I had offered to look after the ladies' luggage, but the grandmother had declined my help with thanks. Jeannine was so capable! These little jobs amused her.
The girl came out on to the platform towards us, and wanted to take back her dressing3 bag. I refused to allow it.
Madame Landry joined us. I took her to a seat but she refused to sit down, she was not tired. I always admired her, slim and alert at over sixty.
I had made their acquaintance at the hotel at which we had arrived together three weeks before. The old[Pg 4] lady, who was the widow of an Inspector4 of Finances, always began by keeping her distance. The chance discovery that I was the son of an officer in the army had prejudiced her in my favour. The Landrys had many connections with the army, and Colonel Dreher's name was not unknown to them. The grandmother had been able to prove, by the concurrence5 of various dates, that my father must have received his commission at the same time as her own brother, who had been seriously wounded in the year '70. This was reason enough for us to become very intimate in a few days. I learnt that Madame Landry had lost her son, a lieutenant6 in the Cuirassiers, twelve years before. He had been killed by a horse's kick and her daughter-in-law had died in childbirth a few weeks later, whereupon she undertook to bring up her two grandchildren.
Jeannine was quite young, eighteen or nineteen, I think—she refused to tell me her age, just for fun. She was tall and slim, and bright-eyed; her mouse-coloured hair curled and entangled7 itself in spite of all she could do. She had spent two years in England. It must have been there that she had picked up this rather offhand8, or more correctly speaking, this playful manner, whose manifestations9 sometimes surprised her grandmother, though they rarely shocked her.
I who hold in equal abhorrence10 insipid11 or hypo-critical goody-goodies and brazen12 coquettes, had been attracted by this frank ingenuity13, this assurance which was quite innocent of all effrontery14. Our friendship had been formed on the tennis court. Jeannine, who was nimble and skilful15 and keen, was delighted to find a worthy16 opponent. She challenged me anew every morning. She fought obstinately17 and was annoyed if I paid her compliments. In the afternoon we went[Pg 5] for walks, chaperoned by Madame Landry, or the little brother, and in the evening we both enjoyed our interminable discussions on the terrace where sweet-scented breezes blew.
The grandmother only put in an occasional word from her arm-chair, a little way off. Jeannine willingly avoided topical futilities. Literature, painting, music, or even politics—why not?—the occult sciences—a fruitful subject of conversation when the mysterious night is falling—she broached18 them all quite fearlessly. I have always had a taste for riding headlong through these preserves of metaphysics or ethics19. Philosophers only venture there too gingerly, unravelling20 the thread of a theory. The most delightful21 recreation is to disport22 oneself there as if in conquered territory, to breast at a gallop23 some hilltop or other, where one breathes in draughts24 of pure air, whence one may cast a bold eye on life.
Jeannine was not at all apprehensive25 of these giddy escapades. It was an intellectual gymnastic, satisfying apparently26 the same taste for action and expansion which she showed in the physical sphere. And yet after one of these flights she used to feel the necessity of drawing breath and retiring upon some graceful27 standpoint, in the same way in which she would make a point of doing her hair and dressing for dinner, on her return from an expedition. If I tried to lure28 her on again, she resisted with a smile.
"No, now let's talk seriously."
Then I would see her withdraw into a fortress29 built of all she definitely believed and knew, opinions, reveries, and prejudices which, though she was charmingly logical, she owed to her race and education. The best of it was that once in refuge there, in full[Pg 6] possession of her truths, the last thing she aimed at was to convert me. I, in my turn, was obliged to shut myself up behind ramparts; I had some all ready-made from whence I braved the world.
Oh! there was nothing very new in it, in this doctrine31 I had drawn32 from my reading and reflections, but I flattered myself that by having thought it over, I had made it my own private property. It was the eternal ego33. Jeannine protested against it. She claimed that she was not at all a rebel to the requirements of logic30, indeed I recognised her intellectual courage, her taste for sincerity34. She had no religion to embarrass her, no faith with which she might be tempted35 to oppose the claims of her reason. Was she even a Catholic? No, simply a free-thinker, though she did not boast about it in order not to grieve her grandmother, who was, by the way, but a lukewarm dévote. She dreamt, however, that pure self-love was not the highest end, that there were great souls, and lesser36 ones, that from time to time, a little of the divine might inspire our dust....
Moonshine! I chaffed her: I made fun of all her would-be noble feelings; I discovered gnawing37 egoism in them; I raised this dreary38 God to a pinnacle39. I went further; I was not afraid to unveil for her sometimes the depths of my nihilism. Dried up and incapable40 of experiencing the least emotion, I had adopted the standpoint, I told her, of considering the universe as a scene, life as a vulgar farce41, denuded42 of rhythm and spaciousness43, where each of us played a part. I did not envy that of any one else, and mine did not interest me in the least.
When I made such confessions44 Jeannine looked at me in silence; then she began to laugh:
[Pg 7]
"You're making fun of me!"
I denied it, guilty nevertheless of a smile which belied45 me. But, in my inmost conscience, I knew only too well that I had not spoken in fun. This young dialectician, whom my paradoxes46 amused, would have been chilled, revolted, estranged47 from me for ever, if she had thought that my courtesy hid nothing but this brutal48 scepticism, this cowardly lack of curiosity.
The train was late; Madame Landry wished to set me free:
"The time is getting on ... if you have to go as far as your cousins'...."
I naturally replied that I had plenty of time before me.
It is true that I watched for the arrival of the Paris papers every evening. Simply a matter of habit; so little news concerned me! The day before, as it happened, the post had brought me nothing. I almost suspected Jeannine of having laid hands on the mail. In any case, my vexation and my grumbles51 had delighted her.
An absolute child!
The train still did not arrive. Conversation languished52. I started a subject likely to interest the travellers. They were going to make a short stay on the shores of Lake Leman, a part which was strange to them, but which I said they would think they recognised, it bore so great a resemblance on the whole to the French Riviera, the neighbourhood of Cannes and Mentone, where they spent the winter. I told them of a comfortable hotel at Montreux.
[Pg 8]
Jeannine seemed preoccupied53.
"We shall miss Ballaigues."
"She loves this part of the world," said her grandmother.
"I very much hope we shall be back no later than next week," continued the girl.
I teased:
"One makes up one's mind about that; and then when one is happy elsewhere...."
"Must I take my oath on it?"
"By Jove! That would make me decide to stay."
I reflected that with her away, Ballaigues would lose much of its charm. With the exception of Cipollina I had had nothing to do with the other guests at the hotel, foreigners for the most part. My holiday was nearly at an end. I did not doubt that at my request my director, accommodating creature that he was, would make no difficulties about extending my stay in Switzerland by a fortnight. But if the Landrys did not....
The girl read my thoughts.
"It will be the Pendant du Suchet."
I felt that we were going over the details of the expedition in silence.... I saw once more our start at midnight—we were quite a troop with my cousins the de Jougnes;—the formation of a column, the men waving lamps, the women helping55 themselves along with ice-axes; the long ascent56 enlivened by songs and chatter57; we should have gone astray a hundred times but for the sure instinct of Doctor Claudel, an old inhabitant of the country; the cows in the fields, awakened58 by our torches and our laughter, getting up and[Pg 9] making their bells tinkle59; the end of the ascent grown rougher, our shoes, which were unprovided with nails, slipping on the stony60 incline; several tumbles; a little wall skirted and then crossed. And all at once, at our side, the lights of the canton of Vaud had revealed themselves, at an immense depth, through a curtain of gloom: they might have been the lights of ships in the roads, seen from the top of a gigantic cliff. The darkness had dissipated gradually like a mist. Little by little the horizon had withdrawn61 to the boundaries of the world. The pure line of snowy Alps stood out against the rosy62 streak63 of dawn.... A few minutes of waiting, and Ph?bus rose resplendent and expanded, assuming many a bizarre shape, until, full-blown and triumphant64, he deigned65 to reflect his disk in the waters of Neufchatel.
The picture held me captive. As Jeannine repeated, "In a week's time ... that's agreed, isn't it?" I acquiesced66; and then said whimsically:
"Who knows what may have happened in a week's time! We may be in the midst of war!"
"Oh, come, there won't be any more war!" Then suddenly grown serious:
"You don't believe it, do you?" she went on.
"Well, really, the papers were horribly pessimistic the day before yesterday...."
"Here's the train!" the little boy interrupted.
The majestic68 express thundered into the station. It stopped, all the breaks creaking. The passengers got out in bad tempers, to go to the custom-house. I had the luck to find places for my party; a priest with a scared face questioned me in German:
"Revitzi?nne," I said.
[Pg 10]
"Ya, ya."
Having settled themselves in, the ladies thanked me. A particular gentleness distinguished70 Jeannine's tone; she announced once more that we should soon meet again; besides, whatever happened, couldn't we agree to exchange ... post-cards? I vowed71 myself charmed by the idea, and took note of a double address at Cape72 d'Antibes and at St. Mandé.
It would soon be time to start. I left the carriage and went and leant on the door where the window had been let down.
We had no more to say to each other. I wished the train would get under way.
Jeannine pulled a roguish face:
I had not time to retort with a joke. She corrected:
"No, I've teased you enough! I don't want you to have unpleasant recollections of me...."
"Don't you worry," I said, smiling; "the recollections are charming."
The train started off, without a whistle. The girl held out her gloved hand to me through the window; I seized it; she gave mine a fleeting74 squeeze. André waved his hat, Madame Landry bowed. I walked along beside the carriage for a few yards, and nodded a last farewell.
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1
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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4
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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concurrence
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| n.同意；并发 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
offhand
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| adj.临时，无准备的；随便，马虎的 | |
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9
manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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10
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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insipid
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| adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的 | |
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12
brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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13
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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14
effrontery
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| n.厚颜无耻 | |
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15
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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16
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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17
obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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18
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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19
ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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20
unravelling
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的现在分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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21
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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22
disport
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| v.嬉戏，玩 | |
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23
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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24
draughts
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| n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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25
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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26
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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29
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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30
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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31
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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32
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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33
ego
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| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
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34
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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35
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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36
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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gnawing
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| a.痛苦的，折磨人的 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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pinnacle
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| n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰 | |
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40
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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41
farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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42
denuded
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| adj.[医]变光的，裸露的v.使赤裸( denude的过去式和过去分词 )；剥光覆盖物 | |
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43
spaciousness
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| n.宽敞 | |
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44
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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45
belied
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| v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎 | |
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46
paradoxes
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| n.似非而是的隽语，看似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法( paradox的名词复数 )；用于语言文学中的上述隽语；有矛盾特点的人[事物，情况] | |
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47
estranged
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| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
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48
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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49
insinuated
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| v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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50
maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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51
grumbles
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| 抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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52
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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53
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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54
dent
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| n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展 | |
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55
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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56
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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57
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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58
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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59
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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60
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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61
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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62
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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63
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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64
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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65
deigned
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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68
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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69
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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70
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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71
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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72
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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73
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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74
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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