Chapter 7 seven

In Paris, a woman who decides to make a career out of her beauty does not necessarily make a fortune.How many intelligent, talented and beautiful characters start with a luxurious life and end with poverty.Because while maintaining the mask of a good woman, while dedicating herself to shameless slutty life with the intention of exploiting, it will not achieve the goal.Taking the wrong path is not easy to succeed.In this respect, prostitutes are similar to geniuses: they must come and go, so that wealth and talent can go hand in hand.The Great Revolution did not have those unexpected processes, and Napoleon could not be emperor, he could only be a Faber II.A laughing beauty who has no customers, no fame, and no depraved cross that ruins a man's fortune is the same as a genius buried in an attic, or Correggio's famous painting thrown in a servant's house.Therefore, the slut in Paris must first find a rich man who is willing to pay her what she wants.In particular, she must maintain the distinctive elegance that is her trademark; she must also have a graceful demeanor to satisfy the vanity of men; He only fell in love with one person, making the rest of the lechers envious and even more mad at her.

① Faber (1599-1662), a famous French general in the seventeenth century. ② Correggio (1494-1534), a famous Italian painter. ③ Sophie Arnoux (1744-1803), a famous French female singer in the eighteenth century. Those conditions, which such women call opportunities, are not easy to achieve in Paris, although millionaires, leisure-class, weary, and whimsical people are plentiful in Paris.God has at last protected the families of civil servants and the petty bourgeoisie in this respect, because their circumstances make those conditions more difficult to achieve.But Mrs. Maneffe's first-class people are still not a few in Paris, which can make Valerie a model in this history of weathering.Among these women, some are driven by real passion and at the same time they are forced by poverty, such as Mrs. Colville, who spent so many years with Keller, the most famous speaker and banker on the left; some are motivated by vanity. For example, Mrs. de Labordray, although she eloped with Lousteau, was still in the main responsible; some because they wanted to dress well; some because they were too small to support their families; It is said that the stinginess of the Congress has caused so much suffering and corrupted so many people's hearts.Now everyone is very sympathetic to the fate of the working class, thinking that they are being exploited by manufacturers; but the government is a hundred times harsher than the most greedy industrialists, and the wages are ridiculously meager.You work hard, and the factory at least pays you according to your work; but what does the government give to the many anonymous and loyal employees?

It is certainly an unforgivable crime for a married woman to be promiscuous; but there are degrees.Not only did some women not lose their shame, but they even covered up their faults, and behaved in a superficial manner, like the two wives mentioned above;Madame Marnever is one of those evil whores who, at the outset, do not fear the consequences of being corrupt. They are willing to make money while they are having fun, and they will do anything they can, and often, like Madame Marnever, they have husbands to replace them. Attracting bees and butterflies, working in collusion.These heroines are the most dangerous of women, the worst of all the scoundrels of Parisian women.The conspicuous presence of a real whore, like a Josepha, Hunz, Malaga, Jeanne Cardinal, is a warning, as glaring as a red light in front of a public brothel or a tall lamp in a casino.A man who goes here knows he's on the path to ruin.But the pretentiousness, the pretense of virtuousness, the hypocrisy of a married woman (she shows you that everything is just daily trivial expenses, and she doesn't allow you to spend money and money for her), but you are ruined silently and odorlessly. The wonderful thing is that on the one hand, you can explain it yourself, on the other hand, you still don't understand the cause of the destruction.It is such wretched household accounts that make a man lose his fortune, not the pleasure of eating and drinking.A parent disgracefully ruined his property, and when he was in poverty, he didn't even have the comforting idea of ​​enjoying the prosperity.

This discussion can hit the nail on the head and expose the inside story of many families.There were Madame de Maneffe in every class of society, even in court; for Valerie was a real person, and all her details were taken from real people.Unfortunately, this portrait is not a cure for anyone's obsessions: there are still people who love those angels with their smiles and dreamy faces, their innocent faces preoccupied with money. About three years after Ortance's marriage, in 1841, Baron Hulot de Hervé was considered resigned, and, as Louis XV's surgeon said, the old horse was gone; In fact, he paid twice as much for Mrs. Maneffe as for Josepha.Valerie, though always well-groomed, maintained the simplicity that a deputy chief's wife should have; her luxury was in her nightgown and house-dress.Thus she sacrificed the vanity of Parisian women's dress to dear Hector.But when she goes to the theater, she always wears a pretty hat, and wears the most beautiful clothes;

The baron accompanied her in the carriage, and booked the best box. The apartment on Feiyu Street occupies the entire second floor of a new-style house, located between the yard and the garden.Everything in the house is very simple.What you pay attention to is the Persian silk with four walls and convenient and practical beautiful furniture.The exception was the bedroom, which was luxuriously furnished in the style of Jeanne Cardine and Hunz.Flower-stitched curtains, cashmere curtains, and gold and silver embroidered silk door curtains; the clock and candlesticks on the mantelpiece were designed by Stillman, and the antique racks were full of rare curiosities.Hulot did not want Valerie's fragrant nest to be inferior to Josepha's jeweled cave.The living room and the dining room are two main rooms, one is covered with damascus red silk, and the other is with carved oak wall.But in order to reconcile everything, the baron added some real luxury to the superficial luxury after six months, and bought many expensive utensils, such as silverware worth more than 24,000 francs. .

The house of Mrs. Manever has become famous in the past two years, and it is generally recognized as a comfortable place for playing cards and having fun.Valerie herself was quickly known as a lovely and elegant woman.As for her sudden prosperity, it was said that her father, the Marshal Montconet, had left her a huge inheritance in trust.Valerie thinks about the future and adds religious hypocrisy to secular hypocrisy.She went to church every Sunday and participated in all the religious services: raising money for the poor, serving charities, distributing communion bread, giving alms to the neighbors, all with Hector's money.Therefore, her daily activities are very dignified and decent.Many people cite the age of the councilor as proof that her relationship with the baron is pure, saying that he likes Madame Maneffe's clever mind and elegant manners and conversations, almost as much as Louis XVIII liked beautiful love letters.

The baron and the stranger left at the same time at twelve o'clock in the middle of the night, and returned a quarter of an hour later. The secret to the secret is this: The gatekeepers of the house on Feiyu Street are Olivier and his wife.The owner of the house was looking for a concierge, and the baron and the owner were friends, so the Oliviers moved from a place with little income and a dilapidated residence in Elder Street to a well-paid and stylish house in Feiyu Street.Madame Olivier, formerly the caretaker of bedding and underwear in the family of Charles X, lost her job after the Legitimacy fell.She had three children: the eldest son, the favorite of the Oliviers, was already working as a secretary at the notary.Just when this precious son was about to be served in the army for six months, and to delay his beautiful future, Mrs. Maneffe managed to get him exempted on the grounds of physical defects; It is easy to find out under the guidance of the ear.Therefore, Olivier, the old horse of Charles X, and his wife, for Baron Hulot and Madame Maneffe, were willing to crucify Jesus afresh.

People outside, neither knowing the past of the Brazilian Montes de Montejano, of course have nothing to say.What's more, when everyone is eating, drinking and having fun there, how can they not protect the hostess?In addition to all the means of entertaining guests, Mrs. Maneffe also has a magic weapon, which is her latent power.For example, Claude Vignon, who became the secretary of Prince Vissambre Marshal, who hoped to sit in the Political Court as an examiner, was a frequent visitor to this salon, because there were several members of Congress who were very friendly and liked to gamble. .Mrs. Maneffe's group was assembled very cautiously and slowly. The members are all people with the same opinions and living habits, and they aim to flaunt each other and praise the hostess.Readers, please remember this principle: In Paris, the true Holy Alliance is the gangster who is in the dark.The union of interests will split sooner or later, and people with corrupt lives will always be inseparable.

In the third month after Mrs. Maneffe moved to Feather Street, she began to entertain Crewell.Soon he became mayor of the district and received the Medal of Honor.Crewell had hesitated a lot beforehand: he had always swaggered around the Tuileries Palace in his militia uniform, thinking he was as mighty as Napoleon, and he had to take off his uniform if he wanted to be mayor; Mrs. Knifer's instigation overcame his vanity.Mr. District Chief thinks that his relationship with Miss Heloise is not commensurate with his official addiction.Before ascending to the throne of the district office, his favorite object was kept a secret.But we can expect that Crewell has already paid the price, and has the right to retaliate at will for the hatred of Josepha: he is under the name of Valerie Fortin (marked as M. independent property) had deposited a sum with interest of six thousand francs.Valerie probably inherited the genius of being a concubine from her mother, and she saw through the character of this vulgar admirer at a glance.She knew that Crevel had told Lisbeth: "I have never had a woman of the highest class!" She used this sentence to make the deal with an interest rate of 5% and an annual interest of 6,000 francs.From then on, she never refused to lessen her popularity with Pirotto's old street runners.

Crewell's marriage was a dowry, and his wife was the daughter of a miller in Brie, and her estate accounted for three quarters of the Crewell family property.Because retailers get rich by buying and selling, it is often not as good as relying on the combination of shops and the rural economy.Most of the peasants, millers, cattlemen, and farmers around Paris would like their daughters to be a success at the counter; retailers, jewellers, and money changers are more important to them than notaries or attorneys-at-law. Ideal sons-in-law, they are afraid that notaries and the like will look down on them once they are proud.Madame Crewell, ugly, stupid, and vulgar, died at the right time, and had no pleasure in giving her husband any other pleasure than that of having a daughter.As for the lustful Crewell, in the early days of his business, due to his busy schedule and economic constraints, he had no choice but to quench his thirst by wishing for plum blossoms.His contact with Parisian ladies (to use his catchphrase) is limited to greetings and departures in the shop, privately admiring their demeanor, the art of dressing, and those unspeakable things, which are commonly called due to their kind The style of the relationship.Climbing to be able to communicate with the fairies in the salon was a great wish he made in his youth and has been suppressed in his heart.Therefore, being favored by Mrs. Maneffe not only stimulates his fantasy, but also is a matter of pride, vanity and self-esteem.The thing is successful, the ambition is bigger.He was smug and proud for a while, and then his heart was full of joy, and he couldn't be more happy.Crewell could not even have dreamed of the skills that Madame Manever had shown him, because neither Josepha nor Heloise had ever loved him, and Madame Manever felt that this man was her eternal fortune. , need to coax him well.The love bought with money is more moving than the real love.In true love, there are often quarrels chirping like sparrows, which inevitably arouse real anger and hurt harmony; joking quarrels make people's eyes tickle very comfortable.The rarity of meetings kept Crevel's lust forever at a passionate climax.Valerie was always giving him serious troubles, pretending to have a bad conscience, saying that her father's spirit in heaven didn't know what to think of her.He had to get over her icy attitude; at one moment the cunning little lady seemed to give in to the jerk's infatuation and he thought he had won; She overwhelmed Crewell with her majesty, the face of a lady of every family; for Crewell had assumed from the very beginning that she was a decent woman.Finally, Valerie possessed a secret tenderness which made Crevel as indispensable as the Baron.In front of everyone, she is innocent and pure, dignified and shrewd, charming and exotic; but when no one is around, her style is bolder than a whore, eccentric and full of tricks.This kind of contrast between the front and the back is most to the taste of people like Crewell.He was very complacent, thinking that she acted just to entertain him alone. While admiring the actors, he watched this wonderful fake show, and laughed.

Valerie also made the baron docile, and forced him to show his old age with flattery; her methods just showed the sinister intentions of this type of woman.A unique physique is like a castle that cannot be attacked for a long time, and its true condition will be exposed one day.Seeing that the handsome man in the imperial era was about to show his original shape, she felt that he should be made to make a fool of himself earlier.After six months of the adulterer's secret union with the adulterer, she said to him: "Old soldier, why do you bother? Don't you still have the ambition to be unfaithful to me? I think you look better if you don't dress up. Let me avoid those pretense. You think I love you for Have you waxed two coppers more on your boots, for your rubber corset, for your waistcoat, for your false hair? To tell the truth, the older you are, the more assured I am, the less my Hulot is untouched. Danger of snatching!" Since he is convinced of Madame Maneffe's love and sincere friendship--doesn't he intend to live with her until he grows old? —he heeded this thoughtful counsel, and gave up dyeing his temples and hair.One morning, Hector, a burly and beautiful man, appeared with white hair.Madame Manever told her dear Hector that she had seen that white thread at the root of his hair so many times.When she met that day, she said: "The white hair suits your face very well, it's much milder; you're very pretty and lovely." At the outset, the baron got rid of the leather vest, the corset, and everything that bound the body.The belly fell down, and the bloatedness of the body was revealed.The tall and straight oak tree transformed into a blockhouse, and the clumsiness of the movements was terrible. The baron suddenly aged a lot like Louis XII.The eyebrows are still black, and there is still a shadow of a handsome man, as if some sculptures are left on the wall of the old prince's mansion, suggesting the spirit of the palace in those days.This incongruous phenomenon makes the still very energetic and young eyes, and the face with purple chest all the more abrupt, because on the face that has been rosy for many years, the rough wrinkles are obviously the result of the struggle between lust and nature.Hulot's body was thus transformed into a majestic wreck, in which the vitality of life expressed itself in ears, nose, and fingers like vines and weeds, giving the impression of moss growing on the ruins of the Roman Empire. ① According to legend, Louis XII married the young and beautiful Mary of England when he was fifty-two years old, and died of illness three months later. Since the head of the militia wanted revenge and wanted to defeat Zhang Xiaoyu's Baron Jiao, how could Valerie deal with Crewell and Hulot so that they lived in peace?This point should be answered later, as long as we know that Lisbeth and Valerie arranged a set of schemes to bring about this result.Manefer saw that his wife became more beautiful in the environment where the stars were holding the moon and the moon was the only one, so he pretended to be revived in front of everyone, and loved his wife like crazy.Although this kind of jealousy made Mr. Maneffe a disastrous figure, Valerie's charity of love greatly increased her social status.Maneffe felt at ease with the Director, he had already declined to the point of fainting.The only person who pissed him off was Crewell. The rotten life peculiar to the metropolis was described by the Roman poets, and we have no name to name for our sense of shame; Maneve was washed away by this life, and its ugliness is like a wax anatomical specimen.But this consumptive ghost was dressed in fine clothes, his legs were dangling like bamboo poles in his beautiful trousers, and his shriveled chest was covered with white and fragrant underwear, and the smell of rotting human flesh was covered with musk.Valerie made him commensurate with property, decorations, and position, and taught him to wear boots with red heels according to the court custom.The ugly appearance of this dying prodigal son terrified Crewell so much that he couldn't bear the eyes of the deputy chief.Thinking of Manef, the mayor had nightmares.Unexpectedly, once the villain realized that his wife and Lisbeth had given him such power, he showed off his power even more.A corrupt fellow whose last source of income is playing cards in the living room, he squeezed Crewell as much as possible, and Crewell thought that since he had stolen his wife, a respectable civil servant should give up three points. Seeing the skeleton-like obscene thing, Crewell, who didn't know the details, was scared half short, and seeing Valerie look down on Crewell so much, she was as happy as a clown: the baron naturally thought that he was not qualified to be a rival in love. I often invite him to dinner. Valerie, with her two lovers' bodyguards and a jealous husband on guard, made everyone in her inner circle jealous and salivating.The most difficult success that most prostitutes can only hope for is a success that can only be achieved by ugly history, boldness, and publicity. Valerie achieved it in three years, and it was still very glamorous.Her beauty, the treasure that was buried in the mines of Changlaojie back then, is like a beautifully cut diamond, which will be set into a precious ring when Shano sees it, and the market price has already exceeded its value; she is creating victims! ... Claude Vignon was lovesick for her. After a three-year absence from those characters, this retelling is indispensable, and it is also a reckoning for Valerie.Here is the reckoning of her accomplice Lisbeth. Aunt Belle is a relative who is also a bridesmaid and housekeeper in the Manever family; but she is by no means like a person who accepts this awkward position due to circumstances, and will be wronged on both sides between master and servant.Lisbeth's friendship with Valerie was so warm, so rare among women, that it was immediately vilified by the narrow-minded Parisians.The masculine and dry character of the Lorraine woman contrasted with the exotic and soft character of Valerie, and it was this contrast that caused people to speak badly.Mrs. Maneffe took care of her friend in every possible way, which invisibly increased the weight of the rumors. In fact, she deliberately arranged a marriage for Bet, and this marriage, as we will see later, was for Lisbeth to avenge her shame. As bad as possible.Bette had literally been through a revolution; Valerie had done a great job at dressing her up.This eccentric girl, also wearing a corset, showed her narrow waist, her smooth hair was pomaded, and she wore the clothes sent by the tailor without any modification, and she wore elegant little boots, gray Stockings,—everything is credited to Valerie's account by the supplier and paid by the person concerned.After this modification, Bette always wore a yellow cashmere shawl, so that people who hadn't seen her for three years would hardly recognize her.This other black diamond, the rarest of all diamonds, after ingenious turning and proper setting, taught some ambitious civil servants to appreciate it very much.Anyone who meets Bette for the first time will be involuntarily attracted by her spicy breath.In order to accentuate this atmosphere, the clever Valerie made the best use of Bette's stiff figure and added embellishments to her attire, making her look like a bloody nun. The face, the black eyes just matched the black hair.Bethe, as if coming out of a picture frame, is as rigid and inert as the virgins of Cranach and van Eyck, or of Byzantine art; and those mysterious figures, It was originally of the same type as the idols made by Egyptian goddesses and Egyptian sculptors.She is a moving stone figure carved from granite basalt or porphyry.With the security of old age, Bet had a sense of humor; wherever she went to dine, the interest went with her.The baron had paid the rent for her small apartment, as has been said, and all the furniture had been given to her by her friend Valerie from the former bedroom and the small drawing-room. ①The character in the British novelist Lewis's "The Friar", a dissolute and terrible woman. ② Before Klarna (1472-1533), German painter and sculptor; Van Eyck (1385?-1441), Flemish painter. "I started out as a country girl who couldn't get enough to eat, but now I'm a fashionable woman," she said. She went on to do the most delicate embroidery for M. Rivet, saying that she would not waste time.In fact, her daily life was very busy; it was just the temper of the country people, who always refused to throw away the eaters, and in this they were like Jews. Every morning, just after dawn, Aunt Bei took the cook to the central vegetable market.In Bethe's plan, the family accounts that had ruined the Baron Hulot were supposed to make a fortune for her dear Valerie, and in fact they did. The socialism which the general demagogues spread among the lower classes is a socialism; and since 1838 there has not been a housewife who has not suffered from its consequences.In every household, the omission of personnel is the most serious of all financial omissions today.With very few exceptions—and those exceptions are really worthy of the Montion moral bonus,—cooks and cooks are inside thieves, wage-earners, shameless thieves, and the government is so gracious to hide them, Encourage them to steal, and the old joke about the basket weighs the bottom almost justifies the cook's plundering.In the past, the maid cheated two francs to buy the government lottery, and now she has to scrape fifty francs to deposit in the savings bank.It's ridiculous that such insensitive Puritans came to France to experiment with philanthropy, thinking that they had transformed the public into gentlemen!Between the master's dining table and the vegetable market, there is a secret checkpoint. The Paris city government collects import taxes, which are far less sophisticated than the servants who have no goods and no taxes.In addition to the heavy tax of 50% on all food, they also require retailers to give a generous gift during the holidays.Even the highest-level businessmen have to bow to this secret authority: car dealers, jewelers, tailors, there is no line of business that does not obey.If you want to supervise them, those servants will unceremoniously push you back, or pretend to be careless, cause you some big and small troubles, and make you lose money; in the past, it was the master who questioned their origins, but now it is They inquired about the master's details.The scourge of this kind of atmosphere has reached the extreme, even if the court uses heavy codes, it is useless; but as long as a law is enacted, the servants must have a worker's ID card, including your miraculous effect, and the long-standing abuses can be eliminated immediately.Servants must present their ID cards when they start work, and their masters must give their reasons for resignation when they resign. Only in this way can the corrupt customs be curbed in the future.Those who are preoccupied with the affairs of state know nothing of the depths to which the Parisian lower classes have sunk: its corruption is comparable only to its envy.I don't know how many twenty-year-old workers marry a forty-fifty-year-old cook who started by stealing, and this is impossible to find in statistics.The consequences of such a marriage, in terms of crime, racial degradation, and unreasonable spouse life, can be chilling.As for the economic loss caused by the theft of servants, it is also harmful from a political point of view.The burden of living has doubled, and most families can no longer afford additional expenses.On the one hand, extra expenses account for half of the business in various countries, and on the other hand, they also represent the essence of life.To many people, books and flowers are as important as bread. ① Montion (1733-1820), a French philanthropist, once established a variety of moral and literary awards, which are awarded by the French Academy every year. Lisbeth was well aware of this terrible wound of the Parisian family. When she and Valerie swore to be sisters in a tense situation and promised to help her as much as possible, it meant that she wanted to take charge of the family for Valerie.She found a relative from the Vosges Mountains, who had been a cook for the Bishop of Nancy, a very pious and square old girl.Because I am afraid that she has no experience in Paris, especially because she is afraid that she will listen to other people's bad ideas. Isn't this how many honest people who can't stand the temptation learn to be bad?Lisbeth specially accompanied Martine to the central vegetable market and taught her how to buy things.Knowing the real prices of various goods makes vegetable vendors dare not bully them. They do not eat fresh vegetables and buy them when they are cheap (such as fish). They are familiar with the food market and can anticipate rising winds and buy at low prices: this kind of Stewardship mind, in Paris is the most important to the family economy.Martine's salary is high and there are many rewards, so she naturally loves her master and is willing to buy it cheap.Recently, her grocery shopping skills have caught up with Lisbeth, and Lisbeth also thinks that she is quite experienced and reliable, except for the days when Valerie treats guests, she doesn't have to do it herself.But treats are frequent.The reason is: the baron became obedient, and in a short period of time he became more and more passionate about Mrs. Maneffe, and he became more and more greedy. He felt that the less he left her, the better.He ate four meals a week here first, and then he ate here every day.Six months after his daughter's marriage, he gave Madame Maneffe two thousand francs a month for his board.Madame Maneffe invited the guests whom her dear Baron wished to entertain.And there were always six guests ready for supper, and the baron could bring back three unexpected guests at any time.Lisbeth, by virtue of her financial skills, managed to make a very rich meal for a thousand francs, and saved a thousand francs a month for Madame Maneffe.Crevel and the baron paid for Valerie's clothing in large quantities, and the two girlfriends saved another thousand francs a month.Thus, a woman so pure and innocent had savings of about one hundred and fifty thousand francs.She made a capital out of the interest and the monthly private house, put it to the use of Crewell, and made a good fortune, because Crevel was very happy to let his little princess share in the good fortune of his exchange. .He showed Valerie the cuts and doorways of the speculative market; like all Parisian girls, she quickly surpassed her master.Lisbeth didn't have to worry about rent and clothes, took twelve hundred francs for nothing in interest, and had a small capital of five or six thousand francs, which Crevel made on his behalf. Even so, the love between the Baron and Crewell was, after all, a heavy burden for Valerie.There are certain things in life which, like a bell to bees, gather together the swarming bees; and it was this which disturbed Valerie the day after the story was re-opened, and she ran upstairs. Going to Lisbeth to lament bitterness, chatting about the subject like a cigarette hanging on the tip of the tongue, this is the old whining trick of women. "Lisbeth, let me tell you, what a pain it was to spend two hours with Crewell this morning! I wish I could ask you to do it for me!" "No way," Lisbeth laughed, "I'm going to be a virgin forever." "To these two old men! Sometimes I am ashamed! Oh! If poor mother sees me!" "You took me for Crewell." "Tell me, dear Bet, you don't despise me? . . . " "Whoa! If I was good-looking, I would...be flirtatious too. Not to mention you!" "But you can do whatever you like, and pick whoever you like," Madame Maneffe sighed. "Scary! Can Maneffe be a man? He's a corpse, and he should have been buried long ago; the Baron is your husband, and Crevel is your lover; I think you are just like any other woman, nothing more." Improper." "No, my good aunt, that's not what I'm suffering from. You don't want to pay attention to me..." "Oh! I see!" cried Bate, "your concern is my revenge. What are you in a hurry for! ...I'm working hard. " "I'm so worn out for Wenceslas that I can't even see my face!" said Valerie, stretching out her arms. "Hulot won't come to dinner with him! This cruel man doesn't know that he is loved." Him! What is his woman? It’s just a bunch of beautiful meat! Yes, she is good-looking, but me, I think I am more demon than her!” "Don't worry, child, he will come," Lisbeth said in a tone as if a nanny was coaxing an impatient child, "I definitely want him to come!..." "When?" "Maybe within this week." "Oh! How nice of you!" Thus it can be seen that the two women were one; Valerie's happiness, anger, and all behavior, even nonsense, were determined by the mature consideration of two people. On the one hand, Lisbeth was aroused by this kind of slut career, advising Valerie on matters big and small, and on the other hand, according to ruthless logic, she carried out her revenge plan.And she really likes Valerie, she regards her as a daughter, as a friend, as a lover. Sethra's chat was so much more interesting, they could have fun for a while at their trickery, make fun of men's stupidity, or calculate more and more interest on each other's property.Between Lisbeth's plan and her new friendship, there was a little more material than her former infatuation with Wenceslas for her to flourish.The pleasure of hatred and satisfaction is the most joyful and most hearty enjoyment of the soul.Our heart is like a mine of emotions, love is gold and hate is iron.Finally, Valerie's beauty in her prime was something she adored as much as one adores what one doesn't have; and this beauty was more elusive than Wenceslas's, not so much like his. cold. Nearing her third year, Lisbeth began to see progress in the work of sabotage she had secretly devoted her life to.Lisbeth was in charge of ideas, Madame Maneffe in charge of execution.Madame Maneffe was the knife, and Lisbeth was the hand, and these hands struck more and more urgently at the family she loathed more and more, for one's hatred is as much as one's love, It will increase day by day.Love and hate are two spontaneous emotions; but of the two, hate is the longer-lived.Love is limited because human energy is limited, and its supernatural power depends on life and squandering; hate is close to death, close to stinginess, it is an active, abstract thing, beyond life and everything.As soon as Lisbeth found his own world, all his ingenuity and intelligence were brought into play, and he was as powerful as a Jesuit.She was reborn and completely changed: she was radiant, and dreamed of becoming Marshal Hulot's wife in one leap. The above scene where the two friends confessed their concerns nakedly took place after Bet came back from the central vegetable market. She went to buy materials to cook a good dish that day.Maneffe coveted Mr. Kokai's position, and specially invited him to have dinner with the dignified Mrs. Kokai, and Valerie hoped that the problem of the section chief's resignation would be resolved that night because of Luo.Bette was dressing for dinner at the baroness's. "When you come back make us tea," said Valerie. "Probably ok..." "How likely? Are you going to sleep with Adeline and drink her tears in sleep?" "If it's true, I have no objection," laughed Lisbeth. "I'm glad she got what she deserved. I remember how it was when I was a child. Everyone had to change shifts. She's going to fall into the mud, and I'm going to be Fuzhi." Countess Hamp!" So Lisbeth set off for Feather Street; she went there lately, as one goes to the theatre, just for the excitement. The apartment Hulot found for Madame consisted of a large hall, a drawing room, and a bedroom with a bathroom.The dining room is connected parallel to the living room.There are two servant rooms and a kitchen on the fourth floor.It was a respectable residence for a senate and chief of armies.The house, yard, and stairs are all magnificent.The Baroness had to furnish the drawing-room, bedroom, and dining-room with remnants of her luxury, and brought the best of the old furniture from University Street.The poor lady also likes these old things. They have seen her happiness in the past, and they are like a thousand words, which can comfort her.She can see flowers in her memory, just as she can see roses on a carpet that others can't make out. The large hall, with twelve chairs, a weather watch, a big stove, and long curtains with red borders and white cloth, is very similar to the simple hall in a yamen;感受到这位夫人凄凉寂寞的生活。痛苦跟欢乐一样，会创造一种气氛的。走进人家的屋子，你第一眼就可以知道它的基调是什么，是爱情还是绝望。其大无比的卧房，美丽的花胡桃木家具还是雅各·台玛忒①设计的，全是帝政时代的雕工装饰，桌椅上的紫铜镶嵌，比路易十六式的黄铜装饰还要冷气逼人。男爵夫人坐在一张罗马式椅子里，前面摆着一张工作台，台脚是雕的斯芬克司；她脸上血色已经褪尽，却假装快活，保持她皇后一般威严的风度，好似她保存那件家常穿的蓝丝绒衣服一样。看到她这副情景，你是会发抖的。她全靠高傲的灵魂支持她的身体，维持她的美貌。男爵夫人在这座冷宫里呆了一年，就对于她苦难的深广完全体味到了。 “埃克托把我丢在这儿，我的生活比一个乡下女人还好得多哩，”她对自己说，“他要我这样，好吧，就照他的意旨办吧！我是于洛男爵夫人，法兰西元帅的弟媳妇。我从来没有一丝一毫的过失，两个孩子都已成家，凭着白壁无瑕的妻子身分，回想着我过去的幸福，我大可以等死了。” 工作台高头的墙上挂着于洛的肖像，穿着帝国禁卫军后勤司令的制服，是一八一○年代罗贝尔·勒费弗尔②的手笔。桌上放着一部《效法基督》，阿黛莉娜的经常读物，逢到来客才扔下的。这个无可非议的玛德莱娜③也在她的沙漠中静听圣灵的声音。 ①雅各·台玛忒（1770—1841），法国大革命前著名的高级木器工人。 ②罗贝尔·勒费弗尔（1756—1830），帝政时期及后来王政复辟时期的肖像画家，曾为拿破仑，教皇七世和路易十八等有名人物画像。 ③即《新约》中抹大拉的马利亚，原是有罪的娼妓，后为基督所感化，弃邪归正，忏悔终身。被尊为圣女。 “玛丽埃特，太太好吗？”李斯贝特问开门的厨娘。 “噢！小姐，面子上还好：可是对你说不要紧，这样下去，她是不要老命了，”玛丽埃特咬着贝特的耳朵。“真的，你该劝劝她生活过得好一点。昨天太太吩咐早上只给她两个铜子的牛奶，一个铜子的小面包；晚上或是鰽白鱼，或是一块冷的小牛肉，她教我煮上一斤预备吃一个礼拜，当然是在她一个人吃饭的时候端出去……她一天伙食只肯花六个铜子。这怎么行！要是我把这一套告诉了元帅，他准会跟男爵吵架，不给他遗产的；你可是又好心又能干，你能够想办法……” “干吗不告诉男爵呢？” “啊！好小姐，他有二十天二十五天不来了，你没有来的那个时期，他一直没有来过！再说，太太拿开差威吓我，不准我向先生要钱。但是说到痛苦吧……吓，可怜的太太真是一肚子的委屈！先生把她忘了这么久还是第一遭……每次打铃，她总奔到窗口张望……可是最近四五天，她坐在椅子里不动了。她在看书！每回上伯爵夫人家，她总吩咐我：玛丽埃特，要是先生来，告诉他我就在屋子里；你教门房跑一趟，我一定重重赏他酒钱！” “可怜的表姊！”贝特说，“听你这么说，我心都碎了。我天天跟表姊夫提到她。可是白费！他说：不错，贝特，我是一个昏蛋；太太是天使，我是魔鬼！我明天准去……结果他还是待在玛奈弗太太家里；这女人把他败光了，他可把她当做心肝宝贝，简直离不开她。我只能尽我的力量！要没有我在那儿带着玛蒂里讷帮忙，男爵的钱还要多花一倍；那时他既然什么都完了，也许早已把自己一枪打死。可是，玛丽埃特，男爵死了，阿黛莉娜还能活吗？至少我想法在那里弥缝，不让表姊夫吃掉太多的钱……” “可怜的太太也是这么说；她知道欠你不少情分；她说她从前把你看错了……” “啊！”李斯贝特叫了一声，“她没有说别的吗？” “没有，小姐。要是你想使她快活，你得跟她多提提先生； 她还羡慕你天天看到他呢。 " “里面没有人吗？” “对不起，元帅在里面。噢！他天天来的，她告诉他早上才看到先生，因为他晚上回来很迟。” “今天有什么好菜？”贝特问。 玛丽埃特半吞半吐不敢回答，洛林姑娘望着她的那副眼神，她有些受不住。这时客厅的门开了，于洛元帅从里边直冲出来，对贝特望也不望的点了点头，百忙中把手里的纸张丢落在地下。贝特知道对聋子叫嚷是没用的，便检起纸片奔到楼梯头；但她假做没有能追上元帅，回来把纸上写的铅笔字赶紧看了一遍： 大哥，埃克托给了我一季的家用，可是奥棠丝有急用，我全部借给了她还不够解决困难。你能不能借我几百法郎？我不愿意再向埃克托开口；给他埋怨一句我就受不了。 “啊！”贝特心里想，“折辱到这步田地，她一定是山穷水尽了！” 李斯贝特走进去，看见阿黛莉娜在哭，便马上过去搂住她的脖子，说： “阿黛莉娜，亲爱的孩子，我都知道了！元帅出门的时候，慌慌张张象一条猎狗，把这张纸丢落了……荒唐的埃克托一直没有给你钱吗？……” “他准期给的，可是奥棠丝有一笔急用……” “而你今天连我们的晚饭都开不出来，”贝特截住了堂姊的话，“怪不得我跟玛丽埃特提到晚饭，她那么吞吞吐吐。阿黛莉娜，别装傻了！好吧，我把积蓄给你。” “谢谢你，好贝特，”阿黛莉娜抹着眼泪回答，“这一回的周转不灵是短时间的。将来我已经想好办法。从今以后，我只消花二千四百法郎一年，连房租在内，这笔钱我一定有着落。贝特，你不能对埃克托露一句口风。他好哇？” “噢！好得很！他象小雀子一样的开心，只想着他的妖精瓦莱丽。” 于洛太太望着窗外一株大雪松，李斯贝特一点儿猜不出她的眼神表示什么意思。 “你跟他提过没有，今天是大家在这儿吃饭的日子？” “怎么不提？可是玛奈弗太太今儿大请客，想解决科凯先生的辞职问题！她的事当然顶要紧喽！阿黛莉娜，你听我说：你把我不受拘束的脾气当做凶器。你丈夫一定要把你败光的。我本以为住在那边对你们大家都有好处，不料那女人坏到极点，会教他做些事，丢尽你们的脸呢。” 阿黛莉娜身子一震，仿佛给人当胸扎了一刀。 “嗳，阿黛莉娜，那是一定的。我非提醒你不可。所以咱们得想到将来！元帅老了，可是日子还长着哩，他有一笔很大的薪水，他的寡妇可以在他身后拿到一年六千法郎的恩俸，有了这笔款子，我负责养活你们一家！他信你的话，你得劝他老人家跟我结婚。我不是要当什么元帅夫人，那套空话，象玛奈弗太太的良心一样，我决不信；可是那么一来，你们都有饭吃啦。我看，奥棠丝的面包也有问题，既然你还把自己的面包给她。” 说到这里，元帅进来了；老军人走得那么急，用围巾抹着脑门上的汗。 “我交给玛丽埃特两千法郎，”他凑着弟媳妇的耳朵说。 阿黛莉娜从脸上红起一直红到头发根。两颗眼泪沿着长睫毛转动，她一声不出的紧紧压了压老人的手，他象得意的情人一样快活，继续说： “阿黛莉娜，我本想用这笔钱给你买一样礼物；现在，这笔钱不用还我了，你自己去挑一样最喜欢的东西吧。” 他快活得忘其所以，过来抓着李斯贝特向他伸出的手亲了一下。 “你的事有希望，”阿黛莉娜对李斯贝特说，尽她的可能笑了笑。 这时小于洛夫妇来了。 “弟弟来吃饭吗？”元帅的口气不大婉转。 阿黛莉娜抓起铅笔在一小方纸上写道： “我等他呢。他早上答应回来吃饭的；如果不来，准是大臣把他留住了，他忙得很。” 写罢，她把纸递过去。她为元帅想出这种笔谈的方式，工作台上老是预备好铅笔和纸条。 “我知道，”元帅回答，“他为了阿尔及利亚的事忙得不开交。” 奥棠丝和文赛斯拉也来了。看到全家人都在身边，男爵夫人不由得对元帅望了一眼，那意义只有贝特一个人懂得。 这个有了幸福的，有妻子爱、有社会捧的艺术家，出落得更俊美了。他的脸差不多圆了，美妙的身段烘托出真正贵族血统的特点。早熟的荣名，要人的身分，世俗对艺术家浮而不实的恭维，例如见面问好或是今天天气哈哈哈一类的俗套，促成了他的优越感，等到一朝才尽，这优越感就变为妄自尊大。荣誉勋位的十字勋章，更加强了他大人物的自信。 结婚三年，奥棠丝对丈夫，有如一条狗对它的主人：他一举一动，她都用眼睛打问号；他到哪儿，她目光便转到哪儿，好似守财奴钉着他的金银财宝；她用钦佩与牺牲使他感动。她显然有母亲的天性，受母亲的点化。依然娇艳的容颜，给心中的隐忧蒙上了一重阴影，带点儿幽怨的诗意。 李斯贝特看到甥女进门，就感觉到她抑压已久的诉苦之声，快要不再顾虑而爆发了。在他们蜜月的初期，李斯贝特已经断定青年夫妇过于徽薄的收入，绝对不能配合他们的热情。 奥棠丝拥抱母亲的时候，彼此咬着耳朵，心贴着心，交换了几句；看她们摇头耸脑的神气，贝特猜到了她们的神秘。 她想： “好，阿黛莉娜也得象我一样谋生了。我要知道她做些什么……她那些美丽的手指头，要象我的一样尝尝苦工的滋味了。” 六点钟，大家走进饭厅。埃克托的刀叉也摆在那里。 “别拿走，先生有时很晚也会来的，”男爵夫人吩咐玛丽埃特。 “噢！父亲会来的，”小于洛对母亲说，“在议会里临走的时候，他答应我的。” 李斯贝特好比蹲在网中央的蜘蛛，在留神每个人的脸色。她是眼看奥棠丝与维克托兰下地的，他们的脸对她象镜子一样，可以一直看到他们年轻的心里去。维克托兰偷觑母亲的神色，显见有点儿事要爆发而维克托兰不敢说出来。年轻的名律师担着很大的心事。他端详母亲时那种痛苦，显出他敬爱母亲的深情。奥棠丝，一心一意只想着自己的苦闷；半个月以来，李斯贝特知道她为了手头窘迫而发急，那是一生清白、凡事如意、有苦不能明说的少妇们初次受到经济压迫的焦急。所以贝特根本不相信母亲给过女儿什么钱。穷得无可奈何的人往往编造谎话去借钱，想不到素来方正的阿黛莉娜也出此下策了。老元帅的耳聋已经使饭桌上冷清清的，加上奥棠丝与维克托兰心不在焉，男爵夫人一肚子不快活，愈加使这顿饭索然无味了。只有三个人在那里提着兴致：贝特，赛莱斯蒂纳，文赛斯拉。奥棠丝的爱情，激发了波兰人兴奋的性格，那种爱说爱笑爱热闹的脾气，使人家把他们叫做北方的法国人。他的精神、脸色，都说明他极有自信，而可怜的奥棠丝，始终依照母亲的嘱咐，把日常生活的烦恼全数瞒着他。离开饭桌的时候，贝特对她的姨甥说： “你应该很高兴了，妈妈给了你钱，让你渡过难关。” “妈妈！”奥棠丝觉得莫名其妙。“噢！可怜的妈妈，我倒想替她弄点钱呢！你不知道，贝姨，说来可怕，我疑心她在暗中做活呢。” 大家穿过黑沉沉的大客厅，向阿黛莉娜的卧房走去，客厅没有点火，就只玛丽埃特端着饭桌上的灯在前面带路。维克托兰碰了一下贝特和奥棠丝的手臂；两人便让文赛斯拉、赛莱斯蒂纳、元帅、和男爵夫人走进卧室，他们却在窗前面停下，凑在一起。 “什么事，维克托兰？”贝特开口说，“我相信一定是你父亲出了乱子。” “唉！正是！一个放印子钱的，叫做沃维奈，拿了父亲六万法郎的借据要告他，我在议院里想跟父亲谈谈这件糟糕的事，他理都不理，简直躲着我。要不要通知母亲呢？” “万万不能，”贝特说，“她已经伤心透了，这一下可要她的命了，你得体贴她一点儿。你们还不知道她落到什么地步呢；没有你们的伯父，今天就吃不成这顿饭。” “啊！我的天！维克托兰，我们简直是禽兽了，”奥棠丝对她的哥哥说，“贝姨告诉我们的，其实我们早该猜想到。我的夜饭要呕出来了。” 奥棠丝话没有说完，就拿手帕堵住嘴巴，惟恐哭出声来。 “我要那个沃维奈明天来看我，”维克托兰往下说，“可是他肯接受我房产的抵押吗？我看未必。这般家伙要的是现款，好再去盘剥别人。” “把咱们的终身年金卖掉吧，”贝特对奥棠丝说。 “一万五六千法郎有什么用！”维克托兰回答，“这笔债有六万呢！” “亲爱的姨母！”奥棠丝拥抱着贝特，表示真心的感激。 “不必，贝姨，你那份小家产还是留起来吧，”维克托兰也握了握贝姨的手，“我明儿可以知道那家伙究竟是什么意思。要是我太太同意，我能够把告发的事拦下来，拖一拖。看到父亲的声望受到损害，真是！……真是太可怕了。陆军大臣又要怎么说？父亲的薪水，三年以前就押出去了，要今年十二月才满期；眼前没法拿去做担保。沃维奈已经把借票展期十一次；父亲付过多少利息，你们算算吧！这个窟窿非堵住不可。” “要是玛奈弗太太能够离开他……”奥棠丝恨恨的说。 “啊！还是不离开的好！”维克托兰说，“父亲或许会去找别的女人；在这儿，至少最大的费用已经开发了。” 从前孩子们对父亲何等敬重，母亲又从旁把他们的敬意维持了多少年，如今却变成这种态度！他们已经把父亲看透了。 “没有我，你父亲还要糟呢，”贝特说。 “咱们进去吧，”奥棠丝说，“妈妈细心得很，她会疑心的，咱们就得照贝姨说的，一切瞒着她……得装出快快活活的样子！” “维克托兰，你不知道你父亲这个喜欢女人的脾气，会把你们害到什么地步，”贝特说，“为你们将来的保障，还是让我跟元帅早点儿结婚吧。我等会就走，这件事你们今晚就该跟他提。” 维克托兰走进卧室去了。 “喂，我的孩子，”李斯贝特轻轻的问她的姨甥女，“你呢，你的事又怎么啦？” “明儿到我们家来吃饭吧，我们再谈，”奥棠丝回答，“我不知道怎么办好；生活的艰苦，你是有经验的，你可以替我出点儿主意。” 正当全家聚在一块向元帅劝亲，而李斯贝特回到飞羽街去的时候，飞羽街公寓里出了一件大事，对玛奈弗太太一流的女人正好刺激她们作恶的力量，把魔法邪道如数施展出来。可是我们得承认：在巴黎，生活的忙乱使恶人也无暇单凭本能去作恶，他们只是靠了邪恶的帮助，抵抗外来的攻击。