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the purse-第2章

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she suffered; at the cost of her heart and her sweet illusions;

the disenchantment which falls on us so slowly and yet so

quicklyfor we try to postpone as long as possible our belief in

evil; and it seems to come too soonthat day was a whole age of

reflection; and it was also a day of religious thought and

resignation。 She refused the alms of the man who had betrayed

her; renounced the world; and made a glory of her shame。 She gave

herself up entirely to her motherly love; seeking in it all her

joys in exchange for the social pleasures to which she bid

farewell。 She lived by work; saving up a treasure for her son。

And; in after years; a day; an hour repaid her amply for the long

and weary sacrifices of her indigence。 



At the last exhibition her son had received the Cross of the

Legion of Honor。 The newspapers; unanimous in hailing an unknown

genius; still rang with sincere praises。 Artists themselves

acknowledged Schinner as a master; and dealers covered his

canvases with gold pieces。 At five…and…twenty Hippolyte Schinner;

to whom his mother had transmitted her woman's soul; understood

more clearly than ever his position in the world。 Anxious to

restore to his mother the pleasures of which society had so long

robbed her; he lived for her; hoping by the aid of fame and

fortune to see her one day happy; rich; respected; and surrounded

by men of mark。 Schinner had therefore chosen his friends among

the most honorable and distinguished men。 Fastidious in the

selection of his intimates; he desired to raise still further a

position which his talent had placed high。 The work to which he

had devoted himself from boyhood; by compelling him to dwell in

solitudethe mother of great thoughtshad left him the

beautiful beliefs which grace the early days of life。 His

adolescent soul was not closed to any of the thousand bashful

emotions by which a young man is a being apart; whose heart

abounds in joys; in poetry; in virginal hopes; puerile in the

eyes of men of the world; but deep because they are single…

hearted。



He was endowed with the gentle and polite manners which speak to

the soul; and fascinate even those who do not understand them。 He

was well made。 His voice; coming from his heart; stirred that of

others to noble sentiments; and bore witness to his true modesty

by a certain ingenuousness of tone。 Those who saw him felt drawn

to him by that attraction of the moral nature which men of

science are happily unable to analyze; they would detect in it

some phenomenon of galvanism; or the current of I know not what

fluid; and express our sentiments in a formula of ratios of

oxygen and electricity。



These details will perhaps explain to strong…minded persons and

to men of fashion why; in the absence of the porter whom he had

sent to the end of the Rue de la Madeleine to call him a coach;

Hippolyte Schinner did not ask the man's wife any questions

concerning the two women whose kindness of heart had shown itself

in his behalf。 But though he replied Yes or No to the inquiries;

natural under the circumstances; which the good woman made as to

his accident; and the friendly intervention of the tenants

occupying the fourth floor; he could not hinder her from

following the instinct of her kind; she mentioned the two

strangers; speaking of them as prompted by the interests of her

policy and the subterranean opinions of the porter's lodge。



〃Ah;〃 said she; 〃they were; no doubt; Mademoiselle Leseigneur and

her mother; who have lived here these four years。 We do not know

exactly what these ladies do; in the morning; only till the hour

of noon; an old woman who is half deaf; and who never speaks any

more than a wall; comes in to help them; in the evening; two or

three old gentlemen; with loops of ribbon; like you; monsieur;

come to see them; and often stay very late。 One of them comes in

a carriage with servants; and is said to have sixty thousand

francs a year。 However; they are very quiet tenants; as you are;

monsieur; and economical! they live on nothing; and as soon as a

letter is brought they pay for it。 It is a queer thing; monsieur;

the mother's name is not the same as the daughter's。 Ah; but when

they go for a walk in the Tuileries; mademoiselle is very smart;

and she never goes out but she is followed by a lot of young men;

but she shuts the door in their face; and she is quite right。 The

proprietor would never allow〃



The coach having come; Hippolyte heard no more; and went home。

His mother; to whom he related his adventure; dressed his wound

afresh; and would not allow him to go to the studio next day。

After taking advice; various treatments were prescribed; and

Hippolyte remained at home three days。 During this retirement his

idle fancy recalled vividly; bit by bit; the details of the scene

that had ensued on his fainting fit。 The young girl's profile was

clearly projected against the darkness of his inward vision; he

saw once more the mother's faded features; or he felt the touch

of Adelaide's hands。 He remembered some gesture which at first

had not greatly struck him; but whose exquisite grace was thrown

into relief by memory; then an attitude; or the tones of a

melodious voice; enhanced by the distance of remembrance;

suddenly rose before him; as objects plunging to the bottom of

deep waters come back to the surface。



So; on the day when he could resume work; he went early to his

studio; but the visit he undoubtedly had a right to pay to his

neighbors was the true cause of his haste; he had already

forgotten the pictures he had begun。 At the moment when a passion

throws off its swaddling clothes; inexplicable pleasures are

felt; known to those who have loved。 So some readers will

understand why the painter mounted the stairs to the fourth floor

but slowly; and will be in the secret of the throbs that followed

each other so rapidly in his heart at the moment when he saw the

humble brown door of the rooms inhabited by Mademoiselle

Leseigneur。 This girl; whose name was not the same as her

mother's; had aroused the young painter's deepest sympathies; he

chose to fancy some similarity between himself and her as to

their position; and attributed to her misfortunes of birth akin

to his own。 All the time he worked Hippolyte gave himself very

willingly to thoughts of love; and made a great deal of noise to

compel the two ladies to think of him; as he was thinking of

them。 He stayed late at the studio and dined there; then; at

about seven o'clock; he went down to call on his neighbors。



No painter of manners has ventured to initiate usperhaps out of

modestyinto the really curious privacy of certain Parisian

existences; into the secret of the dwellings whence emerge such

fresh and elegant toilets; such brilliant women; who rich on the

surface; allow the signs of very doubtful comfort to peep out in

every part of their home。 If; here; the picture is too boldly

drawn; if you find it tedious in places; do not blame the

description; which is; indeed; part and parcel of my story; for

the appearance of the rooms inhabited by his two neighbors had a

great influence on the feelings and hopes of Hippolyte Schinner。



The house belonged to one of those proprietors in whom there is a

foregone and profound horror of repairs and decoration; one of

the men who regard their position as Paris house…owners as a

business。 In the vast chain of moral species; these people hold a

middle place between the miser and the usurer。 Optimists in their

own interests; they are all faithful to the Austrian status quo。

If you speak of moving a cupboard or a door; of opening the most

indispensable air…hole; their eyes flash; their bile rises; they

rear like a frightened horse。 When the wind blows down a few

chimney…pots they are quite ill; and deprive themselves of an 

evening at the Gymnase or the Porte…Saint…Martin Theatre; 〃on

account of repairs。〃 Hippolyte; who had seen the performance

gratis of a comical scene with Monsieur Molineux as concerning

certain decorative repairs in his studio; was not surprised to

see the dark greasy paint; the oily stains; spots; and other

disagreeable accessories that varied the woodwork。 And these

stigmata of poverty are not altogether devoid of poetry in an

artist's eyes。



Mademoiselle Leseigneur herself opened the door。 On recognizing

the young artist she bowed; and at the same time; with Parisian

adroitness; and with the presence of mind that pride can lend;

she turned round to shut the door in a glass partition through

which Hippolyte might have caught sight of some linen hung by

lines over patent ironing stoves; an old camp…bed; some wood…

embers; charcoal; irons; a filter; the household crockery; and

all the utensils familiar to a small household。 Muslin curtains;

fairly white; carefully screened this lumber…rooma capharnaum;

as the French call such a domestic laboratory;which was lighted

by windows
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