Chapter 85 Letter Eighteen from Julie

My friend, I have just been delighted to witness one of the sweetest scenes I have ever seen.The smartest and loveliest girl finally became the most dignified and virtuous wife.The honest man who fulfilled his wishes because of her cared for her with respect and love, adored her, and made her happy.When I witness my girlfriend's happiness, that is to say, when I share her happiness, I experience that indescribable sweetness.I am sure that you, whom she has always been very fond of, whom she has regarded almost as dear to her since childhood, and who she values ​​all the more because of your care for her, must be as pleased as I am.And yes, all the emotions she felt, made our hearts feel the same way hers did.If she is happy, we are comforted, the result of the friendship that binds us together, and the happiness of one of us three is enough to relieve the miseries of the others.

Let us not kid ourselves, though, that this incomparable friend will partly leave us.She is now in a new situation; she is bound by new promises, new obligations; her heart, which had been ours before, is now turned to love others, Therefore, friendship must give up its primacy.Not only that, but now, my friends, for our part, from now on, we must take prudence with the affection she shows us; we must prudent not only her feelings for us and ours for her. feelings, but also to consider whether some things are suitable for her new identity, whether some things will make her husband happy or unhappy.In such a case we need not consider what morality will require us to do; just act according to the principles of friendship.Is a person who hurts a friend for personal gain worthy of being a friend?When she was a girl, she was free, responsible only to herself for her actions, and she could do whatever she wanted as long as she thought she had a clear conscience.She has always regarded us as a destined couple.And, with her affectionate and pure heart, strict with herself, and sympathetic to her guilty girlfriend, she was always helping to cover up my faults, though she did not approve of them.But now everything was changed, and she had to consider the effect of her behavior on a man; she had to sacrifice not only her duty, but her liberty.Since she bears the responsibility of two people's honor at the same time, it is not enough for her to be honest and decent, she must also be respected by others; it is not enough for her to do things well, she must also be disapproved Don't do it.A good wife and mother should not only be respected by her husband, but also try to gain his respect actively; if her husband blames her, it means that she should be blamed, even if she is wronged, then as long as she is suspected , she must have made some mistakes, because being dignified and prudent is also an obligation of hers.

I am not quite sure whether these views of mine are correct, please advise.However, there is always a feeling in my heart that reminds me: My cousin is not good enough to continue to be my bosom girlfriend, and she cannot be allowed to say such things first.My reasonings have always been errant, but the inner workings which impelled me to them have never been erroneous, and I have therefore placed more trust in my instincts than in my reason. In view of this, I have thought of an excuse and have already asked for all your letters back. Before, because I was afraid of being discovered, I stored all your letters with her.When she returned your letter to me, she was very distressed, and because I was not distressed myself, I understood her feelings, and this is all the more proof that I was quite right in doing so.At that time, neither of us said anything, but our eyes met, and everything was silent.She hugged me and cried bitterly. Although we didn't speak a word, both of us felt that warm friendship doesn't need thousands of words.

On the question of finding an alternate address for correspondence, I had intended to use the address of Fangson Arnett's, which was the most reliable correspondence we could have chosen, but this young woman, who was not as noble as my cousin, would have Won't you be questioned in terms of morality?In addition, I am also worried that her emotional literacy is not very high, and she will be spoiled by my example. Moreover, if someone does this kind of thing, it is the great help of a good friend. If someone else does it, will it be Is it the beginning of the fall?Am I not using morality as a tool of evil if I abuse her kindness?well!For me, even if I no longer find others to help me commit crimes, and no longer use other people's faults to aggravate my faults, isn't my sin already serious enough?My friends, we must not do this.I've figured out another way, which, though not very secure, involves no one and requires no confidantes, so it will not be blamed for it.I think you write to me under a pseudonym, say Mr. de Posquet or something, and write on the envelope to Reggiano, and I will tell him about it beforehand.In doing so, Reggianino himself would know nothing, and at most he would be a little suspicious, and he would never dare to find out what was going on, as the gentleman Edward with whom his fate was bound assured me. This person is reliable.In continuing to communicate through this channel, I shall also see whether to revert to the method of communication we employed during your visit to Valais, or to see if there is any other permanent and reliable method.

If I don't understand your mood, then I can tell from the tone of your letter that your current living conditions are not what you love.M. de Mouras's letters, which are criticized in France, are less bitter than yours.You are like a schoolboy who is dissatisfied with his teacher and always takes revenge on the first person who taught you how to study society well.What amazes me most is that the first thing that puts you off is the fact that all foreigners are told about the French way of behaving and their general behavior in social situations, which you yourself admit you admire about the French.I haven't forgotten the difference between this particular metropolis of Paris and a big city in general, but I find that you criticize before you have figured out the characteristics of the two, without first considering whether it is evil or pure criticism. It is seen by observation.Anyway, I like the French nation very much, and I will never speak ill of it.Much of what we learned together was thanks to the good books we bought from France.If our country is no longer a barbaric country, who do we have to thank?Of the great men of our time, two of the greatest and most virtuous, Catena and Féneron, were both French.My favorite king, Henry IV, was an enlightened monarch and a Frenchman.Although France is not the country of the free, it is the country of the honest, and, in the eyes of wise men, her liberty is better than that of other nations.The French are hospitable and protective of foreigners, and they even tolerate foreigners saying bad things that do not conform to their facts.Whoever dares to speak of the English in the way that the French are allowed to speak half as badly as they are in Paris is sure to be stoned to death in London.My father had lived in France all his life, and when he talked about this excellent and lovely country, he beamed with delight and talked with delight.He bled for the king, and the king did not forget him after his retirement, and still rewarded him for his exploits.Therefore, I am deeply concerned for the honor of the country in which my father was honored.My friend, if the character of a nation has its faults and its strengths, you should at least not forget to praise its strengths while criticizing its faults.

May I venture to point out a kind of prudence in your letter about this metropolis?You have spoken to me of the Valais women with interest, but why have you never mentioned the Parisian women?Is not a Parisian woman more worthy of description than a rough and simple mountain girl?Maybe you're afraid that writing about the most charming Parisian woman in the world will cause me unease?Don't worry, my friend, the best thing you can do to make me sleepless is not to mention Parisian women to me.No matter how you explain it, I am more suspicious if you avoid talking about them than if you praise them.

I also want to say a little bit about the Paris Opera, which we all say is excellent here, because, even if the music may be bad, the plot is still very good.If the plot wasn't good, you'd have criticized it long ago.Well, at least you won't offend anyone. I don't know if it is necessary to tell you that a few days ago, two suitors came, and they seemed to have made an appointment to take advantage of the wedding celebration.One was from Ivelden, and his whereabouts were erratic, going from castle to castle, and he was happy with the situation; the other was from a German-speaking country, and he came from Berne by post coach.The former was a little pompous, and spoke so crisply that those who heard his tone of voice thought he was a man of both ways; People are unhappy, but because of his dullness, he doesn't know what to say in front of strangers, he is usually unrestrained, but when he sees a serious girl, he is at a loss and fidgets.When I had ascertained very clearly what my father thought of these two gentlemen, I gladly made the most of the liberty my father had given me, and treated them as I pleased, and I believe I did. The idea that had brought them here was soon gone.I hate that they have the audacity to come and attack the heart that you have, and they have no winning weapon that can compete with you for the heart.I would hate them even more if they had such weapons.Besides, where could they, and others, and indeed all the people in the world, find such weapons?No, they won't find it, don't worry, my dear friend: Even if I meet someone with your talent, even if I meet someone with your exact same talent, I still only love you For you, the first person to come to me.Don't be disturbed by these two people I don't bother to mention.I would gladly treat them both with the same abhorrence, let them all come and go unhappy, and I'll tell you at once the dismal state of their departure.

Mr. de Cruza has recently published a book, which is very critical of Pope's verse love letters, and I am very disgusted by it.I really don't know which of the two authors has a point, but I know very well that Mr. de Cruza's book will never teach people to do good things, and after reading Pope's book, everyone is I want to do whatever is good.For me, there is only one way to judge whether a book I have read is good or bad, and that is, after reading it, what kind of feelings do I have in my heart when reading this book? What are the benefits of reading the book. Goodbye, my dearest friend, I didn't want to stop writing right away, but they were waiting for me and calling me.I regret that I have to stop writing this, because I enjoyed chatting with you on the letter, and I enjoyed sharing my happiness with you.Also, the reason I'm so happy, so excited, is that my mother's health has improved a lot these past few days, and she feels that she has the energy to go to the wedding, and to be the mother of her niece, or her other daughter.Poor Claire wept with joy when my mother recovered.Just think about how I feel in my heart. Although I am forced by the situation and can no longer keep her by my side, when I think of losing her, I can't help feeling disappointed and trembling in my heart.As far as my physical condition is concerned, my mother really managed this wedding ceremony in a decent way.It seemed that even the sickness on her face made her simple and generous demeanor more touching.Truly, never was this rare mother so dignified, so charming, so admirable.Do you know how many times she has asked Mr. de Orbe for information about you?Although she never mentioned you to me, I knew she liked you very much, and if my father would listen to her advice, she would certainly have your happiness and mine as her first priority.well!If your heart can understand emotions, let it learn to understand emotions well, it still has a lot of debts to repay!