Chapter 8 chapter eight

But--Armand continued after a short break--on the one hand I know that I still love Marguerite, on the other hand I feel that I am stronger than before, and I hope to see Marguerite again, And also to show her how much better I am now than she is. In order to realize the desire in my heart, how many ways should I think of, how many reasons I should make up! So I could not stay in the corridor any longer, and I went back to the hall and sat down, casting a quick glance down the hall to see which box she was sitting in. She was sitting alone in the front box on the ground floor.As I told you just now, she has changed, she no longer has that nonchalant smile on her lips.She had been ill, and was not fully recovered.

Although it was April weather, she was dressed as if in winter, all velvet. I stared at her intently, and finally caught her eye. She looked at me for a while, and then picked up the binoculars to take a closer look at me. She must have thought my face was familiar, but she couldn't remember who I was.For when she lowered the binoculars, there was a smile on her lips, one of those very charming smiles women use to salute, and it was evident that she was preparing to answer the homage I was about to pay her.But I didn't respond to her greetings at all, as if I wanted to appear more noble than her, I pretended that she remembered me and I had forgotten her.

She thought she had recognized the wrong person and turned her head away. The curtain has begun. I looked at Marguerite several times during the play, but I never saw her seriously watching the play. As far as I am concerned, I am also absent-minded about the performance. I only care about her, but I try not to let her notice it. I saw her exchange glances with the people in the box, so I looked towards the box, and I recognized a woman who was quite familiar with me sitting in it. This woman had also worked as a prostitute in the past, and tried to join the theater troupe, but failed.Later, relying on her relationship with the fashionable girls in Paris, she started a business and opened a women's fashion shop.

I found in her a means of meeting Marguerite, and while she was looking my way, I greeted her with gestures and glances. Sure enough, as I expected, she invited me to her box. Prudence Duvernois, a stout woman of about forty, was the proprietress of the ladies' fashion shop, and it would take little trouble to inquire about something from such a person, What's more, the things I want to ask her are so common. When she was about to greet Marguerite again, I asked her: "Who are you looking at?" "Marguerite Gautier." "Do you know her?" "Yes, she is a customer in my shop, and she is also my neighbor."

"And you also live in the Rue d'Antin?" "No. 7, the window of her dressing room is exactly opposite to the window of my dressing room." "She is said to be a very charming girl." "Don't you know her?" "I don't know her, but I really want to know her." "Would you like me to call her to our box?" "No, you'd better introduce me to her." "To her house?" "yes." "It's not easy." "why?" "Because there is a jealous old duke in charge of her."

"Guardian, that's wonderful!" "Yes, she is under guardianship," went on Prudence; "poor old man, it is quite troublesome to be her lover." Prudence then told me the story of Marguerite's acquaintance with the Duke at Bagneres. "That's why," I went on, "is she here alone?" "Completely correct." "But who will accompany her back?" "it's him." "Then he's coming to accompany her back home, isn't he?" "He'll be here in a while." "And you, who will accompany you back?"

"nobody." "I'll accompany you back home!" "But I suppose you have a friend." "Then let's go back with you." "What kind of person is that friend of yours?" "A very handsome and intelligent fellow who will be delighted to know you." "Then, so be it, and the three of us will go together when the scene is over, and I have seen the last." ①The original text is four people, which seems to be wrong, and it is now changed to three people. - translator "Okay, I'll tell my friend." "You go."

"Hello!" said Prudence to me, as I was going out, "you see that is the Duke who entered Marguerite's box." I looked over there. Sure enough, an old man in his seventies just sat down behind the young woman and handed her a bag of candied fruit. She quickly took out the candied fruit from the paper bag with a smile, and then delivered the bag of candied fruit to the front of the box. Raised to Prudence, meaning: "Would you like some?" "No," said Prudence. Marguerite picked up the bag of preserves, turned away, and began chatting with the Duke.

It may seem childish to tell all these trifles, but I remember everything about this girl so well that I can't help remembering them today. I went downstairs to tell Gaston what I had just done for the two of us. He agreed. We left our seats to go upstairs to Madame Duvernoy's box. As soon as the door of the hall was opened, we had to stop to let Marguerite and the Duke go out. I would have given up ten years of my life to take this old man's place. When they reached the street, the Duke helped Marguerite into an open carriage, and he drove the carriage himself, while two fine horses pulled them away.

We went into Prudence's box. When the play was over, we went downstairs and out of the theatre, and hired an ordinary cab, which took us to 7 rue d'Antin.At the door of Prudence's house, she invited us to go upstairs to her house to see the products she was proud of, which opened our eyes.One can imagine how eagerly I accepted her invitation. I seemed to feel that I was getting closer to Margaret step by step, and after a while, I turned the topic to Margaret. "Is the old prince in your neighbour's house at the moment?" I said to Prudence. "No, she must be alone at home."

"Then she must be very lonely," said Gaston. "We spend time together almost every night, or she will call me over after she comes back from outside. She never goes to bed before two o'clock at night, and she can't fall asleep early." "why?" "Because of her tuberculosis, she has a fever almost all the time." "Has she no lover?" I asked. "Every time I went to her house, I never saw anyone staying there, but I can't guarantee that no one came back after I was gone. I often met a Count N at her house in the evening, this Count She thought that as long as she often visited her at eleven o'clock in the evening, she would give her as much jewelry as she wanted, so that she could gradually gain her favor. But she hated him when she saw him. She was wrong, he was a rich young man. I often say to her: 'Dear child, he is the man you need!' But it is useless. She usually listens to me, but when I say this, she turns away and replies This man is too stupid. I admit that he is stupid, but for her, she finally has a solution. The old duke may die one day. The old duke will leave nothing to Margot Lite's, for two reasons: the old men are all selfish, and his family has been against his affection for Margaret. I reasoned with her and tried to convince her, and she always answered me Said, after the Duke is dead, it will be too late to make friends with the Earl." Prudence went on: "Life like her isn't always fun, I know that. I can't stand it, and I'll get the old fellow out of here very soon. The old man The child is quite tiresome; he calls Marguerite his daughter, and takes care of her like a child, and he keeps an eye on her, and I'm sure one of his servants is walking down the street right now. Go and see who comes out of her house, and especially who comes in." "Oh, poor Marguerite!" said Gaston, sitting down at the piano and playing Played a waltz, "I don't know these things, but recently I found that she is not as happy as before." "Shh, be quiet!" Prudence listened. Gaston stopped playing. "Looks like she's calling me." Let's listen together. Sure enough, a voice called Prudence. "Go away, then, gentlemen," Madame Duvernoy said to us. "Ah! Is that how you treat your guests?" Gaston laughed. "We won't leave until we feel like it." "Why are we leaving?" "I'm going to Marguerite's." "Let's wait here." "That won't work." "Then we will go with you." "That's even worse." "I know Marguerite," said Gaston, "of course I can visit her." "But Armand doesn't know her!" "I'll introduce him." "Then how?" We heard Marguerite again, who had been calling Prudence. Prudence ran into her dressing room, followed by Gaston and me, and she opened the window. The two of us hid so that no one outside could see us. "I have been calling you for ten minutes," said Marguerite from the window, almost stiffly. "What did you call me for?" "I want you to come right away." "why?" "Because Earl N is still here, I'm bored to death by him." "I can't go now." "Anyone stop you?" "I have two young people in my family who won't go." "Tell them you must go out." "I've already spoken to them." "Then let them stay at your house; they will go away when they see you go out." "They're going to turn my house upside down!" "Then what do they want?" "They want to see you." "What are their names?" "One you know. His name is M. R. Gaston." "Ah! yes, I know him; where's the other?" "Monsieur Armand Duval. Don't you know him?" "No; but take them with you, they are better than the count. I am waiting for you, come quickly. " Marguerite closed the window again, and Prudence closed it too. Marguerite had remembered my face for a moment, but now could not remember my name.I would rather she still remember me, even if she has a bad impression of me, it doesn't matter, but I don't want her to just forget me like this. "I knew she would be happy to see us," Gaston said. "Happy? I'm afraid not." Prudence replied as she put on her shawl and hat, "She received you two in order to drive away the count. You must try to be more knowledgeable than the count, otherwise, I know Margaret's, she'll make trouble with me." We followed Prudence down the stairs. I shuddered, as if anticipating that this visit would have a great influence on my life. I was thrilled, even more thrilled than when I was introduced to her in the box at the Comédie Opera. When I came to the door of the house you have recognized, my heart was pounding, and my mind was confused. We heard several piano chords. Prudence reached for the bell. The sound of the piano stopped immediately. The door was answered by a woman who looked more like a hired chaperone than a servant girl. We went through the big drawing room to the little drawing room, which you see later. A young man stood leaning against the fireplace. Marguerite sat in front of the piano, lazily playing her broken piece over and over on the keys. The atmosphere in the room was dull, the man was embarrassed because he couldn't do anything, and the woman was upset because of this annoying guy's visit. Upon hearing Prudence's voice, Marguerite rose, and with a thankful look at her, she came up to us and said: "Come in, gentlemen, and welcome."