family? Undoubtedly ethics and morality cannot change; they are



one: but obligations vary in the different states of life. Just as

the sun lights up a scene diversely and produces differences which



we admire, so morality conforms social duty to rank, to position.

The peccadillo of a soldier is a crime in a general, and vice-



versa. Observances are not alike in all cases. They are not the

same for the gleaner in the field, for the girl who sews at



fifteen sous a day, for the daughter of a petty shopkeeper, for

the young bourgoise, for the child of a rich merchant, for the



heiress of a noble family, for a daughter of the house of Este. A

king must not stoop to pick up a piece of gold, but a laborer



ought to retrace his steps to find ten sous; though both are

equally bound to obey the laws of economy. A daughter of Este, who



is worth six millions, has the right to wear a broad-brimmed hat

and plume, to flourish her whip, press the flanks of her barb, and



ride like an amazon decked in gold lace, with a lackey behind her,

into the presence of a poet and say: "I love poetry; and I would



fain expiate Leonora's cruelty to Tasso!" but a daughter of the

people would cover herself with ridicule by imitating her. To what



class do you belong? Answer sincerely, and I will answer the

question you have put to me.



As I have not the honor of knowing you personally, and yet am

bound to you, in a measure, by the ties of poeticcommunion, I am



unwilling to offer any commonplace compliments. Perhaps you have

already won a maliciousvictory by thus embarrassing a maker of



books.

The young man was certainly not wanting in the sort of shrewdness



which is permissible to a man of honor. By return courier he received

an answer:--



To Monsieur de Canalis,--You grow more and more sensible, my dear

poet. My father is a count. The chief glory of our house was a



cardinal, in the days when cardinals walked the earth by the side

of kings. I am the last of our family, which ends in me; but I



have the necessary quarterings to make my entry into any court or

chapter-house in Europe. We are quite the equals of the Canalis.



You will be so kind as to excuse me from sending you our arms.

Endeavor to answer me as truthfully as I have now answered you. I



await your response to know if I can then sign myself as I do now,

Your servant, O. d'Este M.



"The little mischief! how she abuses her privileges," cried La Briere;

"but isn't she frank!"



No young man can be four years private secretary to a cabinet

minister, and live in Paris and observe the carrying on of many



intrigues, with perfect impunity; in fact, the purest soul is more or

less intoxicated by the heady atmosphere of the imperial city. Happy



in the thought that he was not Canalis, our young secretary engaged a

place in the mail-coach for Havre, after writing a letter in which he



announced that the promised answer would be sent a few days later,--

excusing the delay on the ground of the importance of the confession



and the pressure of his duties at the ministry.

He took care to get from the director-general of the post-office a



note to the postmaster at Havre, requesting secrecy and attention to

his wishes. Ernest was thus enabled to see Francoise Cochet when she



came for the letters, and to follow her without exciting observation.

Guided by her, he reached Ingouville and saw Modeste Mignon at the



window of the Chalet.

"Well, Francoise?" he heard the young girl say, to which the maid



responded,--

"Yes, mademoiselle, I have one."



Struck by the girl's great beauty, Ernest retraced his steps and asked

a man on the street the name of the owner of that magnificent estate.



"That?" said the man, nodding to the villa.

"Yes, my friend."



"Oh, that belongs to Monsieur Vilquin, the richest shipping merchant

in Havre, so rich he doesn't know what he is worth."

• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• attach [ə´tætʃ] v.附；使隶属；使依恋 (初中英语单词)


• invisible [in´vizəbəl] a.看不见的；无形的 (初中英语单词)


• coldness [´kəuldnis] n.寒冷；冷淡 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• appreciate [ə´pri:ʃieit] v.评价；珍惜；感激 (初中英语单词)


• counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)


• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)


• peculiar [pi´kju:liə] a.特有的；奇异的 (初中英语单词)


• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)


• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)


• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)


• partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)


• sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


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


• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)


• vessel [´vesəl] n.容器；船；脉管 (初中英语单词)


• compass [´kʌmpəs] n.指南针；圆规 (初中英语单词)


• phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• conscience [´kɔnʃəns] n.良心；道德心 (初中英语单词)


• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)


• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)


• capacity [kə´pæsiti] n.容量；智能；能力 (初中英语单词)


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• sincere [sin´siə] a.真挚的；直率的 (初中英语单词)


• situated [´sitʃueitid] a.位于；处于….境地 (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• undoubtedly [ʌn´dautidli] ad.无疑地，确实地 (初中英语单词)


• economy [i´kɔnəmi] n.经济；机制；组织 (初中英语单词)


• flourish [´flʌriʃ] v.茂盛；挥动 n.挥舞 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)


• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)


• imperial [im´piəriəl] a.帝国的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)


• writing [´raitiŋ] n.书写；写作；书法 (初中英语单词)


• pressure [´preʃə] n.压榨 vt.对…施压力 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• shipping [´ʃipiŋ] n.船运业；船舶(总数) (初中英语单词)


• tenderness [´tendənis] n.娇嫩；柔软；温柔 (高中英语单词)


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


• thrive [θraiv] vi.兴旺；繁荣 (高中英语单词)


• homage [´hɔmidʒ] n.敬意，尊敬 (高中英语单词)


• illusion [i´lu:ʒən] n.幻觉；幻影；错觉 (高中英语单词)


• fragrance [´freigrəns] n.芬芳，芳香 (高中英语单词)


• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)


• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• vengeance [´vendʒəns] n.报复，复仇 (高中英语单词)


• delicacy [´delikəsi] n.精美；娇弱，微妙 (高中英语单词)


• tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)


• specially [´speʃəli] ad.专门地；特别地 (高中英语单词)


• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)


• preference [´prefərəns] n.优先选择；偏爱(物) (高中英语单词)


• illustrious [i´lʌstriəs] a.杰出的，显赫的 (高中英语单词)


• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)


• sincerely [sin´siəli] ad.真诚地；诚恳地 (高中英语单词)


• personally [´pə:sənəli] ad.亲自；就个人来说 (高中英语单词)


• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)


• post-office [´pəust-´ɔfis] a.邮政的 (高中英语单词)


• flattery [´flætəri] n.奉承；谄媚的举动 (英语四级单词)


• mechanism [´mekənizəm] n.机械装置；机制 (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)


• nightingale [´naitiŋgeil] n.夜莺 (英语四级单词)


• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)


• righteous [´raitʃəs] a.正直的；正当的 (英语四级单词)


• sublime [sə´blaim] a.崇高的，伟大的 (英语四级单词)


• integrity [in´tegriti] n.完整；完善；正直 (英语四级单词)


• outcry [´autkrai] n.喊叫；强烈抗议 (英语四级单词)


• solicit [sə´lisit] v.恳求，请求 (英语四级单词)


• morality [mə´ræliti] n.道德；教训；伦理学 (英语四级单词)


• amazon [´æməzən] n.女战士 (英语四级单词)


• ridicule [´ridikju:l] vi.&n.嘲笑；奚落 (英语四级单词)


• communion [kə´mju:niən] n.共享；交流；圣餐 (英语四级单词)


• commonplace [´kɔmənpleis] a.平凡的；常见的 (英语四级单词)


• secrecy [´si:krəsi] n.保密；秘密 (英语四级单词)


• forbearance [fɔ:´beərəns] n.忍耐，克制 (英语六级单词)


• mademoiselle [,mædəmə´zel] n.小姐；法国女教师 (英语六级单词)


• infernal [in´fə:nəl] a.地狱的，恶魔似的 (英语六级单词)


• frankness [´fræŋknis] n.坦白，直率，真诚 (英语六级单词)


• hypocrisy [hi´pɔkrisi] n.伪善 (英语六级单词)


• boulevard [´bu:ləvɑ:d] n.林荫大道 (英语六级单词)


• ethics [´eθiks] n.伦理学；道德标准 (英语六级单词)


• shopkeeper [´ʃɔp,ki:pə] n.(小店)店主 (英语六级单词)


• poetic [pəu´etik] a.理想化了的 (英语六级单词)


• malicious [mə´liʃəs] a.恶意的；预谋的 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• courier [´kuriə] n.送急件的人；信使 (英语六级单词)


• impunity [im´pju:niti] n.不受惩罚 (英语六级单词)