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The Magic Skin-Part19_Honore de Balzac(1799-1850)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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cravat, who seemed to be looking for a table that suited his ideas.

" 'That rogue has been decorated for bringing out books that he



doesn't understand a word of,' whispered Rastignac; 'he is a chemist,

a historian, a novelist, and a political writer; he has gone halves,



thirds, or quarters in the authorship of I don't know how many plays,

and he is as ignorant as Dom Miguel's mule. He is not a man so much as



a name, a label that the public is familiar with. So he would do well

to avoid shops inscribed with the motto, "Ici l'on peut ecrire soi-



meme." He is acute enough to deceive an entire congress of

diplomatists. In a couple of words, he is a moral half-caste, not



quite a fraud, nor entirely genuine. But, hush! he has succeeded

already; nobody asks anything further, and every one calls him an



illustrious man.'

" 'Well, my esteemed and excellent friend, and how may Your



Intelligence be?' So Rastignac addressed the stranger as he sat down

at a neighboring table.



" 'Neither well nor ill; I am overwhelmed with work. I have all the

necessary materials for some very curious historical memoirs in my



hands, and I cannot find any one to whom I can ascribe them. It

worries me, for I shall have to be quick about it. Memoirs are falling



out of fashion.'

" 'What are the memoirs--contemporaneous, ancient, or memoirs of the



court, or what?'

" 'They relate to the Necklace affair.'



" 'Now, isn't that a coincidence?' said Rastignac, turning to me and

laughing. He looked again to the literaryspeculation, and said,



indicating me:

" 'This is M. de Valentin, one of my friends, whom I must introduce to



you as one of our future literary celebrities. He had formerly an

aunt, a marquise, much in favor once at court, and for about two years



he has been writing a Royalist history of the Revolution.'

"Then, bending over this singular man of business, he went on:



" 'He is a man of talent, and a simpleton that will do your memoirs

for you, in his aunt's name, for a hundred crowns a volume.'



" 'It's a bargain,' said the other, adjusting his cravat. 'Waiter, my

oysters.'



" 'Yes, but you must give me twenty-five louis as commission, and you

will pay him in advance for each volume,' said Rastignac.



" 'No, no. He shall only have fifty crowns on account, and then I

shall be sure of having my manuscript punctually.'



"Rastignac repeated this business conversation to me in low tones; and

then, without giving me any voice in the matter, he replied:



" 'We agree to your proposal. When can we call upon you to arrange the

affair?'



" 'Oh, well! Come and dine here to-morrow at seven o'clock.'

"We rose. Rastignac flung some money to the waiter, put the bill in



his pocket, and we went out. I was quite stupified by the flippancy

and ease with which he had sold my venerable aunt, la Marquise de



Montbauron.

" 'I would sooner take ship for the Brazils, and give the Indians



lessons in algebra, though I don't know a word of it, than tarnish my

family name.'



"Rastignac burst out laughing.

" 'How dense you are! Take the fifty crowns in the first instance, and



write the memoirs. When you have finished them, you will decline to

publish them in your aunt's name, imbecile! Madame de Montbauron, with



her hooped petticoat, her rank and beauty, rouge and slippers, and her

death upon the scaffold, is worth a great deal more than six hundred



francs. And then, if the trade will not give your aunt her due, some

old adventurer, or some shady countess or other, will be found to put



her name to the memoirs.'

" 'Oh,' I groaned; 'why did I quit the blameless life in my garret?






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