酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

The Marriage Contract-Part5_Honore de Balzac(1799-1850)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页
betrayed an inward struggle in Paul's mind.

"At last," she thought to herself, "the fatal day has come; the crisis



begins--how will it end? My notary is Monsieur Solonet," she said,

after a pause. "Yours, I think you said, is Monsieur Mathias; I will



invite them to dinner to-morrow, and they can come to an understanding

then. It is their business to conciliate our interests without our



interference; just as good cooks are expected to furnish good food

without instructions."



"Yes, you are right," said Paul, letting a faint sigh of relief escape

from him.



By a singular transposition of parts, Paul, innocent of all wrong-

doing, trembled, while Madame Evangelista, though a prey to the utmost



anxiety, was outwardly calm.

The widow owed her daughter one-third of the fortune left by Monsieur



Evangelista,--namely, nearly twelve hundred thousand francs,--and she

knew herself unable to pay it, even by taking the whole of her



property to do so. She would therefore be placed at the mercy of a

son-in-law. Though she might be able to control Paul if left to



himself, would he, when enlightened by his notary, agree to release

her from rendering her account as guardian of her daughter's



patrimony? If Paul withdrew his proposals all Bordeaux would know the

reason and Natalie's future marriage would be made impossible. This



mother, who desired the happiness of her daughter, this woman, who

from infancy had lived honorably, was aware that on the morrow she



must become dishonest. Like those great warriors who fain would blot

from their lives the moment when they had felt a secret cowardice, she



ardently desired to cut this inevitable day from the record of hers.

Most assuredly some hairs on her head must have whitened during the



night, when, face to face with facts, she bitterly regretted her

extravagance as she felt the hard necessities of the situation.



Among these necessities was that of confiding the truth to her notary,

for whom she sent in the morning as soon as she rose. She was forced



to reveal to him a secret defaulting she had never been willing to

admit to herself, for she had steadilyadvanced to the abyss, relying



on some chance accident, which never happened, to relieve her. There

rose in her soul a feeling against Paul, that was neither dislike, nor



aversion, nor anything, as yet, unkind; but HE was the cause of this

crisis; the opposing party in this secret suit; he became, without



knowing it, an innocent enemy she was forced to conquer. What human

being did ever yet love his or her dupe? Compelled to deceive and



trick him if she could, the Spanish woman resolved, like other women,

to put her whole force of character into the struggle, the dishonor of



which could be absolved by victory only.

In the stillness of the night she excused her conduct to her own mind



by a tissue of arguments in which her pride predominated. Natalie had

shared the benefit of her extravagance. There was not a single base or



ignoble motive in what she had done. She was no accountant, but was

that a crime, a delinquency? A man was only too lucky to obtain a wife



like Natalie without a penny. Such a treasure bestowed upon him might

surely release her from a guardianship account. How many men had



bought the women they loved by greater sacrifices? Why should a man do

less for a wife than for a mistress? Besides, Paul was a nullity, a



man of no force, incapable; she would spend the best resources of her

mind upon him and open to him a fine career; he should owe his future



power and position to her influence; in that way she could pay her

debt. He would indeed be a fool to refuse such a future; and for what?



a few paltry thousands, more or less. He would be infamous if he

withdrew for such a reason.






文章总共2页
文章标签:翻译  译文  翻译文  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号