The Office of VirtueBut if I take this pleasure with so much prudence2 and circumspection3, it ceases to be a pleasure for me.
LOPE DE VEGAImmediately on his return to Paris, and on leaving the study of theMarquis de La Mole4, who appeared greatly disconcerted by the messages that were conveyed to him, our hero hastened to find ConteAltamira. With the distinction of being under sentence of death, thishandsome foreigner combined abundant gravity and had the good fortune to be devout5; these two merits and, more than all, the exalted6 birthof the Count were entirely7 to the taste of Madame de Fervaques, whosaw much of him.
Julien confessed to him gravely that he was deeply in love with her.
'She represents the purest and loftiest virtue1,' replied Altamira, 'only itis a trifle Jesuitical and emphatic8. There are days on which I understandevery word that she uses, but I do not understand the sentence as awhole. She often makes me think that I do not know French as well aspeople say. This acquaintance will make you talked about; it will giveyou a position in society. But let us go and see Bustos,' said ConteAltamira, who had an orderly mind; 'he has made love to Madame laMarechale.'
Don Diego Bustos made them explain the matter to him in detail,without saying a word, like a barrister in chambers9. He had a plump,monkish face, with black moustaches, and an unparalleled gravity; inother respects, a good carbonaro.
'I understand,' he said at length to Julien. 'Has the Marechale de Fervaques had lovers, or has she not? Have you, therefore, any hope of success? That is the question. It is as much as to say that, for my own part, Ihave failed. Now that I am no longer aggrieved10, I put it to myself in this way: often she is out of temper, and, as I shall shortly prove to you, sheis nothing if not vindictive11.
'I do not find in her that choleric12 temperament13 which is a mark of genius and covers every action with a sort of glaze14 of passion. It is, on thecontrary, to her calm and phlegmatic15 Dutch manner that she owes herrare beauty and the freshness of her complexion16.'
Julien was growing impatient with the deliberateness and imperturbable17 phlegm of the Spaniard; now and again, in spite of himself, he gavevent to a monosyllabic comment.
'Will you listen to me?' Don Diego Bustos inquired gravely.
'Pardon the furia francese; I am all ears,' said Julien.
'Well, then, the Marechale de Fervaques is much given to hatred18; she ispitiless in her pursuit of people she has never seen, lawyers, poor devilsof literary men who have written songs like Colle, you know?
"J'ai la marotte D'aimer Marote," etc.'
And Julien was obliged to listen to the quotation19 to the end. The Spaniard greatly enjoyed singing in French.
That divine song was never listened to with greater impatience20. Whenhe had finished: 'The Marechale,' said Don Diego Bustos, 'has ruined theauthor of the song:
"Un jour l'amant au cabaret … "'
Julien was in an agony lest he should wish to sing it. He contentedhimself with analysing it. It was, as a matter of fact, impious and hardlydecent.
'When the Marechale flew into a passion with that song,' said DonDiego, 'I pointed21 out to her that a woman of her rank ought not to readall the stupid things that are published. Whatever progress piety22 andgravity may make, there will always be in France a literature of the tavern23. When Madame de Fervaques had the author, a poor devil on halfpay, deprived of a post worth eighteen hundred francs: "Take care," saidI to her, "you have attacked this rhymester with your weapons, he mayreply to you with his rhymes: he will make a song about virtue. The gilded24 saloons will be on your side; the people who like to laugh will repeathis epigrams." Do you know, Sir, what answer the Marechale made me?
"In the Lord's service all Paris would see me tread the path of martyrdom; it would be a novel spectacle in France. The people would learn torespect the quality. It would be the happiest day of my life." Never wereher eyes more brilliant.'
'And she has superb eyes,' exclaimed Julien.
'I see that you are in love … Very well, then,' Don Diego Bustos wenton gravely, 'she has not the choleric constitution that impels25 one to vengeance26. If she enjoys injuring people, nevertheless, it is because she is unhappy, I suspect inward suffering. May she not be a prude who has grownweary of her calling?'
The Spaniard gazed at him in silence for fully27 a minute.
'That is the whole question,' he went on gravely, 'and it is from thisthat you may derive28 some hope. I gave it much thought during the twoyears in which I professed29 myself her most humble30 servant. Your wholefuture, you, Sir, who are in love, hangs on this great problem. Is she aprude, weary of her calling, and malicious31 because she is miserable32?'
'Or rather,' said Altamira, emerging at last from his profound silence,'can it be what I have said to you twenty times? Simply and solelyFrench vanity; it is the memory of her father, the famous cloth merchant,that causes the unhappiness of a character naturally morose33 and dry.
There could be only one happiness for her, that of living in Toledo, andbeing tormented34 by a confessor, who every day would show her hellgaping for her.'
As Julien rose to leave: 'Altamira tells me that you are one of us,' DonDiego said to him, graver than ever. 'One day you will help us to reconquer our freedom, and so I wish to help you in this little diversion. It isas well that you should be acquainted with the Marechale's style; hereare four letters in her hand.'
'I shall have them copied,' cried Julien, 'and return them to you.'
'And no one shall ever learn from you a single word of what we havebeen saying?'
'Never, upon my honour!' cried Julien.
'Then may heaven help you!' the Spaniard concluded; and he accompanied Julien and Altamira in silence to the head of the stair.
This scene cheered our hero somewhat; he almost smiled. 'And here isthe devout Altamira,' he said to himself, 'helping35 me in an adulterousenterprise.'
Throughout the whole of the grave conversation of Don Diego Bustos,Julien had been attentive36 to the stroke of the hours on the clock of theHotel d'Aligre.
The dinner hour was approaching, he was to see Mathilde again! Hewent home, and dressed himself with great care.
'My first blunder,' he said to himself, as he was going downstairs; 'Imust carry out the Prince's orders to the letter.'
He returned to his room, and put on a travelling costume of the utmost simplicity37.
'Now,' he thought, 'I must consider how I am to look at her.' It wasonly half-past five, and dinner was at six. He decided38 to go down to thedrawing-room, which he found deserted39. The sight of the blue sofamoved him to tears; soon his cheeks began to burn. 'I must get rid of thisabsurd sensibility,' he said to himself angrily; 'it will betray me.' He tookup a newspaper to keep himself in countenance40, and strolled three orfour times from the drawing-room to the garden.
It was only in fear and trembling and safely concealed41 behind a bigoak tree that he ventured to raise his eyes to the window of Mademoiselle de La Mole's room. It was fast shut; he nearly fell to the ground, andstood for a long time leaning against the oak; then, with a tottering42 step,he went to look at the gardener's ladder.
The link of the chain, forced open by him in circumstances, alas43, so different, had not been mended. Carried away by a mad impulse, Julienpressed it to his lips.
After a long course of wandering between drawing-room and garden,he found himself horribly tired; this was an initial success which pleasedhim greatly. 'My eyes will be dull and will not betray me!' Gradually, theguests arrived in the drawing-room; the door never opened withoutplunging Julien in mortal dread44.
They sat down to table. At length Mademoiselle de La Mole appeared,still faithful to her principle of keeping the others waiting. She blushed adeep red on seeing Julien; she had not been told of his arrival. FollowingPrince Korasoff's advice, Julien looked at her hands; they were trembling. Disquieted45 himself, beyond all expression, by this discovery, hewas thankful to appear to be merely tired.
M. de La Mole sang his praises. The Marquise addressed him shortlyafterwards, and expressed concern at his appearance of fatigue46. Julienkept on saying to himself: 'I must not look at Mademoiselle de La Moletoo much, but I ought not either to avoid her eye. I must appear to bewhat I really was a week before my disaster … ' He had occasion to besatisfied with his success, and remained in the drawing-room. Attentive for the first time to the lady of the house, he spared no effort to make themen of her circle talk, and to keep the conversation alive.
His politeness was rewarded: about eight o'clock, Madame la Marechale de Fervaques was announced. Julien left the room and presentlyreappeared, dressed with the most scrupulous47 care. Madame de La Molewas vastly flattered by this mark of respect, and sought to give him aproof of her satisfaction by speaking of his travels to Madame de Fervaques. Julien took his seat beside the Marechale, in such a way that hiseyes should not be visible to Mathilde. Thus placed, and following all therules of the art, he made Madame de Fervaques the object of the mostawed admiration48. It was with an outburst on this sentiment that the firstof the fifty-three letters of which Prince Korasoff had made him a presentbegan.
The Marechale announced that she was going on to the Opera-Bouffe.
Julien hastened there; he found the Chevalier de Beauvoisis, who tookhim to the box of the Gentlemen of the Household, immediately besidethat of Madame de Fervaques. Julien gazed at her incessantly49. 'I must,' hesaid to himself, as he returned home, 'keep a diary of the siege; otherwiseI should lose count of my attacks.' He forced himself to write down twoor three pages on this boring subject, and thus succeeded (marvel of marvels50!) in hardly giving a thought to Mademoiselle de La Mole.
Mathilde had almost forgotten him during his absence. 'After all, he isonly a common person,' she thought, 'his name will always remind me ofthe greatest mistake of my life. I must return in all sincerity51 to the recognised standards of prudence and honour; a woman has everything tolose in forgetting them.' She showed herself ready to permit at length theconclusion of the arrangement with the Marquis de Croisenois, begun solong since. He was wild with joy; he would have been greatly astonishedhad anyone told him that it was resignation that lay at the root of this attitude on Mathilde's part, which was making him so proud.
All Mademoiselle de La Mole's ideas changed at the sight of Julien. 'Inreality, that is my husband,' she said to herself; 'if I return in sincerity tothe standards of prudence, it is obviously he that I ought to marry.'
She was prepared for importunities, for an air of misery52 on Julien'spart; she prepared her answers: for doubtless, on rising from table, hewould endeavour to say a few words to her. Far from it, he remainedfixed in the drawing-room, his eyes never even turned towards thegarden, heaven knows with how great an effort! 'It would be better to getour explanation over at once,' Mademoiselle de La Mole told herself; she went out by herself to the garden, Julien did not appear there. Mathildereturned and strolled past the drawing-room windows; she saw himbusily engaged in describing to Madame de Fervaques the old ruinedcastles that crown the steep banks of the Rhine and give them so distinctive53 a character. He was beginning to acquit54 himself none too badly in theuse of the sentimental55 and picturesque56 language which is called wit incertain drawing-rooms.
Prince Korasoff would indeed have been proud, had he been in Paris:
the evening was passing exactly as he had foretold57.
He would have approved of the mode of behaviour to which Julienadhered throughout the days that followed.
An intrigue58 among those constituting the Power behind the Thronewas about to dispose of several Blue Ribands; Madame la Marechale deFervaques insisted that her great-uncle should be made a Knight59 of theOrder. The Marquis de La Mole was making a similar claim for hisfather-in-law; they combined their efforts, and the Marechale came almost every day to the Hotel de La Mole. It was from her that Julienlearned that the Marquis was to become a Minister: he offered theCamarilla a highly ingenious plan for destroying the Charter, without anyfuss, in three years' time.
Julien might expect a Bishopric, if M. de La Mole entered the Ministry;but to his eyes all these important interests were as though hidden by aveil. His imagination perceived them now only vaguely60, and so to speakin the distance. The fearful misery which was driving him mad madehim see every interest in life in the state of his relations with Mademoiselle de La Mole. He calculated that after five or six years of patient effort,he might succeed in making her love him once again.
This coolest of heads had, as we see, sunk to a state of absolute unreason. Of all the qualities that had distinguished61 him in the past, there remained to him only a trace of firmness. Faithful to the letter to the planof conduct dictated62 to him by Prince Korasoff, every evening he took hisplace as near as possible to the armchair occupied by Madame de Fervaques, but found it impossible to think of a word to say to her.
The effort that he was imposing63 on himself to appear cured in the eyesof Mathilde absorbed all his spiritual strength, he remained rooted beside the Marechale like a barely animate64 being; his eyes even, as in theextremity of physical suffering, had lost all their fire.
Since Madame de La Mole's attitude towards the world was neveranything more than a feeble copy of the opinions of that husband who might make her a Duchess, for some days she had been lauding65 Julien'smerits to the skies.
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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circumspection
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| n.细心，慎重 | |
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mole
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| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
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devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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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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emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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choleric
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| adj.易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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glaze
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| v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情 | |
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phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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impels
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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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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derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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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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disquieted
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| v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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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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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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acquit
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| vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出 | |
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sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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lauding
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| v.称赞，赞美( laud的现在分词 ) | |
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