Chapter 2 Chapter two

The auction is scheduled for the 16th. There is a gap of one day between the visit and the auction, which is reserved for the rug dealers to remove the hangings, tapestries and other wall decorations. At that time, I just came back from a trip abroad.When a man returns to a well-informed capital, he is always told some important news.But it was only natural that no one ever spoke to me of Marguerite's death as a major event.Marguerite was beautiful, but the more tumultuous these women's lives were, the more silent they would be after death.They are like some stars, which are as dim when they fall as when they rise.If they died young, all their lovers would get the news at the same time; for in Paris all the lovers of a courtesan are almost intimate friends of one another.A few anecdotes about her past would be reminiscent of each other, and then each would remain the same, unaffected by it, and no one would even shed a tear.

Nowadays, when people reach the age of twenty-five, tears become very precious, and they must not be shed easily. At best, they only cry a few times to their parents who have spent money for them, as a reward for spending money for them in the past. And I, though Marguerite bears no initials on any of her things, yet that instinctive forbearance, that natural pity I have just confessed, keeps me from resenting her death. Forget, though she may not be worth my missing so much. I remember that I used to meet Marguerite on the Champs-Elysées, where she came every day in a blue carriage driven by two sorrel horses.She has an aura that is different from her kind of people, and her charming and charming appearance further sets off the difference of this aura.

When these unfortunate souls go out, they are always accompanied by someone. Because no man is willing to make their ambiguous relationship with such a woman public, and they can't bear to be lonely, so they always carry a female companion with them.Some of these accompanying guests are because they are not as good as they are, and they don’t have a car; some are old women who can’t look good no matter how they dress.If anyone wanted to know any private affairs of the mistress of the carriage with whom they were accompanying, he could feel free to ask them for advice. Marguerite, on the other hand, was unconventional. She always drove to the Champs-Elysées alone, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.She was wrapped in a large cashmere shawl in winter, and she wore a very elegant long skirt in summer.Although there were many acquaintances on this avenue she liked to walk, she occasionally smiled at them, but it was a smile that only Duchesses can have, and only they can perceive it.

Nor was she, like all her colleagues, accustomed to walk between the Circus and the corner of the Champs-Elysées, and her two horses quickly drew her to the Bois de Boulogne in the outskirts, where she disembarked. Car, stroll for an hour, then re-board the carriage, gallop home. ①Bois de Boulogne: In the suburbs of Paris, it was a resort for the upper class at that time. All these scenes I witnessed are still vivid in my mind, and I am sorry for this girl's untimely death, just as people regret the destruction of a fine work of art. Indeed, Margaret was a stunning woman. She was a little too tall and slender, but she had an extraordinary talent for covering up such carelessness with a little effort in her dress.She wore a large cashmere shawl that reached to the floor, showing the broad fringe of her silk dress, and her thick muff, which was pressed close to her breast and concealed her hands, was very delicately ruffled all around, Therefore, no matter how critical the eyes are, the lines are beyond reproach.

Her head was beautiful, a marvelous treasure, and it was so small, as Musset said, that her mother seemed to have made it so small on purpose, in order to carve it with great care. ① Musset (1810-1857): French Romantic poet and dramatist. On an oval face with an indescribable charm, there are two big black eyes embedded with two curved and slender eyebrows, which are as pure as artificially painted, and the eyes are covered with thick eyelashes. When the eyelids are lowered, they cast a faint shadow on the rosy cheeks; the slender and straight nose exudes aura, and the nostrils are slightly bulging, as if a strong desire for erotic life; a small regular mouth is well-defined, Soft lips parted, revealing milk-white teeth; skin the color of a fleece on an untouched peach: these are the general impressions that this beautiful face will give you.

Black jade-colored hair, whether it is natural or combed, is curled like a wave, and is divided into two large locks on the forehead, and dragged to the back of the head, revealing two earlobes, on which are shining two Diamond earrings worth four or five thousand francs each. Marguerite lived a passionate and indulgent life, but her face showed a virginal look, and even childish features, which really puzzled us. Marguerite has a portrait of herself, a masterpiece by Vidal, and only his brush can paint Marguerite so vividly.For a few days after her death, the painting was in my hands.This picture was drawn like a real person, and it made up for my lack of memory.

① Vidal (1811-1887): A famous French portraitist, a student of the famous French painter Paul Delaroche; he was good at painting people in the upper class of Paris at that time. Some of the events described in this chapter came to me later, but I am writing them down now so as not to have to mention them again when I begin to tell the story of this woman. Every time the first performance, Margaret must come.She spent every evening at the theater or at a ball.Whenever there is a new play, you can see her in the theater.She always carried three things with her: a pair of binoculars, a bag of candied fruit, and a bouquet of camellias, and they always kept them on the front rail of the box on the ground floor.

Twenty-five days in a month, the camellias brought by Marguerite are white, while the other five days the camellias she brings are red. No one can figure out the reason for the change of color of the camellias, and I can't explain it. The truth of it.In the few theaters she frequented, the old audience and her friends noticed this phenomenon as I did. No one had ever seen her bring any flowers besides camellias.Therefore, in Madame Barjoon's flower shop where she often went to buy flowers, someone gave her a nickname, La Traviata, and this nickname was later used. Besides, like everyone who lives in a certain circle of Paris, I know that Marguerite has been the mistress of some pretty young people, she has made no secret of it, and the young people are proud of it, explaining that lovers and mistresses They are very satisfied with each other.

However, it is said that after returning from a trip to Bagneres, for almost three years she lived only with an old foreign prince.The old prince was a millionaire, and he tried his best to make Margaret break with her old life.And, it seems, she complied willingly. ① Bagneres: a famous spa area in France.Most of the patients who come here for treatment are anemia patients. This is what someone told me about it: In the spring of 1842, Marguerite was very weak and her complexion was getting worse and worse. The doctor ordered her to go to the hot springs to recuperate, and she went to Bagneres.

Among Parnell's patients there was a duke's daughter who not only suffered from the same disease as Marguerite, but also looked exactly like Marguerite, so that they might even be regarded as sisters.However, the princess's lung disease had reached the third stage, and within a few days after Marguerite came to Bagnell, the princess passed away. Like some people who are reluctant to leave the place where their loved ones are buried, the Duke remained in Bagneres after the death of his daughter.One morning the Duke met Margaret at the corner of a lane. He seemed to see his daughter's shadow passing before his eyes, so he stepped forward and grabbed her hand, hugged her with tears in his arms, and begged her to allow him to visit her without even asking who she was , allowing him to love her as a double of his dead daughter.

Marguerite was accompanied only by her maid of honor at Bagneres, and she, not afraid of any damage to her reputation, agreed to the duke's request. There were also some people in Bagneres who knew Marguerite, and they paid the Duke a special visit to tell the truth about Mademoiselle Gautier's social status.This was a severe blow to the old man, because at this moment there was no resemblance between his daughter and Margaret, but it was too late, and the young woman had become his daughter. Spiritual comfort has become the only excuse and pretext he can rely on to survive. He did not reproach Marguerite in the slightest, and he had no right to reproach her, but he told Marguerite that, in exchange for this sacrifice of hers, if she thought it possible to change her way of life, he would Offer to provide all the compensation she needs.Margaret agreed. It must be said that the enthusiastic Margaret was ill at the time, and her past life seemed to her to be a major cause of her illness.Out of a superstitious idea, she hoped that God would leave her beauty and health because of her repentance and conversion. Sure enough, by late summer and early fall, she was almost back to health thanks to hot spring baths, walks, natural physical exertion, and regular sleep. The Duke accompanied Marguerite back to Paris, and he visited her as often as at Bagneres. Their relationship, of which neither the real reason nor the definite motive was known, caused a great stir in Paris.For the duke, once famous for his wealth, was now famous for his extravagance. Everyone attributed the close relationship between the old Duke and Marguerite to the lust and lust of the elderly. This is a common mistake of rich old men. People have various guesses about their relationship, but they have not guessed. truth. In fact, the reason why this father had such feelings for Margaret was very pure. Except for having a spiritual relationship with her, any other relationship meant incest to the Duke.He never said a word to her that was unfit for a daughter. We have never intended to describe our heroine anything but what she is.We only say that while Marguerite was at Bagneres she was able to keep her word to the duke, and she kept it; She could not bear it any longer, and this solitary life, which was relieved only by the regular visits of the old prince, made her feel bored and irresistible, and the hot breath of the old life rushed into her mind and heart. And Marguerite returned from this trip looking more charming and beautiful than ever. She was in her twenties, and her disease seemed to have improved a lot, but in fact it was not eradicated, so it aroused her frenzy. Lust, which is often a symptom of lung disease. The duke's friends always said that the duke and Margaret were together to ruin the duke's reputation, and they were constantly monitoring her movements, trying to catch evidence of her misbehavior.They came one day to tell the duke, and to assure him that Marguerite had received people when it was certain that the duke would not see her, and often this reception continued till the next day.The duke was in great pain when he found out. Margaret confessed everything when questioned by the Duke, and frankly advised him not to care about her anymore, because she felt that she had no strength to keep her promise, and she was unwilling to accept the kindness of a man she had deceived up. The duke didn't show up for a week, and that's about as far as he could go.On the eighth day he came and begged Marguerite to keep company with him as before, as long as he could see Marguerite, the Duke agreed to let her go completely free, and swore to her that even if it took his life , and he never said a word of reproach to her again. Such was the situation in November or December 1842, three months after Marguerite's return to Paris.