The programme of the fête included a performance of Joconde by society amateurs, a fair in the park, a Venetian fête on the lake, and illuminations.
It was already the 17th. The preparations were proceeding10 hurriedly, amidst extreme confusion. The little company of actors were rehearsing their play in the long Renaissance11 gallery, the panels of whose ceiling bore, in an ingenious variety of design, the peacock of Bernard de Paves tied by the foot to the lute12 of Nicolette de Vaucelles.
Monsieur Germaine was accompanying the singers on the piano, while in the park the carpenters were putting together the framework of the booths with great blows of their mallets. Largillière, from the Opéra-Comique, was acting13 as stage manager.
“Your turn, Duchess.”
Monsieur Germaine’s hands, stripped of their rings, excepting one that remained on his thumb, struck a chord.
“La, la.”
But, taking the glass handed her by young Bonmont, the Duchess cried:
When she had finished, Largillière repeated:
“Come, Duchess.”
“Tout me seconde,
Je l’ai prévu....”
And Monsieur Germaine’s hands, despoiled15 of gold and gems16 save for an amethyst17 on the thumb, once more struck a chord. But the Duchess did not sing. She was staring with interest at the accompanist.
“My dear Germaine, I am lost in admiration18! You have grown a bust19 and hips20! I congratulate you! You’ve really done something! While as for me—look!” She drew her hands down over her cloth costume. “I’ve got rid of all that!” She made a half-turn. “Nothing left! It’s all gone! And in the meantime you’ve been growing them! Now that’s really funny! But there’s no harm in it. One thing makes up for another.”
But René Chartier, who was playing Joconde, was standing21 motionless with his neck extended like a stove-pipe, thinking only of the velvet22 and pearls of his voice, which was deep and just a little gloomy. He grew impatient at last, remarking coldly:
“We shall never be in time; it’s deplorable!”
“Let us start from the quartette,” said Largillière.
“Tout me seconde,
Je l’ai prévu;
Pauvre Joconde!
Il est vaincu.”
“Come along, Monsieur Quatrebarbe.”
Monsieur Gérard Quatrebarbe was the son of the diocesan architect. Since he had broken the windows of Mayer, the bootmaker, who was supposed to be a Jew, he was received everywhere in society. He had a good voice but he missed his cues, and René Chartier cast furious glances at him.
“You are not in your place, Duchess,” said Largillière.
“No, I dare say not!” replied the Duchess.
René Chartier went up to young Bonmont and whispered in his ear:
Largillière was grumbling24 too; the choruses were confused and unimpressive. However, they attacked the trio.
“Monsieur Lacrisse, you are not in your place.”
Joseph Lacrisse was not in his place, and it is only fair to say that it was not his fault. Madame de Bonmont was perpetually enticing25 him into corners and murmuring to him:
“Tell me you love me still; if you don’t still love me I feel I shall die!”
She also asked him for news of the plot, and as the latter was not going on at all well the question irritated him. He was annoyed with her, too, because she had not given any money to the cause. He strode off stiffly to join the chorus, while René Chartier sang as though he meant it:
“Dans un délire extrême
On veut fuir ce qu’on aime.”
Young Bonmont went up to his mother.
“Don’t trust Lacrisse, mother.”
“What do you mean? He is very serious, more serious than is usual at his age. He is occupied with important matters. He——”
“I tell you, don’t trust him. He wants to come down on you for a hundred thousand francs. He asked me to help to get the cheque out of you. But at the present time I don’t see that it’s necessary. I am for the King, but a hundred thousand francs is a large sum.”
René Chartier sang:
“On devient infidèle,
A servant brought the Baronne a letter. It was from the Brécés, who enclosed a contribution to the charity and expressed their regrets that they would not be able to attend the fête, being obliged to go away before the 29th.
She handed the letter to her son, who smiled unpleasantly, and asked:
“What about the Courtrais?”
“They refused yesterday, and Madame Cartier de Chalmot as well.”
“The cats!”
“We shall have the Terremondres and the Gromances.”
“The deuce, it’s part of their business to come to our house.”
They reviewed the situation; it was unsatisfactory. Terremondre had not, as usual, promised to hunt up his cousins and his aunts and all the rest of the small gentry31. The big manufacturers themselves seemed to be hesitating and seeking excuses for not coming. Young Bonmont concluded:
“It’s all up with your fête, mother! We are in quarantine, that’s very evident.”
These words grieved the gentle Elisabeth. Her beautiful face, always adorned32 by a loving smile, seemed overcast33.
At the other end of the room, above the confused babel of sounds, Largillière’s voice reiterated34:
“Not like that! That’s not the way! We shall never be ready in time.”
“Do you hear?” said the Baronne. “He says we shall not be ready in time. Suppose we postpone35 the fête if it’s not going to be a success.”
“You are soft, mother! But I’m not blaming you. It’s your nature. You are a forget-me-not and will always remain one. I am a fighting man, a strong man. I’m pretty well played out, as far as my health goes, but—I shall struggle on to the end.”
“My child!”
“Don’t let that worry you. I’m done for, but I shall struggle on.”
“On pense, on pense encore
A celle qu’on adore,
Et l’on revient toujours
A ses premières a ...”
Suddenly the accompanist ceased playing amidst a great uproar38. Monsieur Germaine was chasing the Duchess who was running off with his rings. She fled into the monumental fireplace, where on the Angevin slate39 were engraven the loves of the nymphs and the metamorphoses of the gods. Then, pointing to a little pocket in her corsage she said:
“Here are your rings, my old Germaine. Come and fetch them. Look here! Here’s a pair of Louis XIII tongs40! You can use them!”
And she jangled an enormous pair of tongs under the musician’s nose. René Chartier, savagely41 rolling his eyes, threw down his score, saying that he returned his part.
“I don’t believe the Luzancourts are coming either,” said the Baronne, with a sigh.
“All is not lost. I have an idea,” said the little Baron. “One must know how to make a sacrifice when it’s useful. Say nothing to Lacrisse!”
“Nothing to Lacrisse?”
“Nothing that matters. Leave it to me.”
He left her and approached the noisy chorus. To the Duchess, who asked him for another cocktail, he gently remarked:
“Don’t bother me.”
Then he sat down beside Joseph Lacrisse who was meditating42 apart, and spoke43 to him for some time in a low voice. His manner was serious and resolute44.
“It’s true enough,” he said to the secretary of the Committee of Young Royalists. “We must overthrow45 the Republic and save France. And to do that we need money. My mother is of the same opinion. She is prepared to pay fifty thousand francs to the King’s account for expenses of propaganda.”
Joseph Lacrisse thanked him in the King’s name.
“Monseigneur,” he said, “will be happy to learn that your mother adds her patriotic46 offering to that of the three French ladies who displayed such chivalrous47 generosity48. You may be sure that he will express his gratitude49 in a letter written by his own hand.”
“It’s not worth speaking of,” said young Bonmont.
And after a short silence he added:
“When you see the Brécés and the Courtrais, my dear Lacrisse, you might tell them to come to our little fête.”
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1
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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7
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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8
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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9
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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10
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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12
lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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13
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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14
cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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15
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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17
amethyst
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| n.紫水晶 | |
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18
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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19
bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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20
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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21
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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22
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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23
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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24
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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25
enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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26
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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27
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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28
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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29
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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30
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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31
gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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32
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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33
overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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34
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
postpone
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| v.延期，推迟 | |
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36
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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37
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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38
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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39
slate
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| n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订 | |
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40
tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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41
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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42
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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43
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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44
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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45
overthrow
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| v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆 | |
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46
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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47
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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48
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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49
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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