Chapter 27 Chapter Two (2)

"That's great!" her nephew whispered in her ear with satisfaction. Jacques Curlin followed the guard.The guards took him to the yard where he was released. Bibi-Lupin was discouraged and was finally seen by a real gendarme.Ever since Jacques Curlin had left, he had been making a sort of "hum! huh!" sound.The real gendarme went to replace him in the prisoner's cell.However, the enemy of the "ghost" came a step too late, and did not see the lady. She had already boarded her gorgeous carriage and disappeared without a trace.Although her voice was delicately decorated, there was still a hoarse component that reached his ears.

"Hey! Three hundred francs for the prisoner! . . . " When Mr. Gore handed over the purse to his recorder, the warden pointed to the purse and said to Bibi-Lupin. "Take it out and have a look, Monsieur Jacometti," said Bibi-Lupin. The head of the secret police took the money bag, poured the gold coins into his hands, and observed carefully. "It's really gold! . . . " he said, "and it's got a coat of arms on it! Oh, the rascal, what a hand he has! He's a rascal through and through! He's cheated us all, and cheats us all the time! . . . he should have been shot like a dog!"

"What's going on?" asked the recorder, taking the purse. "This woman is a liar!..." Bibi Baibai yelled loudly, stomping her feet on the stone floor outside the side door with all her might. These few words caused a strong shock to those present.They were gathered together at some distance from M. Sanson.Monsieur Sanson has been standing in the center of this vaulted hall, with his back against the big fire, on standby to change the clothes of the criminals and erect the gallows in the beach square. Jacques Curlin walked towards his "friends" with the usual steps of regular customers of "Meadow" after arriving in the courtyard.

"What is on your mind?" he said to Lapraille. "I have succeeded," said the murderer.Jacques Curlin had led him into a corner. "I need a reliable friend right now." "What is it for?" Lapraille related all his crimes to his boss, in slang, of course, and then gave a detailed account of the murder and theft at the Crottas' house. "I admire you," Jacques Curlin said to him, "you have done a good job. However, it seems to me that you have made a mistake..." "What is wrong?" "When it's done, you should get a Russian passport, dress up as a Russian prince, buy a nice carriage with coats of arms, boldly deposit your money with a banker, ask for a letter of credit to Hamburg , accompanied by a valet, a valet, and your mistress in the disguise of a princess, slip away in the mail van. When you arrive in Hamburg, you embark for Mexico. A wise man holds two hundred and eighty thousand Gold Franc, you can do what you want, and go where you want! Ah!"

"Oh, you have these thoughts because you're the boss! . . . You'll never lose your head, you! But I . . . " "After all, in your position, a good idea is equivalent to a bowl of resurrection soup for the dead." Jacques Curlin continued, looking at his "brother" with a convincing look. "That's right!" Lapraye said with a puzzled look, "Give me this bowl of rejuvenation soup! If you can't give me nourishment, you can still wash my feet..." "You've been caught by the 'stork' now, with five counts of aggravated larceny, three counts of homicide, most recently of two well-to-do property owners. Juries don't like the killing of property owners . . . You will be condemned to death. There is no hope at all! . . . "

"That's what they all told me," La Praille replied pitifully. "I was just talking to my aunt Jacqueline in the clerk's office. You know, she's the mother of the fraternity, and she told me that Stork is going to kill you because he's worried about you." "But now that I'm rich, what do they worry about?" said LaPlayet, with an air of innocence that showed how deeply rooted the idea of ​​stealing as a natural right was in the minds of thieves. "We don't have time for philosophy," said Jacques Curran. "Let's talk about your situation again..."

"What do you want me to do?" Lapraye interrupted the boss and asked. "You'll find out in a minute. A dog is of some use when it's dead." "Useful for others! . . . " said Lapraille. "I include you in my sphere of activity!" Jacques Curlin replied. "That's good enough!..." said the murderer, "and what about the future?" "I don't want to know where your money is. But I want to ask you, what are you going to do with it?" Lapraille peeped into the boss's impenetrable eyes.Jacques Curlin went on icily:

"Do you love some 'Backwind'? Have a kid or a brother to protect? I'm going out in an hour, and I'll do anything for anyone you want to do them a favor .” Lapraye was still hesitating.He is like a soldier holding a gun and not knowing what to do.Jacques Curlin then resorted to his last resort: "Your share is thirty thousand francs in our deposit. Do you want to leave it to the Brotherhood, or give it to someone? Your share is safe and sound, and I can give it to you tonight. in the hands of that person." The murderer couldn't help showing his joy. "I have him in my hand!" thought Jacques Collin. "Stop wobbling around. Think again? . . . " he said, leaning into LaPlayet's ear. "We haven't even ten minutes, old man . . . Talk. This man, I have him in my hands, I can break the neck of the Stork! I can surely save Madeleine."

"If you save Madeleine, my good boss, you can do it for me..." "We need not waste our words!" said Jacques Curlin in a stiff voice, "make your will!" "Well, I would like to give the money to Cornore," said Lapraille, with a pitiful face. "Hey! . . . So you're with Moise's widow! That Jew, Moise, was the leader of a gang of robbers who robbed trucks in the South, wasn't he?" asked Jacques Collin. "Ghosts are taken in" are like those generals who know all the members of their troops well. "That's her." Lapraye said very proudly.

"What a pretty woman!" said Jacques Curlin.He is very good at playing this kind of terrible conspiracy, "This 'Backwind' is very shrewd, knows a lot of things, and is very honest. He is an out-and-out thief... Ah! You have fallen into the arms of Gonoel again! So This 'rear sidewind' has been 'buried', what a fool! What a fool! She should be doing a decent little business and earning a living!... How is she doing?" "She settled on St. Beard Street and ran a brothel..." "So you named her your heir? . . . Oh dear, we've done such a foolish thing to love them, these whores have brought us to this! . . . "

"Yes. But, I'll give it to her after I'm done." "It must be done!" said Jacques Curlin in a solemn tone. "Is there nothing left for the Brotherhood?" "Nothing. They had me arrested," replied Lapraille, full of hatred. "Who betrayed you? Will you ask me to avenge you?" Jacques Curlin asked eagerly, trying to awaken the last emotion that shook these hearts in the last moments of his life. "Who knows, my old brother, for While you take revenge, maybe you can reach a settlement with the 'stork'?..." Upon hearing this, the murderer looked at his boss with eyes full of happiness. "But," replied the proprietor, addressing that expressive face, "I am only acting for Theodore now. When the farce is over, my dear fellow, I can do it for a friend of mine." Many things, you are my friend..." "If I could just see you postponing poor little Theodore's ceremony, I'd do what you asked me to..." "It's done, I'm sure I'll save his head from the claws of the 'stork'. To get out of prison, you see, La Praillet, we'll have to join hands . . . a One can't do anything..." "That's true!" exclaimed the murderer. Laplaye has full trust in the boss, and has a fanatical belief.He no longer hesitated. Lapraille revealed the inside story of his accomplice.This inside story has never been leaked until now.It was this that Jacques Curlin wanted to know. "That's the way it is. In this case, there are policeman Ruffal under Bibi-Lu Ban, me and Gao Dai." "'Plucking'?..." Jacques Curran yelled loudly, and said Ruffal's thief name. "Yes, these rascals betrayed me, because I knew where they were, and they didn't know where I was hiding." "You oiled my boots, dear," said Jacques Curlin. ◎The slang words mean; the things you told me will help me get out of prison. "What did you say!" "Listen," replied the Boss, "do you see what you can get by trusting me with all your heart? ... Now, revenge for you is one point in the game I'm playing! ... I don't ask you to tell me you You can tell me where you hide your money at the last moment. But, tell me about Rufar and Gao Dai!" "You are and will always be our boss, and I have nothing to keep secret from you," replied La Praillet. "My gold is hidden in the cellar of the house of Cornor." "Aren't you worried about your 'rear crosswind'?" "Hey! This! She doesn't know anything about what I did!" said La Plaille. "Even though Cornell is a woman who can't speak a word with a knife on her neck, I got her drunk. There is so much gold!" "Yes, it spoils the purest conscience, like milk! . . . " answered Jacques Collin. "So, I did this, and no one saw me! Even the chickens and ducks were sleeping in coops. The gold was buried three feet deep in the ground behind the bottle, and it was covered with pebbles and mortar. .” "Good!" said Jacques Curlin, "then where are they hiding? . . . " "Ruval hid at Gornol's house, in the poor woman's bedroom, and by this he held her in his hands, because, if it were revealed, she would be a dirty accomplice to go to St. Lazar Prison for the rest of her life." "Oh, you wretch! The police have made you thieves! . . . " said Jacques. "Gaudai hid his things in his sister's house. His sister was a small cotton washerman, an honest girl. If it happened, she might go to prison for five years, which is what she would never do." As expected. Gao Dai pried off the ashlar on the ground, then laid it again, and then filled the seam." "Do you know what I want you to do?" said Jacques Curlin at this moment, looking at Laplace with a magnetic look. "What are you doing?" "Cut to your account what happened to Madeleine..." Lapraye's body trembled strangely, but under the gaze of the boss, he quickly returned to a submissive posture. "Ah! You have already let out a cry of dissatisfaction! You still want to participate in my affairs! Hey, aren't four murders and three murders the same thing?" "Maybe so!" "For God's sake, you have no blood in your veins, and I'm still thinking about saving you! "How to save?" "Fool, if you promise to return the gold to the family, you can excuse yourself and go into the Meadow of Life. If they take the money, I won't give your head away. You are worth seven hundred thousand francs now, fool!……" "Boss! Boss!" Lapraye exclaimed ecstatically. "Besides, we have to add the crime of homicide to Ruffal!..." Jacques Curran continued, "Bibi-Luban will be dismissed at once... I hold him in the palm of my hand !" At this idea Lapraille was stunned, his eyes widened as if he were a statue.It had been three months since he had been arrested, and he was about to go to felony court.His friends at La Force Prison had advised him, but he had not confided in them his accomplices.He weighed up his crime and was completely hopeless.And this plan, all the smart people who were sentenced did not think of it.So, this semblance of hope nearly stupefied him. "Have Ruffal and Gaudet lived a life of debauchery? Have they already spent part of the gold coins?" Jacques Curlin asked. "They don't dare," LaPlayet replied. "These rascals are waiting for my head to drop. That's what 'Female Postmark' told me when she called my 'Backwind' when she came to see 'Male Postmark.'" "Very well! In twenty-four hours we shall have their money! . . . " exclaimed Jacques Curlin.Those guys can't get dirty like you, you'll be as white as snow, and they'll be bloody red.You let them pull down the water, but after my care, you'll be a straight lad.I'm holding your money for your other legal actions.You'll still go into the 'meadow', and once you're in, you'll try to get out... It's a miserable life, but you're still alive! " Lapraye's eyes showed great excitement in his heart. "Boy! You can do a lot with seven hundred thousand francs!" said Jacques Collin.He intoxicated his "brother" with hope. "Boss! Boss!" "I'm going to make the Attorney General's head spin... ah! It's going to make them look good about Ruffal, it's going to make the police station go crazy, Bibi-Rubin is over!" "Well, it's settled!" Lapraye shouted ecstatically, "You give the order, I will obey you." As he spoke, he embraced Jacques Curran in his arms, with tears of joy in his eyes.He felt he could save his head. "It's not over yet," said Jacques Curran, "'stork' indigestion, especially with the fact of 'doubling the fever' (revealing new facts to be held accountable). Now 'going to send a woman up' (to make a false revelation about a woman)." "How do I deliver it? What is it for?" the murderer asked. "Help me! You'll understand!..." "Tricked" replied. Jacques Curlin had briefly confided to La Plaille the inside story of the local crimes in Nanterre, and made him understand that a woman must agree to play the role of Gineta.Then, he and the jubilant Lapraye walked to the "Hong Postmark". "I know how much you love 'Female Postmark'..." Jacques Curlin said to "Male Postmark". The look that "Hungry Postmark" casts on him is a terrible poem. "What will she do while you're in the 'Grass'?" "Hey, what do you think if I put her in La Force, Madelonette, or Saint-Lazare for a year for you, and that's when you'll be tried, set off, arrive, and break out? Sample?" "You can't work this miracle, she has no accomplice," said the lover of the Female Postmark. "Ah! my 'male postmark'," said LaPlayet, "our boss is more capable than God! . . . " "What's the code word for you to connect with her?" Jacques Curran asked "Xiong Postmark", posing as a leader who would definitely not be rejected. "Sorgue a pantin (Night in Paris). When she hears this, she knows that the speaker is coming from me. If you want her to obey you, you can show her a five-franc piece, Say it at the same time: Fo nbif (a word formed by rearranging the letters of the word 'female postmark')" "She will be sentenced in the verdict of La Praille, and she will be pardoned after a year of confession." Jacques Colin looked at La Praille and said as if he was educating people. Lapraille understood the master's plan, and with a wink, he promised him to make "male postmark" resolve to cooperate, and "female postmark" to act as a false accomplice in the crime he was about to commit. "Goodbye, children! You will soon learn that I rescued my child from Charlo." "Daughtered" said, "Yes, Charlo has brought his personal maid in the secretary's room Waiting to dress Madeleine! Look," said he, "the 'Captain Stork' (the Attorney-General) has sent for me." Sure enough, a guard came out of the side door and gestured to the powerful man.The dangers of the young Corsican boy impelled him to develop the ferocious skill with which he was adept at fighting society. Just when Lucien's body was taken from him, Jacques Collin made up his mind to show his ability again through something, not through someone.It is not pointless to point this out.At last he made up his fateful mind, as Napoleon had made up his mind when he sailed in his skiff to the Bellerophon. ◎Strange to say, in this matter, various factors are helping this devil. ◎July 15, 1815, after Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Waterloo, he took a two-masted boat "Yashtreb" and sailed to the British warship "Belerophon".The British transferred Napoleon from the "Belerophon" to the "Northumberland" and imprisoned Napoleon on the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean on October 16. The unexpected end to this sinful life may take some of the luster off the character.Today, such an ending can only be achieved through something unacceptable and unbelievable.Before we enter the Attorney-General's office with Jacques Curran, it is worth following Madame Camusot to see where she went when these things happened in the attached prison. It is a duty which the historian of manners should never forsake, not to injure truth by apparently dramatic arrangements, especially when truth has become legendary.The state of society, especially in Paris, contains so many accidents, so many intricacies and unforeseen circumstances, that the imagination of the fabricator cannot keep up.Truth is bold, it can reach places that art cannot express, it is unbelievable and even implausible, unless the writer edits and dilutes it. Madame Camusot put on a morning make-up deliberately, almost showing elegance.For the judge's wife who had lived in the provinces for six years, this was no easy feat.From eight to nine in the morning she would call on the Marquise de Espar and the Duchesse de Maufignès, to make sure that they had nothing bad to say about her attire.We must hasten to say: Amelie-Cécile Camusot, though a Tyrion girl, was only half successful.Hadn't she made two mistakes in her adornment? ... It is difficult to imagine how useful Parisian women could be to ambitious men of all kinds.Whether in high society or in the world of thieves, they are indispensable.In the world of thieves, as you have just seen, they play an important role.Now imagine a man who has to speak to a great man within a certain time, or he will never see the light of day.This remarkable figure during the Restoration period is still called the Minister of Seals.You choose a man in the best position, a judge, that is to say, someone who knows the courts.The judge had to go to a division chief, or a private secretary, or secretary general, and explain to them the necessity of an immediate audience.If you want to see a minister who keeps the seal, can you see him right away?During the day, if he is not in the House of Representatives, he is in the meeting of ministers, or is signing documents, or is receiving guests.In the morning, he doesn't know where to sleep; in the evening, he has official or private affairs.The head of the judiciary would be very busy if every judge could ask him to set aside time for an interview with some excuse.Therefore, special and immediate requests need to be submitted to a powerful intermediary for approval.If he's your opponent, that's an obstacle, a gate to get through.However, if it is a woman, she will go to another woman, and she will immediately go into the bedroom and call the attention of the mistress or the valet, especially if the mistress is closely related to the matter or feels very urgent. in this way.Please call the Marquise de Espar a woman of power, she is not even a minister dared to neglect her.The woman wrote an ambergris-scented note, and her valet delivered the letter to the minister's valet.When the minister woke up and saw the letter, he was able to read it immediately. Even if the minister was on official business, he would be delighted at the thought of visiting a queen of Paris, a dignitary of Saint-Germain, a princess, dauphin's wife, or favorite of the king.Casimir Perrier, the only real minister of the cabinet during the July Revolution, used to drop everything to go to a former chief nobleman in the council of King Charles X. This fact shows how powerful the following passage is. "Madame, Madame Camusot has a very urgent matter to see, Madam, you know!" Madame de Espar's personal maid thought that the mistress was awake, so she informed her like this. The Marchioness loudly ordered Amelie to be brought in at once.The judge's wife spoke first, and the Marchioness listened attentively: "Marquise, we avenged you, but we ourselves are finished..." "What's the matter, my little beauty? . . . " replied the Marchioness, gazing at Madame Camusot, who was standing in the gloom before the half-open door, "you were wearing this hat this morning like a fairy. Where did you find this pattern? . . . " "Madame, you are very kind... But you know that Camusot's interrogation of Lucien de Robampré in that manner drove the young man into despair, and he hanged himself in prison..." "How is Mrs. de Serich?" the Marchioness said loudly, pretending to know nothing, and asked the other party to tell her everything again. "Oh, people think she's crazy..." Amelie replied, "ah! If you can get the Minister's consent, ask him to send messengers to the Judicial Building to summon my husband immediately, and the Minister will learn many strange things. , he will surely tell the king...then Camusot's enemies will be speechless." "Who is Camusot's enemy?" asked the Marchioness. "The Attorney General, and now Mr. de Serich..." "Very well, my dear," replied Madame de Espar.Her humiliating lawsuit to declare her husband interdicted was lost because of the interference of M. de Granville and M. de Serici. "I have come to protect you. I will not forget my friends nor my enemies." She rang the bell to have the curtains opened.Sunlight pours into the room.She wanted a small writing table, and the personal maid brought it over.The Marquise hastily wrote a short note. "Ask Gaul to ride this letter to the Office of the Lord Seal. Don't wait for an answer," she said to her maid. A personal maid hurried out of the room.In spite of this order from her mistress, she stood outside the door for a few minutes. "So there's a big secret?" asked Madame de Espar. "Tell me, my dear. Was Clotilde de Grandlieu involved in the case?" ?” "The Marquise can get all the information from the Minister. My husband told me nothing, he only told me that he was in a very dangerous position. Madame de Serich is so mad that we would rather die." OK." "Poor woman!" said the Marchioness, "hasn't she been a madman?" A woman of high society can say the same sentence in a hundred different ways, to show the perceptive eye that the subject is very wide.When speaking, the mind enters fully into the voice and eyes, and imprints itself in the light and air where the eyes and larynx work.Through the circumflex pronunciation of the words "poor woman!", the Marchioness expressed the joy of revenge and the joy of victory.what!How could she not want Lucien's protector to suffer catastrophe!The object of hatred is dead, and the heart of revenge is still alive, and it will never be satisfied. What a secret horror!Madame Camusot, though hard-hearted, grudge-loving, and troublesome, was shocked by this statement.She couldn't say a word, just stood there silent. "Diana did say to me that Leontine was in prison," continued Madame de Espar, "and the dear Duchess is saddened by the situation, because she is very fond of De Cey." Mrs. Ritchie. Of course it is understandable. They both fell in love with this little fool Lucien almost at the same time. Nothing unites or separates two women so much as worshiping at the same altar. So this dear friend spent two hours yesterday in Leontina's bedroom. The poor countess is said to have said terrible things! I was told they were particularly disgusting!  … A respectable woman It shouldn't be so much! . . . Well, it's pure carnal love . . . The Duchess came to see me, pale as a dead man, and she has a bit of courage! There are some strange things in this case . . . " "My husband will tell everything to the Keeper of the Seal, so that he can vindicate himself. Others want to save Lucien, but he, Marchioness, is doing his duty. An examining magistrate must always be held incommunicado for the time required by law. Prisoner!... People always want to ask this poor little bastard about things, but he didn't realize that this kind of interrogation was just a formality, but he immediately confessed..." "He's a stupid, presumptuous fellow!" said Madame de Espar sharply. The judge's wife was silent at this decisive remark. "We lost the case of M. de Espar's interdiction. It was not M. Camusot's fault. I will not forget this!" said the Marchioness after a moment's pause. Monsieur Serich, Monsieur Beauwan, and Monsieur de Granville have lost us. In time, God will be on my side! And these people will suffer. Don't worry, I will send de Granville at once Knight Espar meets with the Lord Seal and tells him to call your husband as soon as possible, if it will be of any use..." "Ah! Madame..." "Listen!" said the Marchioness, "I promise you an immediate honor tomorrow. I confer on you the Legion of Honour. This is a powerful proof of my satisfaction with your conduct in this case. Yes, it is very important to Lucien." This is another condemnation, which means that he is guilty! It is rare for someone to hang himself for fun... Well, goodbye, dear beauty!" Ten minutes later, Madame Camusot entered the bedroom of the beautiful Diana de Mauffignes.Madame de Mauvignes went to bed at one o'clock in the morning and was still awake by nine o'clock. As indifferent as these duchesses were, they were women with plaster hearts, and the sight of one of their girlfriends being tormented by madness could not fail to leave a deep impression on her heart. In addition, although the personal relationship between Diana and Lucien had been broken for eighteen months, there were still many memories in the heart of the Duchess.The tragic death of the child also dealt a heavy blow to her.This handsome and handsome man was so romantic, so poetic, so fond of women, and now Diana saw him hanged there all night, just as Leontina described in the feverish gestures of madness like that.She also kept those persuasive and intoxicating letters from Lucien, which are comparable to Mirabeau's letters to Sophie, but more literary and elegant, because they Written by the strongest passion—vanity!The happiness of possessing the most charming Duchess, and seeing her show mad love for herself, of course, of course, in private, made Lucien dizzy.The pride of the lover gave the poet a lot of inspiration.The Duchess kept these touching letters like some old man keeps a pornographic picture, because they exaggerated the things about her that were least Duchess-like. ◎Mirabeau (1749-1791), French orator, statesman and writer.His masterpiece "Letter to Sophie" was published in 1792. "And he's dead in a filthy, horrible prison!" she thought, clutching the letters in her arms with terror.At this time, she heard the gentle knock on the door by the personal maid. "Madame Camusot asked to see me, saying that there is a matter of great importance concerning the Duchess," said the maid. Diana stood up, startled and disturbed. "Oh!" she said, looking at Amelie, who acted on the occasion and made another expression. "I guessed it. It's about my letter... Ah! My letter! . . . " She sat down on an oval loveseat at once.Then she remembered that in the climax of her love, she had replied to Lucien in the same tone, and had praised the poetry of men as men praised the splendor of women, and with what fanaticism! "Ah! Yes, Madame, I have come to save you, more than your life! It is a matter of your honor... You gather yourselves, put on your clothes, and we will go to the Duchesse de Grandlieu's." , fortunately you are not the only one implicated..." "But I was told that Leontina burned all the letters found in poor Lucien's apartment yesterday at the Palais de Justice?" "But, Madame, Lucien has another partner, Jacques Collin!" exclaimed the judge's wife. "You always forget this wicked companion of his. Undoubtedly he is the sole cause of the death of this dear and memorable lad! But Machiavelli, this penal prison, was never confused. Yes! Monsieur Camusot is sure that the devil has hidden in a safe place the most troublesome letters from his mistresses, and that they are his..." "...his friend's mistress," said the Duchess hastily. "You are right, my little beauty, and we should go to the Granlieu's to discuss something. We are all involved in this case. Fortunately, Yes, Seric will help us..." Extreme danger, as one has seen in some of the scenes in the sub-prisons, produces as much fortitude in the mind as it does in the reflexes of the body.It's a Spirit Volt battery.Perhaps in the near future, people will master a method of condensing emotions into a fluid, perhaps similar to an electric current, through chemical means. The same phenomenon was felt in the convict and in the duchess.This despondent, half-dead woman who hadn't slept all night, this duchess who was fussy about dressing, suddenly regained the strength of a cornered lioness and gave birth to the wisdom of a general in the midst of a war.Diana personally chose a suit of clothes, and immediately finished dressing herself up, her agile movements were almost like an amateur prostitute serving herself.Everything was done so well, her maid stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.The maid was extremely surprised that she saw the hostess wearing a shirt, perhaps willing to let the judge's wife see her body as white and perfect as the Venus carved by Canova through the translucent linen, It's like jewelry wrapped in tissue paper.It occurred to Diana where she had kept her simple corset.That kind of bra is hooked from the front, and acute women don't need to waste time and effort to tie the straps when they put it on.When the personal maid brought the village skirt, she had already adjusted the lace of the shirt, arranged various accessories on the upper body, and finally put on the dress to complete the outfit.At the gesture of the maid, Amelie buttoned the Duchess's dress from the back and helped her.The maid brought Scotch stockings, velvet boots, a shawl and a hat.Amelie and the maid each put a boot on her. ◎Canova (1757-1822) Italian sculptor. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," said Amelie cleverly, kissing Diana's delicate and smooth knee passionately. "Madam is unparalleled in the world." said the personal maid. "Come, Josette, keep your mouth shut!" said the Duchess. "Do you have a carriage?" she asked Madame Camusot. "Come, my little beauty, and we will talk on the road." The Duchess ran down the grand staircase of the Cadignan mansion, wearing gloves as she went down the stairs, which was something she had never seen before. "Come to the Grandlieu mansion, quickly!" she ordered a footman, and at the same time gestured for him to get into the carriage and wait behind it. The servant hesitated because it was a stagecoach. "Ah! Duchess, you did not tell me that this young man has some letters from you! Otherwise, Camusot could have done otherwise..." “我一直关心着雷翁蒂娜的状况，竟把自己完全忘掉了。”她说，“这个可怜的女人前天就几乎疯了，您想想，这件要命的事该会使她精神错乱到什么地步！啊，亲爱的，您不知道昨天上午我们是怎么过的……啊，真要叫人把爱情都抛弃了。昨天，雷翁蒂娜和我两人被一个凶狠的老太婆--一个脂粉商人，能干的女人--拖到被人叫作法院的那个充满臭污和血腥的地方去了。在领她去司法大厦时，我对她说：'德·纽沁根夫人去那不勒斯时，遇上了地中海的险恶风暴，她便跪到地上大喊大叫：上帝啊，救救我吧，就这一次！这不也要叫我们像纽沁根夫人那样双膝跪地求救吗？'哎！这两天的这种日子，我一辈子也不会忘记！我们写这些信难道很合吗？可是，是在恋爱呀！你收到好几页信，看了叫你心头感到火辣辣的，什么都燃烧起来了，这时候，哪里还有谨慎小心，于是就写了回信……” “为什么要写回信呢，不是可以行动吗！”卡缪索夫人说。 “晕头转向是多么美妙的事！……”公爵夫人骄傲地说，“这是心灵的享受。” “漂亮的女子是可以被原谅的，”卡缪索夫人谦逊地回答，“她们受诱惑的机会确实要比我们这些人多！” 公爵夫人莞尔一笑。 “我们总是过分宽容，”狄安娜·德·莫弗里涅斯接着说，“以后我也要像那个凶狠的德·埃斯帕尔夫人那么做。” “她是怎么做的？”法官的妻子好奇地问。 “她写了上千封情书……” “有这么多！……”卡缪索夫人打断公爵夫人的话叫起来。 “嘿！可是，亲爱的，那里边找不到一句能影响她名誉的话……” “您恐怕不能保持这样的冷静和细心，”卡缪索夫人回答，“您是女人，您属于不会抵挡魔鬼的那类天使……” “我已经发誓再也不写信了。我这一辈子里，只给这个可怜的吕西安写过信……我要把他给我的信一直保存到我死去的那一天！亲爱的，这是火一般的激情，人们有时候是需要它的……” “如果人家发现了，怎么办！”卡缪索夫人说，作了一个客臊的姿态。 “哦，我就说这是一本刚开始写的小说里的书信。因为，亲爱的，我把这些信都抄录了下来，把原件都烧掉了。 “哦，夫人，作为报答我，您让我看看这些信吧……” “也许可以。”公爵夫人说，“亲爱的，您那时会发现，他给雷翁蒂娜可没有写过这样的信！” 这最后一句话概括了一切女人，各个时代，各个国家的女人。