steps of the portico; but she instantly turned back and added, "That

is less impertinent than to take me for a fool. The change in your



conduct comes from certain silly rumors which you have heard in Havre,

and which my maid Francoise has repeated to me."



"Ah, Modeste, how can you think it?" said Canalis, striking a dramatic

attitude. "Do you think me capable of marrying you only for your



money?"

"If I do you that wrong after your edifying remarks on the banks of



the Seine can you easily undeceive me," she said, annihilating him

with her scorn.



"Ah!" thought the poet, as he followed her into the house, "if you

think, my little girl, that I'm to be caught in that net, you take me



to be younger than I am. Dear, dear, what a fuss about an artful

little thing whose esteem I value about as much as that of the king of



Borneo. But she has given me a good reason for the rupture by accusing

me of such unworthy sentiments. Isn't she sly? La Briere will get a



burden on his back--idiot that he is! And five years hence it will be

a good joke to see them together."



The coldness which this altercation produced between Modeste and

Canalis was visible to all eyes that evening. The poet went off early,



on the ground of La Briere's illness, leaving the field to the grand

equerry. About eleven o'clock Butscha, who had come to walk home with



Madame Latournelle, whispered in Modeste's ear, "Was I right?"

"Alas, yes," she said.



"But I hope you have left the door half open, so that he can come

back; we agreed upon that, you know."



"Anger got the better of me," said Modeste. "Such meanness sent the

blood to my head and I told him what I thought of him."



"Well, so much the better. When you are both so angry that you can't

speak civilly to each other I engage to make him desperately in love



and so pressing that you will be deceived yourself."

"Come, come, Butscha; he is a great poet; he is a gentleman; he is a



man of intellect."

"Your father's eight millions are more to him than all that."



"Eight millions!" exclaimed Modeste.

"My master, who has sold his practice, is going to Provence to attend



to the purchase of lands which your father's agent has suggested to

him. The sum that is to be paid for the estate of La Bastie is four



millions; your father has agreed to it. You are to have a 'dot' of two

millions and another million for an establishment in Paris, a hotel



and furniture. Now, count up."

"Ah! then I can be Duchesse d'Herouville!" cried Modeste, glancing at



Butscha.

"If it hadn't been for that comedian of a Canalis you would have kept



HIS whip, thinking it came from me," said the dwarf, indirectly

pleading La Briere's cause.



"Monsieur Butscha, may I ask if I am to marry to please you?" said

Modeste, laughing.



"That fine fellow loves you as well as I do,--and you loved him for

eight days," retorted Butscha; "and HE has got a heart."



"Can he compete, pray, with an office under the Crown? There are but

six, grand almoner, chancellor, grand chamberlain, grand master, high



constable, grand admiral,--but they don't appoint high constables any

longer."



"In six months, mademoiselle, the masses--who are made up of wicked

Butschas--could send all those grand dignities to the winds. Besides,



what signifies nobility in these days? There are not a thousand real

noblemen in France. The d'Herouvilles are descended from a tipstaff in



the time of Robert of Normandy. You will have to put up with many a

vexation from the old aunt with the furrowed face. Look here,--as you



are so anxious for the title of duchess,--you belong to the Comtat,

and the Pope will certainly think as much of you as he does of all



those merchants down there; he'll sell you a duchy with some name

ending in 'ia' or 'agno.' Don't play away your happiness for an office



under the Crown."

CHAPTER XXV

• monsieur [mə´sjə:] n.先生 (初中英语单词)


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


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• repair [ri´peə] v.&n.修理，修补 (初中英语单词)


• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)


• promising [´prɔmisiŋ] a.有希望的；有为的 (初中英语单词)


• forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)


• ambition [æm´biʃən] n.雄心，野心；企图 (初中英语单词)


• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)


• nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• intelligent [in´telidʒənt] a.聪明的；理智的 (初中英语单词)


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


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• harmony [´hɑ:məni] n.调合，协调，和谐 (初中英语单词)


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


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• endure [in´djuə] vt.忍耐，忍受；坚持 (初中英语单词)


• admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)


• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)


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


• excite [ik´sait] vt.激动；引起，招惹 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)


• security [si´kjuəriti] n.安全；证券；抵押品 (初中英语单词)


• offend [ə´fend] v.犯错误；违犯；犯罪 (初中英语单词)


• threaten [´θretn] v.恐吓；有….的危险 (初中英语单词)


• brilliant [´briliənt] a.灿烂的；杰出的 (初中英语单词)


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


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


• invent [in´vent] vt.发明；捏造 (初中英语单词)


• invention [in´venʃən] n.创造；发明；虚构 (初中英语单词)


• elaborate [i´læbərət, -reit] a.精心设计的 (初中英语单词)


• delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)


• remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)


• willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)


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


• contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


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


• ambassador [æm´bæsədə] n.大使 (初中英语单词)


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


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• striking [´straikiŋ] a.显著的，明显的 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


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


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• illness [´ilnis] n.生病，不健康，疾病 (初中英语单词)


• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中英语单词)


• establishment [i´stæbliʃmənt] n.建(成)立；研究所 (初中英语单词)


• compete [kəm´pi:t] v.比赛，竞争，对抗 (初中英语单词)


• appoint [ə´pɔint] vt.安排；委派；任命 (初中英语单词)


• normandy [´nɔ:məndi] n.诺曼底 (初中英语单词)


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• honesty [´ɔnisti] n.诚实，老实 (高中英语单词)


• confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)


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


• destiny [´destini] n.命运 (高中英语单词)


• historic [his´tɔrik] a.有历史意义的 (高中英语单词)


• terrace [´terəs] n.梯田 vt.使成梯田 (高中英语单词)


• displease [dis´pli:z] vt.使不高兴，使不快 (高中英语单词)


• painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• innocence [´inəsəns] n.无罪；天真 (高中英语单词)


• jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)


• duchess [´dʌtʃis] n.公爵夫人；女公爵 (高中英语单词)


• exquisite [ik´skwizit] a.精巧的；敏锐的 (高中英语单词)


• discourse [´diskɔ:s] n.论文；演说；说教 (高中英语单词)


• defect [di´fekt, ´di:fekt] n.缺点，不足 (高中英语单词)


• solely [´səulli] ad.唯一；单独；完全 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• undeceive [,ʌndi´si:v] vt.使不再受骗；使醒悟 (高中英语单词)


• esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)


• desperately [´despəritli] ad.绝望地；拼命地 (高中英语单词)


• chancellor [´tʃɑ:nsələ] n.首相；大臣 (高中英语单词)


• nobility [nəu´biliti, nə-] n.高贵；贵金属性 (高中英语单词)


• workmanship [´wə:kmənʃip] n.手艺；工艺品；作品 (英语四级单词)


• feminine [´feminin] a.女性的 (英语四级单词)


• attachment [ə´tætʃmənt] n.附着；附件；爱慕 (英语四级单词)


• entreat [in´tri:t] vt.恳求，恳请 (英语四级单词)


• maternal [mə´tə:nl] a.母亲的；母性(系)的 (英语四级单词)


• dagger [´dægə] n.短剑，匕首 (英语四级单词)


• fidelity [fi´deliti] n.忠实；精确；保真度 (英语四级单词)


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


• beforehand [bi´fɔ:hænd] ad.事先；提前 (英语四级单词)


• unworthy [ʌn´wə:ði] a.不值得的；不足道的 (英语四级单词)


• chamberlain [´tʃeimbəlin] n.(国王的)侍从；管家 (英语四级单词)


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


• humiliation [hju:,mili´eiʃən] n.羞辱，屈辱 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• angelic [æn´dʒelik] a.天使(般)的 (英语六级单词)


• affinity [ə´finiti] n.密切关系；吸引(力) (英语六级单词)


• denial [di´naiəl] n.否认；拒绝 (英语六级单词)


• comedian [kə´mi:diən] n.喜剧演员；滑稽人物 (英语六级单词)