Euphémie sat for a long while on her caneless chair, silent and motionless, but with flushed cheeks. Her deep-rooted attachment1 to her employers and her employers’ house was instinctive2, but sure, and, like a dog’s love, not dependent on reason. She shed no tears, but fever spots came out on her lips. Her good-bye to Madame Bergeret was said with all the solemnity of a pious3, countrified heart. During the five years of her service in the house she had endured at Madame Bergeret’s hands, not only abusive violence, but hard avarice4, for she was fed but meagrely; on her side, she had given way to fits of insolence5 and disobedience, and she had slandered6 her mistress among the other servants. But she was a Christian7, and at the bottom of her257 heart she revered8 her pastors9 and masters as she did her father and mother. Snivelling with grief, she said:
“Good-bye, Madame. I will pray to the good God for you, that He may make you happy. I wish I could have said good-bye to the young ladies.”
Madame Bergeret knew that she was being hunted out of the house, like this young girl, but she would not show how moved she was, for fear of seeming undignified.
“Go, child,” said she, “and settle your wages with Monsieur.”
When M. Bergeret handed her her wages, she slowly counted out the amount and moving her lips as though in prayer, made her calculations three times over. She examined the coins anxiously, not being sure of her bearings among so many different varieties. Then she put this little property, her sole wealth in all the world, into the pocket of her skirt, under her handkerchief. Next she dug her hand deep into her pocket, and having taken all these precautions, said:
“You have always been good to me, Monsieur, and I wish you every happiness. But, all the same, you have driven me away.”
“You think I am a wicked man,” answered M. Bergeret. “But if I send you away, my good258 girl, I do it regretfully and only because it is absolutely necessary. If I can help you in any way, I shall be very glad to do so.”
Euphémie passed the back of her hand over her eyes, sniffed10 aloud and said softly, with big tears flowing down her cheeks:
“There’s nobody wicked here.”
She went out, closing the door behind her as noiselessly as possible, and M. Bergeret began to picture her standing11 at the bottom of the waiting-room in Deniseau’s office, with anxious looks fixed12 on the door, among the melancholy13 crowd of girls waiting to be hired, in her white head-dress with her blue cotton umbrella stuck between her knees.
Meanwhile Marie, the stable-girl, who had never in her life waited on anything but beasts, was filled with amazement14 and stupefaction at the ways of these townsfolk, till the terror that she communicated to others began to overwhelm her own mind. She squatted15 in her kitchen and gazed at the saucepans. Bacon soup was the only thing she could make and dialect the only language she understood. She was not even well recommended, for it turned out that she had not only lived loosely, but was in the habit of drinking brandy and even spirits of wine.
The first visitor to whom she opened the door was Captain Aspertini, who, in passing through the259 town, had called to see M. Bergeret. She evidently made a deep impression on the Italian savant’s mind, for no sooner had he greeted his host than he began to speak of the maid with that interest which ugliness always inspires when it is overwhelmingly terrible.
“Your maid, Monsieur Bergeret,” said he, “reminds me of that expressive16 face which Giotto has painted on an arch of the church at Assisi. It represents that Being to whom no one ever opens the door with a smile, and was suggested by a verse in Dante.
“That reminds me,” continued the Italian; “have you seen the portrait of Virgil in mosaic17 that your compatriots have just discovered at Sousse in Algeria? It is a picture of a Roman with a wide, low forehead, a square head and a strong jaw18, and is not in the least like the beautiful youth whom they used to tell us was Virgil. The bust19 which for a long time was taken for a portrait of the poet is really a Roman copy of a Greek original of the fourth century and represents a young god worshipped in the mysteries of Eleusis. I think I may claim the honour of being the first to give the true explanation of this figure in my pamphlet on the child Triptolemus. But do you know this Virgil in mosaic, Monsieur Bergeret?”
260 “As well as I can judge from the photograph I have seen,” answered M. Bergeret, “this African mosaic seems the copy of an original full of character. This portrait might quite stand for Virgil, and it is by no means impossible that it is an authentic20 portrait of him. Your Renaissance21 scholars, Monsieur Aspertini, always depicted22 the author of the ?neid with the features of a sage23. The old Venetian editions of Dante that I have turned over in our library are full of wood engravings in which Virgil wears the beard of a philosopher. The next age made him as beautiful as a young god. Now we have him with a square jaw and wearing a fringe of hair across his forehead in the Roman style. The mental effect produced by his work has varied24 just as much. Every literary age creates pictures from it which are entirely25 different according to the period. And without recalling the legends of the Middle Ages about Virgil the necromancer26, it is a fact that the Mantuan is admired for reasons that change according to the period. In him Macrobius hailed the Sibyl of the Empire. It was his philosophy that Dante and Petrarch seized upon, while Chateaubriand and Victor Hugo discovered in him the forerunner27 of Christianity. For my part, being but a juggler28 with words, I only use his works as a philological29 pastime. You, Monsieur Aspertini, see him in the261 guise30 of a great storehouse of Roman antiquities31, and that is perhaps the most solidly valuable part of the ?neid. The truth is that we are in the habit of hanging our ideas upon the letter of these ancient texts. Each generation forms a new conception of these masterpieces of antiquity32 and thus endows them with a kind of progressive immortality33. My colleague Paul Stapfer has said many good things on this head.”
“Very noteworthy things indeed,” answered Captain Aspertini. “But he does not entertain such hopeless views as yours as to the ebb34 and flow of human opinions.”
Thus did these two good fellows toss from one to the other those glorious and beautiful ideas by which life is embellished35.
“Do tell me what has become,” asked Captain Aspertini, “of that soldierly Latinist whom I met here, that charming M. Roux, who seemed to value military glory at its true worth, for he disdained36 to be a corporal.”
“When last I passed through the town,” continued Captain Aspertini, “on the second of January I think it was, I caught this young savant under the lime-tree in the courtyard of the library, chatting with the young porteress, whose ears, I262 remember, were very red. And you know that is a sign that she was listening with pleased excitement. There could be nothing prettier than that dainty little ruby39 shell clinging above the white neck. With great discretion40 I pretended not to see them, in order that I might not be like the Pythagorean philosopher who used to harass41 lovers in Metapontus. That is a very charming young girl, with her red, flame-like hair and her delicate skin, faintly dappled with freckles42, yet so pearly that it seems lit up from within. Have you ever noticed her, Monsieur Bergeret?”
M. Bergeret replied by a nod, for he had often noticed her, and found her very much to his taste. He was too honourable43 a man and had too much prudence44 and respect for his position ever to have taken any liberty with the young porteress at the library. But the delicate colouring, the thin, supple45 figure, the graceful46 beauty of this girl had more than once floated before his eyes in the yellow pages of Servius and Domat, when he had been sitting over them a long while. Her name was Mathilde and she had the reputation of being fond of pretty lads. Although M. Bergeret was usually very indulgent towards lovers, the idea of M. Roux finding favour with Mathilde was distinctly distasteful to him.
“It was in the evening, after I had been reading263 there,” continued Captain Aspertini. “I had copied three unpublished letters of Muratori, which were not in the catalogue. As I was crossing the court where they keep the remains47 of ancient buildings in the town, I saw, under the lime-tree near the well and not far from the pillar of the Romano-Gallic boatmen, the young porteress with the golden hair. She was listening with downcast eyes to the remarks of your pupil, M. Roux, while she balanced the great keys at the end of her fingers. What he said was doubtless very like what the herdsman of the Oaristys[15] said to the goat-girl. There was little doubt as to the gist48 of his remarks. I felt sure, in fact, that he was making an assignation. For, thanks to the skill I have acquired in interpreting the monuments of ancient art, I immediately grasped the meaning of this group.”
[15] First idyll of André Chénier.
He went on with a smile:
“I cannot, Monsieur Bergeret, really feel all the subtleties49, all the niceties of your beautiful French tongue, but I do not like to use the word ‘girl’ or ‘young girl’ to describe a child like this porteress of your municipal library. Neither can one use the word maid,[16] which is obsolete50 and has degenerated51 in meaning. And I would say in passing, it is a pity that this is the case. It would be264 ungracious to call her a young person, and I can see nothing but the word nymph to suit her. But, pray, Monsieur Bergeret, do not repeat what I told you about the nymph of the library, lest it should get her into trouble. These secrets need not be divulged52 to the mayor or the librarians. I should be most distressed53, if I thought I had inadvertently done the slightest harm to your nymph.”
[16] Pucelle.
“It is true,” thought M. Bergeret, “that my nymph is pretty.”
He felt vexed54, and at this moment could scarcely have told whether he was more angry with M. Roux for having found favour in the eyes of the library porteress, or for having seduced55 Madame Bergeret.
“Your nation,” said Captain Aspertini, “has attained56 to the highest mental and moral culture. But it still retains, as a relic57 of the barbarism in which it was so long plunged58, a kind of uncertainty59 and awkwardness in dealing60 with love affairs. In Italy love is everything to the lovers, but of no concern to the outside world. Society in general feels no interest in a matter which only concerns the chief actors in it. An unbiassed estimate of licence and passion saves us from cruelty and hypocrisy61.”
For some considerable time Captain Aspertini continued to entertain his French friend with his265 views on different points in morals, art and politics. Then he rose to take leave, and catching62 sight of Marie in the hall, said to M. Bergeret:
“Pray don’t take offence at what I said about your cook. Petrarch also had a servant of rare and peculiar63 ugliness.”
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1
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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slandered
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| 造谣中伤( slander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pastors
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| n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 ) | |
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10
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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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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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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bust
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| vt.打破；vi.爆裂；n.半身像；胸部 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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necromancer
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| n. 巫师 | |
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forerunner
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| n.前身，先驱（者），预兆，祖先 | |
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juggler
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| n. 变戏法者, 行骗者 | |
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philological
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| adj.语言学的，文献学的 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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31
antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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embellished
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| v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色 | |
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disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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41
harass
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| vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰 | |
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42
freckles
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| n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 ) | |
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43
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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45
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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46
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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47
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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48
gist
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| n.要旨；梗概 | |
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49
subtleties
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| 细微( subtlety的名词复数 )； 精细； 巧妙； 细微的差别等 | |
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50
obsolete
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| adj.已废弃的，过时的 | |
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51
degenerated
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| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
divulged
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| v.吐露，泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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54
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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55
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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56
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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57
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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58
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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59
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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60
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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62
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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