Of childhood, where I sported many a day,
Warbling and sauntering carelessly along;
Where every face was innocent and gay,
Each vale romantic, tuneful every tongue,
Sweet, wild, and artless all.
THE MINSTREL
At an early hour, the carriage, which was to take Emily and Madame Cheron to Tholouse, appeared at the door of the chateau1, and Madame was already in the breakfast-room, when her niece entered it. The repast was silent and melancholy2 on the part of Emily; and Madame Cheron, whose vanity was piqued3 on observing her dejection, reproved her in a manner that did not contribute to remove it. It was with much reluctance4, that Emily’s request to take with her the dog, which had been a favourite of her father, was granted. Her aunt, impatient to be gone, ordered the carriage to draw up; and, while she passed to the hall door, Emily gave another look into the library, and another farewell glance over the garden, and then followed. Old Theresa stood at the door to take leave of her young lady. ‘God for ever keep you, ma’amselle!’ said she, while Emily gave her hand in silence, and could answer only with a pressure of her hand, and a forced smile.
At the gate, which led out of the grounds, several of her father’s pensioners5 were assembled to bid her farewell, to whom she would have spoken, if her aunt would have suffered the driver to stop; and, having distributed to them almost all the money she had about her, she sunk back in the carriage, yielding to the melancholy of her heart. Soon after, she caught, between the steep banks of the road, another view of the chateau, peeping from among the high trees, and surrounded by green slopes and tufted groves6, the Garonne winding7 its way beneath their shades, sometimes lost among the vineyards, and then rising in greater majesty8 in the distant pastures. The towering precipices9 of the Pyrenees, that rose to the south, gave Emily a thousand interesting recollections of her late journey; and these objects of her former enthusiastic admiration10, now excited only sorrow and regret. Having gazed on the chateau and its lovely scenery, till the banks again closed upon them, her mind became too much occupied by mournful reflections, to permit her to attend to the conversation, which Madame Cheron had begun on some trivial topic, so that they soon travelled in profound silence.
Valancourt, mean while, was returned to Estuviere, his heart occupied with the image of Emily; sometimes indulging in reveries of future happiness, but more frequently shrinking with dread11 of the opposition12 he might encounter from her family. He was the younger son of an ancient family of Gascony; and, having lost his parents at an early period of his life, the care of his education and of his small portion had devolved to his brother, the Count de Duvarney, his senior by nearly twenty years. Valancourt had been educated in all the accomplishments13 of his age, and had an ardour of spirit, and a certain grandeur14 of mind, that gave him particular excellence15 in the exercises then thought heroic. His little fortune had been diminished by the necessary expences of his education; but M. La Valancourt, the elder, seemed to think that his genius and accomplishments would amply supply the deficiency of his inheritance. They offered flattering hopes of promotion16 in the military profession, in those times almost the only one in which a gentleman could engage without incurring17 a stain on his name; and La Valancourt was of course enrolled18 in the army. The general genius of his mind was but little understood by his brother. That ardour for whatever is great and good in the moral world, as well as in the natural one, displayed itself in his infant years; and the strong indignation, which he felt and expressed at a criminal, or a mean action, sometimes drew upon him the displeasure of his tutor; who reprobated it under the general term of violence of temper; and who, when haranguing19 on the virtues20 of mildness and moderation, seemed to forget the gentleness and compassion21, which always appeared in his pupil towards objects of misfortune.
He had now obtained leave of absence from his regiment22 when he made the excursion into the Pyrenees, which was the means of introducing him to St. Aubert; and, as this permission was nearly expired, he was the more anxious to declare himself to Emily’s family, from whom he reasonably apprehended23 opposition, since his fortune, though, with a moderate addition from hers, it would be sufficient to support them, would not satisfy the views, either of vanity, or ambition. Valancourt was not without the latter, but he saw golden visions of promotion in the army; and believed, that with Emily he could, in the mean time, be delighted to live within the limits of his humble24 income. His thoughts were now occupied in considering the means of making himself known to her family, to whom, however, he had yet no address, for he was entirely25 ignorant of Emily’s precipitate26 departure from La Vallee, of whom he hoped to obtain it.
Meanwhile, the travellers pursued their journey; Emily making frequent efforts to appear cheerful, and too often relapsing into silence and dejection. Madame Cheron, attributing her melancholy solely27 to the circumstance of her being removed to a distance from her lover, and believing, that the sorrow, which her niece still expressed for the loss of St. Aubert, proceeded partly from an affectation of sensibility, endeavoured to make it appear ridiculous to her, that such deep regret should continue to be felt so long after the period usually allowed for grief.
At length, these unpleasant lectures were interrupted by the arrival of the travellers at Tholouse; and Emily, who had not been there for many years, and had only a very faint recollection of it, was surprised at the ostentatious style exhibited in her aunt’s house and furniture; the more so, perhaps, because it was so totally different from the modest elegance28, to which she had been accustomed. She followed Madame Cheron through a large hall, where several servants in rich liveries appeared, to a kind of saloon, fitted up with more shew than taste; and her aunt, complaining of fatigue29, ordered supper immediately. ‘I am glad to find myself in my own house again,’ said she, throwing herself on a large settee, ‘and to have my own people about me. I detest30 travelling; though, indeed, I ought to like it, for what I see abroad always makes me delighted to return to my own chateau. what makes you so silent, child?— What is it that disturbs you now?’
Emily suppressed a starting tear, and tried to smile away the expression of an oppressed heart; she was thinking of HER home, and felt too sensibly the arrogance31 and ostentatious vanity of Madame Cheron’s conversation. ‘Can this be my father’s sister!’ said she to herself; and then the conviction that she was so, warming her heart with something like kindness towards her, she felt anxious to soften32 the harsh impression her mind had received of her aunt’s character, and to shew a willingness to oblige her. The effort did not entirely fail; she listened with apparent chearfulness, while Madame Cheron expatiated33 on the splendour of her house, told of the numerous parties she entertained, and what she should expect of Emily, whose diffidence assumed the air of a reserve, which her aunt, believing it to be that of pride and ignorance united, now took occasion to reprehend34. She knew nothing of the conduct of a mind, that fears to trust its own powers; which, possessing a nice judgment35, and inclining to believe, that every other person perceives still more critically, fears to commit itself to censure36, and seeks shelter in the obscurity of silence. Emily had frequently blushed at the fearless manners, which she had seen admired, and the brilliant nothings, which she had heard applauded; yet this applause, so far from encouraging her to imitate the conduct that had won it, rather made her shrink into the reserve, that would protect her from such absurdity37.
Madame Cheron looked on her niece’s diffidence with a feeling very near to contempt, and endeavoured to overcome it by reproof38, rather than to encourage it by gentleness.
The entrance of supper somewhat interrupted the complacent39 discourse40 of Madame Cheron and the painful considerations, which it had forced upon Emily. When the repast, which was rendered ostentatious by the attendance of a great number of servants, and by a profusion41 of plate, was over, Madame Cheron retired42 to her chamber43, and a female servant came to shew Emily to hers. Having passed up a large stair- case, and through several galleries, they came to a flight of back stairs, which led into a short passage in a remote part of the chateau, and there the servant opened the door of a small chamber, which she said was Ma’amselle Emily’s, who, once more alone, indulged the tears she had long tried to restrain.
Those, who know, from experience, how much the heart becomes attached even to inanimate objects, to which it has been long accustomed, how unwillingly44 it resigns them; how with the sensations of an old friend it meets them, after temporary absence, will understand the forlornness of Emily’s feelings, of Emily shut out from the only home she had known from her infancy45, and thrown upon a scene, and among persons, disagreeable for more qualities than their novelty. Her father’s favourite dog, now in the chamber, thus seemed to acquire the character and importance of a friend; and, as the animal fawned46 over her when she wept, and licked her hands, ‘Ah, poor Manchon!’ said she, ‘I have nobody now to love me — but you!’ and she wept the more. After some time, her thoughts returning to her father’s injunctions, she remembered how often he had blamed her for indulging useless sorrow; how often he had pointed47 out to her the necessity of fortitude48 and patience, assuring her, that the faculties49 of the mind strengthen by exertion50, till they finally unnerve affliction, and triumph over it. These recollections dried her tears, gradually soothed51 her spirits, and inspired her with the sweet emulation52 of practising precepts53, which her father had so frequently inculcated.
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1
chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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2
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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3
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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4
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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5
pensioners
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| n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 ) | |
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6
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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7
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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8
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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9
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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10
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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11
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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12
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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13
accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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14
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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15
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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16
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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17
incurring
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| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
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18
enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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haranguing
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的现在分词 ) | |
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20
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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21
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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22
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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23
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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24
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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25
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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28
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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29
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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30
detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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31
arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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32
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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33
expatiated
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| v.详述，细说( expatiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
reprehend
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| v.谴责，责难 | |
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35
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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38
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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39
complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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40
discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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41
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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42
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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43
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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45
infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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46
fawned
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| v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的过去式和过去分词 )；巴结；讨好 | |
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47
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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48
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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49
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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50
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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51
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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52
emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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53
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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