a.成熟的 v.(使)成熟 (高中英语单词)


• therein [ðeə´rin] ad.在那里，在其中 (高中英语单词)


• investigate [in´vestigeit] v.调查(研究) (高中英语单词)


• discern [di´sə:n] v.辩认出 (高中英语单词)


• hospitable [´hɔspitəbəl] a.好客的；招待周到的 (英语四级单词)


• good-natured [´gud-´neitʃəd] a.脾气好的，温厚的 (英语四级单词)


• providence [´prɔvidəns] n.天意，天命，上帝 (英语四级单词)


• superstitious [,sju:pə´stiʃəs] a.迷信的 (英语四级单词)


• vienna [vi´enə] n.维也纳 (英语四级单词)


• indignant [in´dignənt] a.义愤的，愤慨的 (英语四级单词)


• bandit [´bændit] n.土匪，强盗 (英语四级单词)


• gracefully [´greisfuli] ad.优美地，斯文地 (英语四级单词)


• outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将…放逐 (英语四级单词)


• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)


• psychological [,saikə´lɔdʒikəl] a.心理学(上)的 (英语四级单词)


• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)


• cherub [´tʃerəb] n.小天使 (英语六级单词)


• immovable [i´mu:vəbəl] a.不能移动的，固定的 (英语六级单词)


• scoundrel [´skaundrəl] n.&a.无赖(的) (英语六级单词)


• penance [´penəns] n.悔过；(赎罪的)苦行 (英语六级单词)


• dissension [di´senʃən] n.争论，纠纷 (英语六级单词)


• stratagem [´strætədʒəm] n.战略，策略，谋略 (英语六级单词)


• involuntary [in´vɔləntəri] a.无意识的；非自愿的 (英语六级单词)