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Two Poets-Part20_Honore de Balzac(1799-1850)_Translated Works(翻译文学)-第2页

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the poet's vanity; his mother and his sister and David and Louise now

did the same. Every one helped to raise the imaginarypedestal on



which he had set himself. His friends's kindness and the fury of his

enemies combined to establish him more firmly in an ureal world. A



young imaginationreadily falls in with the flattering estimates of

others, a handsome young fellow so full of promise finds others eager



to help him on every side, and only after one or two sharp and bitter

lessons does he begin to see himself as an ordinary mortal.



"My beautiful Louise, do you mean in very truth to be my Beatrice, a

Beatrice who condescends to be loved?"



Louise raised the fine eyes, hitherto down-dropped.

"If you show yourself worthy--some day!" she said, with an angelic



smile which belied her words. "Are you not happy? To be the sole

possessor of a heart, to speak freely at all times, with the certainty



of being understood, is not this happiness?"

"Yes," he answered, with a lover's pout of vexation.



"Child!" she exclaimed, laughing at him. "Come, you have something to

tell me, have you not? You came in absorbed in thought, my Lucien."



Lucien, in fear and trembling, confided to his beloved that David was

in love with his sister Eve, and that his sister Eve was in love with



David, and that the two were to be married shortly.

"Poor Lucien!" said Louise, "he was afraid he should be beaten and



scolded, as if it was he himself that was going to be married! Why,

where is the harm?" she continued, her fingers toying with Lucien's



hair. "What is your family to me when you are an exception? Suppose

that my father were to marry his cook, would that trouble you much?



Dear boy, lovers are for each other their whole family. Have I a

greater interest than my Lucien in the world? Be great, find the way



to win fame, that is our affair!"

This selfish answer made Lucien the happiest of mortals. But in the



middle of the fantastic reasonings, with which Louise convinced him

that they two were alone in the world, in came M. de Bargeton. Lucien



frowned and seemed to be taken aback, but Louise made him a sign, and

asked him to stay to dinner and to read Andre de Chenier aloud to them



until people arrived for their evening game at cards.

"You will give her pleasure," said M. de Bargeton, "and me also.



Nothing suits me better than listening to reading aloud after dinner."

Cajoled by M. de Bargeton, cajoled by Louise, waited upon with the



respect which servants show to a favored guest of the house, Lucien

remained in the Hotel de Bargeton, and began to think of the luxuries



which he enjoyed for the time being as the rightful accessories of

Lucien de Rubempre. He felt his position so strong through Louise's



love and M. de Bargeton's weakness, that as the rooms filled, he

assumed a lordly air, which that fair lady encouraged. He tasted the



delights of despotic sway which Nais had acquired by right of

conquest, and liked to share with him; and, in short, that evening he



tried to act up to the part of the lion of the little town. A few of

those who marked these airs drew their own conclusions from them, and



thought that, according to the old expression, he had come to the last

term with the lady. Amelie, who had come with M. du Chatelet, was sure



of the deplorable fact, in a corner of the drawing-room, where the

jealous and envious gathered together.



"Do not think of calling Nais to account for the vanity of a

youngster, who is as proud as he can be because he has got into



society, where he never expected to set foot," said Chatelet. "Don't

you see that this Chardon takes the civility of a woman of the world



for an advance? He does not know the difference between the silence of

real passion and the patronizing graciousness due to his good looks



and youth and talent. It would be too bad if women were blamed for all

the desires which they inspire. HE certainly is in love with her, but



as for Nais----"

"Oh! Nais," echoed the perfidious Amelie, "Nais is well enough



pleased. A young man's love has so many attractions--at her age. A

woman grows young again in his company; she is a girl, and acts a



girl's hesitation and manners, and does not dream that she is

ridiculous. Just look! Think of a druggist's son giving himself a



conqueror's airs with Mme. de Bargeton."

"Love knows nought of high or low degree," hummed Adrien.



There was not a single house in Angouleme next day where the degree of

intimacy between M. Chardon (alias de Rubempre) and Mme. de Bargeton



was not discussed; and though the utmostextent of their guilt

amounted to two or three kisses, the world already chose to believe



the worst of both. Mme. de Bargeton paid the penalty of her

sovereignty. Among the various eccentricities of society, have you



never noticed its erratic judgments and the unaccountable differences

in the standard it requires of this or that man or woman? There are



some persons who may do anything; they may behavetotally




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