Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

"You came almost as fast as us!" said Prudence to me. "Yes," I replied without thinking, "where is Marguerite?" "at home." "Are you alone?" "With Earl G." I strode up and down the living room. "Well, what's the matter with you?" "Do you think it's funny that I'm waiting here for Count G. to come out from Marguerite's?" "You are so unreasonable. You must know that Marguerite can't ask the Count to shut her door. Count G has been with her for a long time. He has always given her a lot of money and is still giving her. Margaret spends ten dollars a year. Ten thousand francs, she owes a lot of debts. As long as she asks, the Duke can always satisfy her request, but she dare not ask the Duke to pay all the expenses. The count gives her at least ten thousand francs every year, and she cannot fall out with him. Margot Lite loves you very much, dear friend, but you should not take your relationship with her too seriously for your respective interests. Your allowance of seven or eight thousand francs is not enough for this girl to squander, even maintenance She doesn't have enough carriages either. Treat Marguerite just as she should be, as a smart and beautiful good girl; be her lover for a month or two, send her flowers, sweets, and box tickets, and do the rest. Don't worry! Don't make any more ridiculous jealousy with her. You know who you are dealing with. Marguerite is not a chaste woman. She likes you very much, and you like her very much. The rest of you Never mind. I think you are charming so easy! You have the loveliest woman in Paris for your mistress! She wears diamonds all over her body, and receives you in a splendid house, if you like, she You don't want to spend a dime, and you don't like it. Damn it! You're asking too much."

"You're right, but I can't help myself, and I feel awkward thinking that this man is her lover." "But," continued Prudence, "we must first see if he is still her lover? It is only that he is of use, and that is all. "Marguerite has not let him in for two days. When he came this morning, she had no choice but to accept his box ticket, let him accompany him to the theater, and then sent her home, to her home. Go and sit down for a while. Since you are waiting here, he won't stay long. I think it's all very common. Besides, don't you put up with the duke too?"

"Yes, but the duke is an old man, and I'm sure Marguerite is not his mistress. Besides, people usually tolerate only one such relationship, and how can they tolerate two. It's really convenient." It's like a trap, and a man who agrees to do it, even for love, is like a man in the lower classes who uses this tacit method to make money." "Ah! my dear, you are so old-fashioned! How many people I have ever seen, and they are all the noblest, handsomest, richest people, who do the things I advise you to do. Let alone this It takes so little effort, no shame, no shame! It's commonplace. And how do you expect Parisian whores to maintain that pomp if they don't have three or four lovers at the same time? It is impossible for anyone to have such a large family fortune to afford the expenses of a girl like Marguerite. With an income of half a million francs a year, one can be regarded as a rich man in France. But, my dear My friend, a pension of half a million francs is not enough, because a man with such an income always has a splendid house, horses, servants, carts, hunting, and To socialize. Generally speaking, such a person is always married. He has children, races, gambles, travels, and who knows what else he will do! These habits of life are deeply ingrained, and once they change, others will If you think he's bankrupt, there will be gossip. So even if this man had an income of half a million francs a year, he could never spend more than forty to fifty thousand francs on a woman in a year. That's quite a lot. Then, this woman needs other lovers to make up for her lack of expenses. Margaret is pretty good. It's like a miracle falling from the sky. Son, his wife and daughter are dead again, and his nephews and nephews are rich themselves. So Marguerite can do what she asks without paying any price, but even if he is such a rich man, he can give at most every year. She has seventy thousand francs, and I am sure that if Marguerite had asked for more, he would have refused, in spite of his family and his love for her."

"In Paris, young men who have an income of twenty or thirty thousand francs a year, that is to say, those who can barely support themselves in their own circle, if they have a mistress like Marguerite They know very well that the money they give her is not enough to pay her rent and servants' wages. They don't tell her that they know these things, they turn a blind eye, play deaf and dumb, and when they have had enough fun, they just go Go away. If they are vain and want to pay for everything, they will be ruined like fools, owe a hundred thousand francs in Paris, and end up in Africa with their lives. You think those women Will you be grateful to them for that? Not at all; on the contrary, they will say that they sacrificed themselves for them, that they gave them money when they were friends. Ah! You think these things are shameful, yes Is it true? You are a lovely young man, I like you from the bottom of my heart, I have been in the whore circle for twenty years, I know who they are, and I know how to treat them , so I hate to see you take a pretty girl's play seriously.

"Besides that," continued Prudence, "if the duke finds out about your affair and asks her to choose between you and him, and Marguerite abandons both the duke and the duke because she loves you." , then she has sacrificed too much for you, it is an indisputable fact, can you sacrifice the same for her? You? When you are bored, when you no longer need her, how do you To compensate her for what she has suffered for you? Nothing! You may shut her off from her world, where her fortune and her future are, and she may give her best years to You, and you would forget her. If you were an ordinary man, you would reveal the scars of her past, and tell her that you had only left her like her former lovers, so that She got into a miserable situation; or you were a man of conscience, and felt it your duty to keep her by your side, and you were bringing upon yourself unavoidable misfortune. For, such a relation is excusable to a young man Yes, but it is not the same for a grown man. This second and last love of men weighs down all your careers, distastees your family, and robs you of your ambitions. So , believe me, my friend, you have to be realistic, treat the woman as you are, and don't let yourself owe a prostitute no matter what aspect it is."

What Prudence said was reasonable and logical, which was beyond my expectation.I was speechless, I just thought she was right, I held her hand and thanked her for her advice. "Come on, come on," she said to me, "forget about these nasty things, and be happy, life is good, my dear, it depends on your attitude towards life. Now, go ask Your friend Gaston, I have such a view of love, and it is also influenced by him; you should understand this, otherwise you will be a child who doesn't have fun. For there is a beautiful girl next door. Impatiently waiting for her guests to leave, she is thinking of you, she wants to spend the evening with you, she loves you, I am sure of that. Now, come with me to the window, and wait to see the count Leave, he will make way for us soon."

Prudence opened a window, and we leaned side by side on the balcony. I looked at the few pedestrians on the road, but my mind was full of distracting thoughts. After hearing what she said to me just now, I was in a state of confusion, but I couldn't help but admit that what she said was reasonable. However, my true feelings for Marguerite were hard to connect with the reasons she said. Yes, so I sighed and sighed from time to time, and Prudence heard it, and looked back at me, shrugging her shoulders like a doctor who has lost faith in his patient. "Because of the swiftness of feeling," I thought to myself, "we feel the shortness of life! I have only known Marguerite for two days, and she has only been my mistress since yesterday, but she has made a deep impression on me. In my mind, in my heart, in my life, the visit of this Earl of G has caused me great pain."

The count came out at last, got into his carriage and drove away.Prudence closed the window. Just then Margaret called us. "Come on, the knife and fork are set," she said, "we're going to have supper." When I entered Marguerite's house, she rushed to me, put her arms around my neck, and kissed me hard. "Are we still fighting all the time?" she said to me. "No, there will be no further trouble," replied Prudence; "I have reasoned with him, and he promises to be obedient." "That's great." My eyes involuntarily looked towards the bed, which showed no signs of mess;

As for Margaret, she had changed into white pajamas. Everyone sat down around the table. Charming, gentle, and passionate, Margaret lacks everything. I have to remind myself from time to time that I have no right to ask for anything more from her.Anyone who is in my position must feel infinitely happy. Like the shepherd described by Virgil, I sit and enjoy the joy bestowed on me by a god, or rather a goddess. I tried my best to follow Prudence's advice, and forced myself to be as happy as those two companions; their affection was natural, but I forced it.My nervous laughter was almost like crying, but they believed it was real.

After supper we were left alone with Marguerite, who, as usual, came and sat on the rug in front of the fire, looking sadly at the flames. She is thinking!What are you thinking?I don't know, I look at her in love and almost with fear, because I think of the pain I am prepared to suffer for her. "You know what I'm thinking?" "have no idea." "I'm trying to figure it out, and I've figured it out." "any solution?" "I can't tell you now, but I can tell you the result of this matter. That is, in a month's time I will be free, I will owe nothing, and we can go to the country together for summer vacation."

"Can't you tell me what method is used?" "No, as long as you love me like I love you, then everything will be successful." "Then you came up with this idea alone?" "yes." "And will you do it alone?" "I bear the trouble alone," Margaret said to me with a smile I will never forget, "but we share the good." I blushed at the word "advantage" and thought of Manon Lescaut and de Griot who both took Mr. B for a ride. ①A plot in the novel "Manon Lescaut".Manon, without telling her lover, had a relationship with Mr. B and defrauded Mr. B of his money. I stood up and replied in a slightly stiff tone: "Dear Margaret, allow me to share only the advantages of my own invention, and of my own participation." "What does it mean?" "That means that I very much doubt whether Count G. is your partner in this wonderful arrangement, for which I neither bear responsibility nor enjoy its benefits." "You are such a child. I thought you loved me. I was wrong. Well then." Having said that, she stood up, turned on the piano and began to play the "Invitation to Dance", until the part she couldn't continue playing. I don't know if she is used to playing this piece of music, or because she wanted me to recall the day we met. What I remember is that after hearing this tune, the past came to my mind, so I He walked over to her, cupped her head in both hands and kissed her. "Will you forgive me?" I said to her. "You see," she said to me, "we have only known each other for two days, and I already have something to forgive you. You said you would obey me blindly, but your words don't count." "What do you want me to do, Marguerite, I love you so much that I doubt any idea of ​​yours, and what you have just told me fills me with joy, but the mystery of carrying out this plan It made me feel bad." "Look at you, calm down," she said, taking both of my hands, and gazing at me with an alluring smile that I couldn't resist. "You love me, don't you? Well, if it's just you and me You will be happy for two in the country for three or four months. I, too, would be happy to be able to live a few days in the quiet of the two of us. Not only am I happy, but this life It's also good for my health. To be away from Paris for such a long time, I have to arrange my affairs first, and for a woman like me, there are always many chores. Well, I finally have a way to arrange everything, to arrange my life. Those little things and my love for you, yes, love for you, please don't laugh, I love you madly! And now you're pompous and talking big. It's childish, very childish, You just need to remember that I love you, and you don't care about anything else. Agree? Huh?" "I agree with what you want, and you know that very well." "Then within a month we shall be in some country, walking by the river, and drinking fresh milk. You may wonder, my friend, that I, Marguerite Gautier, should say such things. This Parisian life, which seemed to make me so happy, bores me when it fails to excite me, and I suddenly yearn for that quiet life which reminds me of my childhood. Everyone has it. His childhood. Oh! Don't worry, I will not tell you that I am the daughter of a retired colonel, or that I was brought up from Saint-Denis. I am a poor country girl. I can't write my own name either. That'll put you at ease, won't you? Then why do I tell you for the first time in my life that I want to share with you the joy I've had. Because I see that you're for me, not for you I only love me. Others have always loved me for themselves. ①Saint-Denis: A small city in the north of Paris, where there is a girls' school of the Legion of Honor. "I have often been to the country, but I have never been so intent on going as this time; I am counting on you for this easy happiness, don't make trouble with me, let me have it! Think of it this way: She won't live long, the first time she asked me to do an easy thing and I refused her, will I regret it in the future?" What can I say to these words?Especially when I am still reminiscing about the first night of love and looking forward to the arrival of the second night. An hour later, Marguerite was lying in my arms, and I would have obeyed her even if she asked me to commit a crime. I was leaving at six o'clock in the morning, and before I left I asked her: "See you tonight?" She kissed me passionately, but didn't answer my words. During the day, I received a letter with the following words written on it: dear child: I'm not feeling well, the doctor told me to rest, I'm going to sleep early tonight Get some sleep, and we won't see each other.But in order to make up for you, I will wait for you at noon tomorrow.i love you. My first thought was: she is lying to me! A cold sweat broke out on my brow. I was already deeply in love with this woman, so this suspicion disturbed me. However, I should have expected that, with Margaret, this would happen almost every day.This kind of thing happened between me and other mistresses in the past, but I didn't take it to heart.So why does this woman have such great dominance over my life? At this point I thought, since I have the key to her house, why don't I visit her as usual.That way I'll know the truth quickly, and if I run into a man, I'll slap him in the face. At this time, I went to the Champs-Elysées and wandered there for a full four hours, but she didn't show up.In the evening, I went to all the theaters she often went to, and there was no sign of her in any of them. At eleven o'clock I arrived at the Rue d'Antin. There was no light in Margaret's windows, so I rang the bell anyway. The doorman asked me which one to look for. "To Miss Gautier's," I said to him. "She hasn't come back yet." "I'll go up there and wait for her." "There's no one in her family." Of course, since I had the key, I could disregard the injunction not to let me in, but I was afraid of making a joke, so I went away. However, I didn't go home, I couldn't leave the street, and my eyes were fixed on Marguerite's room.I seemed to want to get some news, or at least to confirm my suspicions. Near midnight, a carriage I knew very well stopped in front of No. 9 Gate. Count G. got out of the car, sent the car away, and entered the house. At that time, I wished to be told as I had been told that Marguerite was not at home, and to see him withdraw; but I waited until four o'clock in the morning. For three weeks I had suffered a lot, but it was nothing compared to the pain of that night.