"Sweet are the vses of aduersitie
Weares yet a precious lewell in his head."
As You Like It: a.d. 1623.
CHAPTER I.
It was the year of grace 1779. In one of the most beautiful corners of beautiful France stood a grand old chateau2. It was a fine old building, with countless3 windows large and small, with high-pitched roofs and pointed4 towers, which in good taste or bad, did its best to be everywhere ornamental5, from the gorgon6 heads which frowned from its turrets7 to the long row of stables and the fantastic dovecotes. It stood (as became such a castle) upon an eminence8, and looked down. Very beautiful indeed was what it looked upon. Terrace below terrace glowed with the most brilliant flowers, and broad flights of steps led [135]from one garden to the other. On the last terrace of all, fountains and jets of water poured into one large basin, in which were gold and silver fish. Beyond this were shady walks, which led to a lake on which floated water-lilies and swans. From the top of the topmost flight of steps you could see the blazing gardens one below the other, the fountains and the basin, the walks and the lake, and beyond these the trees, and the smiling country, and the blue sky of France.
Within the castle, as without, beauty reigned9 supreme10. The sunlight, subdued11 by blinds and curtains, stole into rooms furnished with every grace and luxury that could be procured12 in a country that then accounted itself the most highly-civilized in the world. It fell upon beautiful flowers and beautiful china, upon beautiful tapestry13 and pictures; and it fell upon Madame the Viscountess, sitting at her embroidery14. Madame the Viscountess was not young, but she was not the least beautiful object in those stately rooms. She had married into a race of nobles who (themselves famed for personal beauty) had been scrupulous16 in the choice of lovely wives. The late Viscount (for Madame was a widow) had been one of the handsomest of the gay courtiers of his day; and Madame had not been unworthy of him. Even now, though the roses on her cheeks were more entirely17 artificial than they had been in the days of her [136]youth, she was like some exquisite18 piece of porcelain19. Standing20 by the embroidery frame was Madame's only child, a boy who, in spite of his youth, was already Monsieur the Viscount. He also was beautiful. His exquisitely-cut mouth had a curl which was the inheritance of scornful generations, but which was redeemed21 by his soft violet eyes and by an under-lying expression of natural amiability22. His hair was cut square across the forehead, and fell in natural curls behind. His childish figure had already been trained in the fencing school, and had gathered dignity from perpetually treading upon shallow steps and in lofty rooms. From the rosettes on his little shoes to his chapeau à plumes23, he also was like some porcelain figure. Surely, such beings could not exist except in such a chateau as this, where the very air (unlike that breathed by common mortals) had in the ante-rooms a faint aristocratic odour, and was for yards round Madame the Viscountess dimly suggestive of frangipani!
Monsieur the Viscount did not stay long by the embroidery frame; he was entertaining to-day a party of children from the estate, and had come for the key of an old cabinet of which he wished to display the treasures. When tired of this, they went out on to the terrace, and one of the children who had not been there before exclaimed at the beauty of the view.
[137]
"It is true," said the little Viscount, carelessly, "and all, as far as you can see, is the estate."
"I will throw a stone to the end of your property, Monsieur," said one of the boys, laughing; and he picked one off the walk, and stepping back, flung it with all his little strength. The stone fell before it had passed the fountains, and the failure was received with shouts of laughter.
"Let us see who can beat that," they cried; and there was a general search for pebbles24, which were flung at random25 among the flower beds.
"One may easily throw such as those," said the Viscount, who was poking26 under the wall of the first terrace; "but here is a stone that one may call a stone. Who will send this into the fish-pond? It will make a fountain of itself."
The children drew round him as, with ruffles27 turned back, he tugged28 and pulled at a large dirty looking stone, which was half-buried in the earth by the wall. "Up it comes!" said the Viscount, at length; and sure enough, up it came; but underneath29 it, his bright eyes shining out of his dirty wrinkled body—horror of horrors!—there lay a toad. Now, even in England, toads30 are not looked upon with much favour, and a party of English children would have been startled by such a discovery. But with French people, the dread31 of toads is ludicrous in its [138]intensity. In France toads are believed to have teeth, to bite, and to spit poison; so my hero and his young guests must be excused for taking flight at once with a cry of dismay. On the next terrace, however, they paused, and seeing no signs of the enemy, crept slowly back again. The little Viscount (be it said) began to feel ashamed of himself, and led the way, with his hand upon the miniature sword which hung at his side. All eyes were fixed32 upon the fatal stone, when from behind it was seen slowly to push forth33, first a dirty wrinkled leg, then half a dirty wrinkled head, with one gleaming eye. It was too much; with cries of, "It is he! he comes! he spits! he pursues us!" the young guests of the chateau fled in good earnest, and never stopped until they reached the fountain and the fish-pond.
But Monsieur the Viscount stood his ground. At the sudden apparition34 the blood rushed to his heart, and made him very white, then it flooded back again and made him very red, and then he fairly drew his sword, and shouting, "Vive la France!" rushed upon the enemy. The sword if small was sharp, and stabbed the poor toad would most undoubtedly35 have been, but for a sudden check received by the valiant36 little nobleman. It came in the shape of a large heavy hand that seized Monsieur the [139] Viscount with the grasp of a giant, while a voice which could only have belonged to the owner of such a hand said in slow deep tones,
"Que faites-vous?" ("What are you doing?")
It was the tutor, who had been pacing up and down the terrace with a book, and who now stood holding the book in his right hand, and our hero in his left.
Monsieur the Viscount's tutor was a remarkable37 man. If he had not been so, he would hardly have been tolerated at the chateau, since he was not particularly beautiful, and not especially refined. He was in holy orders, as his tonsured38 head and clerical costume bore witness—a costume which, from its tightness and simplicity39, only served to exaggerate the unusual proportions of his person. Monsieur the Preceptor had English blood in his veins40, and his northern origin betrayed itself in his towering height and corresponding breadth, as well as by his fair hair and light blue eyes. But the most remarkable parts of his outward man were his hands, which were of immense size, especially about the thumbs. Monsieur the Preceptor was not exactly in keeping with his present abode41. It was not only that he was wanting in the grace and beauty that reigned around him, but that his presence made those very graces and beauties to look small. He seemed to have a [140]gift the reverse of that bestowed42 upon King Midas—the gold on which his heavy hand was laid seemed to become rubbish. In the presence of the late Viscount, and in that of Madame his widow, you would have felt fully43 the deep importance of your dress being à la mode, and your complexion44 à la strawberries and cream (such influences still exist); but let the burly tutor appear upon the scene, and all the magic died at once out of brocaded silks and pearl-coloured stockings, and dress and complexion became subjects almost of insignificance45. Monsieur the Preceptor was certainly a singular man to have been chosen as an inmate46 of such a household; but, though young, he had unusual talents, and added to them the not more usual accompaniments of modesty47 and trustworthiness. To crown all, he was rigidly48 pious49 in times when piety50 was not fashionable, and an obedient son of the church of which he was a minister. Moreover, a family that fashion does not permit to be demonstratively religious, may gain a reflected credit from an austere51 chaplain; and so Monsieur the Preceptor remained in the chateau and went his own way. It was this man who now laid hands on the Viscount, and, in a voice that sounded like amiable52 thunder, made the inquiry53, "Que faites-vous?"
"I am going to kill this animal—this hideous54 [141]horrible animal," said Monsieur the Viscount, struggling vainly under the grasp of the tutors finger and thumb.
"Only a toad, do you say, Monsieur?" said the Viscount. "That is enough, I think. It will bite—it will spit—it will poison: it is like that dragon you tell me of, that devastated56 Rhodes—I am the good knight57 that shall kill it."
Monsieur the Preceptor laughed heartily58. "You are misled by a vulgar error. Toads do not bite—they have no teeth; neither do they spit poison."
"You are wrong, Monsieur," said the Viscount; "I have seen their teeth myself. Claude Mignon, at the lodge59, has two terrible ones, which he keeps in his pocket as a charm."
"I have seen them," said the tutor, "in Monsieur Claude's pocket. When he can show me similar ones in a toad's head I will believe. Meanwhile, I must beg of you, Monsieur, to put up your sword. You must not kill this poor animal, which is quite harmless, and very useful in a garden—it feeds upon many insects and reptiles60 which injure the plants."
"It shall not be useful, in this garden," said the little Viscount, fretfully. "There are plenty of gardeners to destroy the insects, and, if needful, we [142]can have more. But the toad shall not remain. My mother would faint if she saw so hideous a beast among her beautiful flowers."
"Jacques!" roared the tutor to a gardener who was at some distance. Jacques started as if a clap of thunder had sounded in his ear, and approached with low bows. "Take that toad, Jacques, and carry it to the potager. It will keep the slugs from your cabbages."
Jacques bowed low and lower, and scratched his head, and then did reverence61 again with Asiatic humility62, but at the same time moved gradually backwards63, and never even looked at the toad.
"You also have seen the contents of Monsieur Claude's pocket?" said the tutor, significantly, and quitting his hold of the Viscount, he stooped down, seized the toad in his huge finger and thumb, and strode off in the direction of the potager, followed at a respectful distance by Jacques, who vented64 his awe65 and astonishment66 in alternate bows and exclamations67 at the astounding68 conduct of the incomprehensible Preceptor.
"What is the use of such ugly beasts?" said the Viscount to his tutor, on his return from the potager. "Birds and butterflies are pretty, but what can such villains69 as these toads have been made for?"
[143]
"You should study natural history, Monsieur—" began the priest, who was himself a naturalist70.
"That is what you always say," interrupted the Viscount, with the perverse71 folly72 of ignorance; "but if I knew as much as you do, it would not make me understand why such ugly creatures need have been made."
"Nor," said the priest, firmly, "is it necessary that you should understand it, particularly if you do not care to inquire. It is enough for you and me if we remember Who made them, some six thousand years before either of us was born."
With which Monsieur the Preceptor (who had all this time kept his place in the little book with his big thumb) returned to the terrace, and resumed his devotions at the point where they had been interrupted which exercise he continued till he was joined by the Curé of the village, and the two priests relaxed in the political and religious gossip of the day.
Monsieur the Viscount rejoined his young guests, and they fed the gold fish and the swans, and played Colin Maillard in the shady walks, and made a beautiful bouquet73 for Madame, and then fled indoors at the first approach of evening chill, and found that the Viscountess had prepared a feast of fruit and flowers for them in the great hall. Here, at the head [144]of the table, with Madame at his right hand, his guests around, and the liveried lacqueys waiting his commands, Monsieur the Viscount forgot that anything had ever been made which could mar15 beauty and enjoyment74; while the two priests outside stalked up and down under the falling twilight75, and talked ugly talk of crime and poverty that were somewhere now, and of troubles to come hereafter.
And so night fell over the beautiful sky, the beautiful chateau, and the beautiful gardens; and upon the secure slumbers76 of beautiful Madame and her beautiful son, and beautiful, beautiful France.
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1
toad
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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gorgon
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| n.丑陋女人，蛇发女怪 | |
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turrets
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| （六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车 | |
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eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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13
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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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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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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porcelain
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| n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的 | |
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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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redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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amiability
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| n.和蔼可亲的，亲切的，友善的 | |
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23
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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24
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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26
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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ruffles
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| 褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 ) | |
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tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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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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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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38
tonsured
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| v.剃( tonsure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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insignificance
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| n.不重要；无价值；无意义 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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51
austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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52
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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53
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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54
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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laconic
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| adj.简洁的；精练的 | |
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56
devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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perverse
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| adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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bouquet
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| n.花束，酒香 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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75
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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