modeste mignon-第47部分

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parents　and　friends；　as　the　richest　heiress　in　Normandy；　and　all　eyes

began　once　more　to　see　her　merits。　The　aunt　and　sister　of　the　Duc

d'Herouville　confirmed　in　the　aristocratic　salons　of　Bayeux　Monsieur

Charles　Mignon's　right　to　the　title　and　arms　of　count；　derived　from

Cardinal　Mignon；　for　whom　the　Cardinal's　hat　and　tassels　were　added　as

a　crest。　They　had　seen　Mademoiselle　de　La　Bastie　when　they　were

staying　at　the　Vilquins；　and　their　solicitude　for　the　impoverished

head　of　their　house　now　became　active。



〃If　Mademoiselle　de　La　Bastie　is　really　as　rich　as　she　is　beautiful；〃

said　the　aunt　of　the　young　duke；　〃she　is　the　best　match　in　the

province。　SHE　at　least　is　noble。〃



The　last　words　were　aimed　at　the　Vilquins；　with　whom　they　had　not　been

able　to　come　to　terms；　after　incurring　the　humiliation　of　staying　in

that　bourgeois　household。



Such　were　the　little　events　which；　contrary　to　the　rules　of　Aristotle

and　of　Horace；　precede　the　introduction　of　another　person　into　our

story；　but　the　portrait　and　the　biography　of　this　personage；　this　late

arrival；　shall　not　be　long；　taking　into　consideration　his　own

diminutiveness。　The　grand　equerry　shall　not　take　more　space　here　than

he　will　take　in　history。　Monsieur　le　Duc　d'Herouville；　offspring　of

the　matrimonial　autumn　of　the　last　governor　of　Normandy；　was　born

during　the　emigration　in　1799；　at　Vienna。　The　old　marechal；　father　of

the　present　duke；　returned　with　the　king　in　1814；　and　died　in　1819；

before　he　was　able　to　marry　his　son。　He　could　only　leave　him　the　vast

chateau　of　Herouville；　the　park；　a　few　dependencies；　and　a　farm　which

he　had　bought　back　with　some　difficulty；　all　of　which　returned　a

rental　of　about　fifteen　thousand　francs　a　year。　Louis　XVIII。　gave　the

post　of　grand　equerry　to　the　son；　who；　under　Charles　X。；　received　the

usual　pension　of　twelve　thousand　francs　which　was　granted　to　the

pauper　peers　of　France。　But　what　were　these　twenty…seven　thousand

francs　a　year　and　the　salary　of　grand　equerry　to　such　a　family？　In

Paris；　of　course；　the　young　duke　used　the　king's　coaches；　and　had　a

mansion　provided　for　him　in　the　rue　Saint…Thomas…du…Louvre；　near　the

royal　stables；　his　salary　paid　for　his　winters　in　the　city；　and　his

twenty…seven　thousand　francs　for　the　summers　in　Normandy。　If　this

noble　personage　was　still　a　bachelor　he　was　less　to　blame　than　his

aunt；　who　was　not　versed　in　La　Fontaine's　fables。　Mademoiselle

d'Herouville　made　enormous　pretensions　wholly　out　of　keeping　with　the

spirit　of　the　times；　for　great　names；　without　the　money　to　keep　them

up；　can　seldom　win　rich　heiresses　among　the　higher　French　nobility；

who　are　themselves　embarrassed　to　provide　for　their　sons　under　the　new

law　of　the　equal　division　of　property。　To　marry　the　young　Duc

d'Herouville；　it　was　necessary　to　conciliate　the　great　banking…houses；

but　the　haughty　pride　of　the　daughter　of　the　house　alienated　these

people　by　cutting　speeches。　During　the　first　years　of　the　Restoration；

from　1817　to　1825；　Mademoiselle　d'Herouville；　though　in　quest　of

millions；　refused；　among　others；　the　daughter　of　Mongenod　the　banker；

with　whom　Monsieur　de　Fontaine　afterwards　contented　himself。



At　last；　having　lost　several　good　opportunities　to　establish　her

nephew；　entirely　through　her　own　fault；　she　was　just　considering

whether　the　property　of　the　Nucingens　was　not　too　basely　acquired；　or

whether　she　should　lend　herself　to　the　ambition　of　Madame　de　Nucingen；

who　wished　to　make　her　daughter　a　duchess。　The　king；　anxious　to

restore　the　d'Herouvilles　to　their　former　splendor；　had　almost　brought

about　this　marriage；　and　when　it　failed　he　openly　accused　Mademoiselle

d'Herouville　of　folly。　In　this　way　the　aunt　made　the　nephew

ridiculous；　and　the　nephew；　in　his　own　way；　was　not　less　absurd。　When

great　things　disappear　they　leave　crumbs；　〃frusteaux；〃　Rabelais　would

say；　behind　them；　and　the　French　nobility　of　this　century　has　left　us

too　many　such　fragments。　Neither　the　clergy　nor　the　nobility　have

anything　to　complain　of　in　this　long　history　of　manners　and　customs。

Those　great　and　magnificent　social　necessities　have　been　well

represented；　but　we　ought　surely　to　renounce　the　noble　title　of

historian　if　we　are　not　impartial；　if　we　do　not　here　depict　the

present　degeneracy　of　the　race　of　nobles；　although　we　have　already

done　so　elsewhere；in　the　character　of　the　Comte　de　Mortsauf　（in　〃The

Lily　of　the　Valley〃）；　in　the　〃Duchesse　de　Langeais；〃　and　the　very

nobleness　of　the　nobility　in　the　〃Marquis　d'Espard。〃　How　then　could　it

be　that　the　race　of　heroes　and　valiant　men　belonging　to　the　proud

house　of　Herouville；　who　gave　the　famous　marshal　to　the　nation；

cardinals　to　the　church；　great　leaders　to　the　Valois；　knights　to　Louis

XIV。；　was　reduced　to　a　little　fragile　being　smaller　than　Butscha？　That

is　a　question　which　we　ask　ourselves　in　more　than　one　salon　in　Paris

when　we　hear　the　greatest　names　of　France　announced；　and　see　the

entrance　of　a　thin；　pinched；　undersized　young　man；　scarcely　possessing

the　breath　of　life；　or　a　premature　old　one；　or　some　whimsical　creature

in　whom　an　observer　can　with　great　difficulty　trace　the　signs　of　a

past　grandeur。　The　dissipations　of　the　reign　of　Louis　XV。；　the　orgies

of　that　fatal　and　egotistic　period；　have　produced　an　effete

generation；　in　which　manners　alone　survive　the　nobler　vanished

qualities；forms；　which　are　the　sole　heritage　our　nobles　have

preserved。　The　abandonment　in　which　Louis　XVI。　was　allowed　to　perish

may　thus　be　explained；　with　some　slight　reservations；　as　a　wretched

result　of　the　reign　of　Madame　de　Pompadour。



The　grand　equerry；　a　fair　young　man　with　blue　eyes　and　a　pallid　face；

was　not　without　a　certain　dignity　of　thought；　but　his　thin；　undersized

figure；　and　the　follies　of　his　aunt　who　had　taken　him　to　the　Vilquins

and　elsewhere　to　pay　his　court；　rendered　him　extremely　diffident。　The

house　of　Herouville　had　already　been　threatened　with　extinction　by　the

deed　of　a　deformed　being　（see　the　〃Enfant　Maudit〃　in　〃Philosophical

Studies〃）。　The　grand　marshal；　that　being　the　family　term　for　the

member　who　was　made　duke　by　Louis　XIII。；　married　at　the　age　of　eighty。

The　young　duke　admired　women；　but　he　placed　them　too　high　and

respected　them　too　much；　in　fact；　he　adored　them；　and　was　only　at　his

ease　with　those　whom　he　could　not　respect。　This　characteristic　caused

him　to　lead　a　double　life。　He　found　compensation　with　women　of　easy

virtue　for　the　worship　to　which　he　surrendered　himself　in　the　salons；

or；　if　you　like；　the　boudoirs；　of　the　faubourg　Saint…Germain。　Such

habits　and　his　puny　figure；　his　suffering　face　with　its　blue　eyes

turning　upward　in　ecstasy；　increased　the　ridicule　already　bestowed

upon　him；very　unjustly　bestowed；　as　it　happened；　for　he　was　full　of

wit　and　delicacy；　but　his　wit；　which　never　sparkled；　only　showed

itself　when　he　felt　at　ease。　Fanny　Beaupre；　an　actress　who　was

supposed　to　be　his　nearest　friend　（at　a　price）；　called　him　〃a　sound

wine　so　carefully　corked　that　y