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Modeste Mignon-Part34_Honore de Balzac(1799-1850)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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of Butscha, and almost timid. The young heiress observed it, as she

took her place by Canalis, to whose game she proceeded to pay



attention. During a conversation which ensued, La Briere heard Modeste

say to her father that she should ride out for the first time on the



following Wednesday; and she also reminded him that she had no whip in

keeping with her new equipments. The young man flung a lightning



glance at the dwarf, and a few minutes later the two were pacing the

terrace.



"It is nine o'clock," cried Ernest. "I shall start for Paris at full

gallop; I can get there to-morrow morning by ten. My dear Butscha,



from you she will accept anything, for she is attached to you; let me

give her a riding-whip in your name. If you will do me this immense



kindness, you shall have not only my friendship but my devotion."

"Ah, you are very happy," said Butscha, ruefully; "you have money,



you!"

"Tell Canalis not to expect me, and that he must find some pretext to



account for my absence."

An hour later Ernest had ridden out of Havre. He reached Paris in



twelve hours, where his first act was to secure a place in the mail-

coach for Havre on the following evening. Then he went to three of the



chief jewellers in Paris and compared all the whip-handles that they

could offer; he was in search of some artistic treasure that was



regally superb. He found one at last, made by Stidmann for a Russian,

who was unable to pay for it when finished,--a fox-head in gold, with



a ruby of exorbitant value; all his savings went into the purchase,

the cost of which was seven thousand francs. Ernest gave a drawing of



the arms of La Bastie, and allowed the shop-people twenty hours to

engrave them. The handle, a masterpiece of delicateworkmanship, was



fitted to an india-rubber whip and put into a morocco case lined with

velvet, on which two M.'s interlaced were stamped in gold.



La Briere got back to Havre by the mail-coach Wednesday morning in

time to breakfast with Canalis. The poet had concealed his secretary's



absence by declaring that he was busy with some work sent from Paris.

Butscha, who met La Briere at the coach-door, took the box containing



the precious work of art to Francoise Cochet, with instructions to

place it on Modeste's dressing-table.



"Of course you will accompany Mademoiselle Modeste on her ride

to-day?" said Butscha, who went to Canalis's house to let La Briere



know by a wink that the whip had gone to its destination.

"I?" answered Ernest; "no, I am going to bed."



"Bah!" exclaimed Canalis, looking at him. "I don't know what to make

of you."



Breakfast was then served, and the poet naturally invited their

visitor to stay and take it. Butscha complied, having seen in the



expression of the valet's face the success of a trick in which we

shall see the first fruits of his promise to Modeste.



"Monsieur is very right to detain the clerk of Monsieur Latournelle,"

whispered Germain in his master's ear.



Canalis and Germain went into the salon on a sign that passed between

them.



"I went out this morning to see the men fish, monsieur," said the

valet,--"an excursion proposed to me by the captain of a smack, whose



acquaintance I have made."

Germain did not acknowledge that he had the bad taste to play



billiards in a cafe,--a fact of which Butscha had taken advantage to

surround him with friends of his own and manage him as he pleased.



"Well?" said Canalis, "to the point,--quick!"

"Monsieur le baron, I heard a conversation about Monsieur Mignon,



which I encouraged as far as I could; for no one, of course, knew that

I belong to you. Ah! monsieur, judging by the talk of the quays, you



are running your head into a noose. The fortune of Mademoiselle de La

Bastie is, like her name, modest. The vessel on which the father



returned does not belong to him, but to rich China merchants to whom

he renders an account. They even say things that are not at all



flattering to Monsieur Mignon's honor. Having heard that you and

Monsieur le duc were rivals for Mademoiselle de La Bastie's hand, I



have taken the liberty to warn you; of the two, wouldn't it be better

that his lordship should gobble her? As I came home I walked round the



quays, and into that theatre-hall where the merchants meet; I slipped

boldly in and out among them. Seeing a well-dressed stranger, those



worthy fellows began to talk to me of Havre, and I got them, little by

little, to speak of Colonel Mignon. What they said only confirms the



stories the fishermen told me; and I feel that I should fail in my




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