the duchesse de langeais- 第5部分

〃Words；　words　all　of　it！　　Pale　and　withered？　　How　if　I　want　you？

How　if　I　cannot　be　happy　without　you？　　Do　you　still　think　of　nothing　but　duty　with　your　lover　before　you？　　Is　he　never　to　come　first　and　above　all　things　else　in　your　heart？　　In　time　past　you　put　social　success；　yourself；　heaven　knows　what；　before　him；　now　it　is　God；　it　is　the　welfare　of　my　soul！　　In　Sister　Theresa　I　find　the　Duchess　over　again；　ignorant　of　the　happiness　of　love；　insensible　as　ever；　beneath　the　semblance　of　sensibility。　　You　do　not　love　me；　you　have　never　loved　me〃

〃Oh；　my　brother！〃

〃You　do　not　wish　to　leave　this　tomb。　　You　love　my　soul；　do　you　say？　　Very　well；　through　you　it　will　be　lost　forever。　　I　shall　make　away　with　myself〃

〃Mother！〃　Sister　Theresa　called　aloud　in　Spanish；　〃I　have　lied　to　you；　this　man　is　my　lover！〃

The　curtain　fell　at　once。　　The　General；　in　his　stupor；　scarcely　heard　the　doors　within　as　they　clanged。

〃Ah！　she　loves　me　still！〃　he　cried；　understanding　all　the　sublimity　of　that　cry　of　hers。　　〃She　loves　me　still。　　She　must　be　carried　off。　。　。　。〃


The　General　left　the　island；　returned　to　headquarters；　pleaded　ill…health；　asked　for　leave　of　absence；　and　forthwith　took　his　departure　for　France。

And　now　for　the　incidents　which　brought　the　two　personages　in　this　Scene　into　their　present　relation　to　each　other。


The　thing　known　in　France　as　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain　is　neither　a　Quarter；　nor　a　sect；　nor　an　institution；　nor　anything　else　that　admits　of　a　precise　definition。　　There　are　great　houses　in　the　Place　Royale；　the　Faubourg　Saint…Honore；　and　the　Chaussee　d'Antin；　in　any　one　of　which　you　may　breathe　the　same　atmosphere　of　Faubourg　Saint…Germain。　　So；　to　begin　with；　the　whole　Faubourg　is　not　within　the　Faubourg。　　There　are　men　and　women　born　far　enough　away　from　its　influences　who　respond　to　them　and　take　their　place　in　the　circle；　and　again　there　are　others；　born　within　its　limits；　who　may　yet　be　driven　forth　forever。　　For　the　last　forty　years　the　manners；　and　customs；　and　speech；　in　a　word；　the　tradition　of　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain；　has　been　to　Paris　what　the　Court　used　to　be　in　other　times；　it　is　what　the　Hotel　Saint…Paul　was　to　the　fourteenth　century；　the　Louvre　to　the　fifteenth；　the　Palais；　the　Hotel　Rambouillet；　and　the　Place　Royale　to　the　sixteenth；　and　lastly；　as　Versailles　was　to　the　seventeenth　and　the　eighteenth。

Just　as　the　ordinary　workaday　Paris　will　always　centre　about　some　point；　so；　through　all　periods　of　history；　the　Paris　of　the　nobles　and　the　upper　classes　converges　towards　some　particular　spot。　　It　is　a　periodically　recurrent　phenomenon　which　presents　ample　matter　for　reflection　to　those　who　are　fain　to　observe　or　describe　the　various　social　zones；　and　possibly　an　enquiry　into　the　causes　that　bring　about　this　centralisation　may　do　more　than　merely　justify　the　probability　of　this　episode；　it　may　be　of　service　to　serious　interests　which　some　day　will　be　more　deeply　rooted　in　the　commonwealth；　unless；　indeed；　experience　is　as　meaningless　for　political　parties　as　it　is　for　youth。

In　every　age　the　great　nobles；　and　the　rich　who　always　ape　the　great　nobles；　build　their　houses　as　far　as　possible　from　crowded　streets。　　When　the　Duc　d'Uzes　built　his　splendid　hotel　in　the　Rue　Montmartre　in　the　reign　of　Louis　XIV；　and　set　the　fountain　at　his　gatesfor　which　beneficent　action；　to　say　nothing　of　his　other　virtues；　he　was　held　in　such　veneration　that　the　whole　quarter　turned　out　in　a　body　to　follow　his　funeralwhen　the　Duke；　I　say；　chose　this　site　for　his　house；　he　did　so　because　that　part　of　Paris　was　almost　deserted　in　those　days。　　But　when　the　fortifications　were　pulled　down；　and　the　market　gardens　beyond　the　line　of　the　boulevards　began　to　fill　with　houses；　then　the　d'Uzes　family　left　their　fine　mansion；　and　in　our　time　it　was　occupied　by　a　banker。　　Later　still；　the　noblesse　began　to　find　themselves　out　of　their　element　among　shopkeepers；　left　the　Place　Royale　and　the　centre　of　Paris　for　good；　and　crossed　the　river　to　breathe　freely　in　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain；　where　palaces　were　reared　already　about　the　great　hotel　built　by　Louis　XIV　for　the　Duc　de　Mainethe　Benjamin　among　his　legitimated　offspring。　　And　indeed；　for　people　accustomed　to　a　stately　life；　can　there　be　more　unseemly　surroundings　than　the　bustle；　the　mud；　the　street　cries；　the　bad　smells；　and　narrow　thoroughfares　of　a　populous　quarter？　　The　very　habits　of　life　in　a　mercantile　or　manufacturing　district　are　completely　at　variance　with　the　lives　of　nobles。　　The　shopkeeper　and　artisan　are　just　going　to　bed　when　the　great　world　is　thinking　of　dinner；　and　the　noisy　stir　of　life　begins　among　the　former　when　the　latter　have　gone　to　rest。　　Their　day's　calculations　never　coincide；　the　one　class　represents　the　expenditure；　the　other　the　receipts。　　Consequently　their　manners　and　customs　are　diametrically　opposed。　　

Nothing　contemptuous　is　intended　by　this　statement。　　An　aristocracy　is　in　a　manner　the　intellect　of　the　social　system；　as　the　middle　classes　and　the　proletariat　may　be　said　to　be　its　organising　and　working　power。　　It　naturally　follows　that　these　forces　are　differently　situated；　and　of　their　antagonism　there　is　bred　a　seeming　antipathy　produced　by　the　performance　of　different　functions；　all　of　them；　however；　existing　for　one　common　end。

Such　social　dissonances　are　so　inevitably　the　outcome　of　any　charter　of　the　constitution；　that　however　much　a　Liberal　may　be　disposed　to　complain　of　them；　as　of　treason　against　those　sublime　ideas　with　which　the　ambitious　plebeian　is　apt　to　cover　his　designs；　he　would　none　the　less　think　it　a　preposterous　notion　that　M。　le　Prince　de　Montmorency；　for　instance；　should　continue　to　live　in　the　Rue　Saint…Martin　at　the　corner　of　the　street　which　bears　that　nobleman's　name；　or　that　M。　le　Duc　de　Fitz…James；　descendant　of　the　royal　house　of　Scotland；　should　have　his　hotel　at　the　angle　of　the　Rue　Marie　Stuart　and　the　Rue　Montorgueil。　　Sint　ut　sunt；　aut　non　sint；　the　grand　words　of　the　Jesuit；　might　be　taken　as　a　motto　by　the　great　in　all　countries。　　These　social　differences　are　patent　in　all　ages；　the　fact　is　always　accepted　by　the　people；　its　〃reasons　of　state〃　are　self…evident；　it　is　at　once　cause　and　effect；　a　principle　and　a　law。　　The　common　sense　of　the　masses　never　deserts　them　until　demagogues　stir　them　up　to　gain　ends　of　their　own；　that　common　sense　is　based　on　the　verities　of　social　order；　and　the　social　order　is　the　same　everywhere；　in　Moscow　as　in　London；　in　Geneva　as　in　Calcutta。　　Given　a　certain　number　of　families　of　unequal　fortune　in　any　given　space；　you　will　see　an　aristocracy　forming　under　your　eyes；　there　will　be　the　patricians；　the　upper　classes；　and　yet　other　ranks　below　them。　　Equality　may　be　a　RIGHT；　but　no　power　on　earth　can　convert　it　into　FACT。　　It　would　be　a　good　thing　for　France　if　this　idea　could　be　popularised。　　The　benefits　of　political　harmony　are　obvious　to　the　least　intelligent　classes。　　Harmony　is；　as　it　were；　the　poetry　of　order；　and　order　is　a　matter　of　vital　importance　to　the　working　population。　　And　what　is　order；　reduced　to　its　simplest　expression；　but　the　agreement　of　things　among　themselvesunity；　in　short？　　Architecture；　music；　and　poetry；　everything　in　France；　and　in　France　more　than　in　any　other　country；　is　based　upon　this　principle；　it　is　written　upon　the　very　foundations　of　her　clear　accurate　language；　and　a　language　must　always　be　the　most　infallible　index　of　national　character。　　In　the　same　way　you　may　note　that　the　French　popular　airs　are　those　most　calculated　to　strike　the　imagination；　the　best…modulated　melodies　are　taken　over　by　the　people；　clearness　of　thought；　the　intellectual　simplicity　of　an　idea　attracts　them；　they　like　the　incisive　sayings　that　hold　the　greatest　number　of　ideas。

France　is　the　one　country　in　the　world　where　a　little　phrase　may　bring　about　a　great　revolution。　　Whenever　the　masses　have　risen；　it　has　been　to　bring　men；　affairs；　and　principles　into　agreement。

No　nation　has　a　clearer　conception　of　that　idea　of　unity　which　should　permeate　the　life　of　an　aristocracy；　possibly　no　other　nation　has　so　intelligent　a　comprehension　of　a　political　necessity；　history　will　never　find　her　behind　the　time。　　France　has　been　led　astray　many　a　time；　but　she　is　deluded；　woman…like；　by　generous　ideas；　by　a　glow　of　enthusiasm　which　at　first　outstrips　sober　reason。

So；　to　begin　with；　the　most　striking　characteristic　of　the　Faubourg　is　the　splendour　of　its　great　mansions；　its　great　gardens；　and　a　surrounding　quiet　in　keeping　with　princely　revenues　drawn　from　great　estates。

And　what　is　this　distance　set　between　a　class　and　a　whole　metropolis　but　visible　and　outward　expression　of　the　widely　different　attitude　of　mind　which　must　inevitably　keep　them　apart？

The　position　of　the　head　is　well　defined　in　every　organism。　　If　by　any　chance　a　nation　allows　its　head　to　fall　at　its　feet；　it　is　pretty　sure　sooner　or　later　to　discover　that　this　is　a　suicidal　measure；　and　since　nations　have　no　desire　to　perish；　they　set　to　work　at　once　to　grow　a　new　head。　　If　they　lack　the　strength　for　this；　they　perish　as　Rome　perished；　and　Venice；　and　so　many　other　states。

This　distinction　between　the　upper　and　lower　spheres　of　social　activity；　emphasised　by　differences　in　their　manner　of　living；　necessarily　implies　that　in　the　highest　aristocracy　there　is　real　worth　and　some　distinguishing　merit。　　In　any　state；　no　matter　what　form　of　〃government〃　is　affected；　so　soon　as　the　patrician　class　fails　to　maintain　that　complete　superiority　which　is　the　condition　of　its　existence；　it　ceases　to　be　a　force；　and　is　pulled　down　at　once　by　the　populace。　　The　people　always　wish　to　see　money；　power；　and　initiative　in　their　leaders；　hands；　hearts；　and　heads；　they　must　be　the　spokesmen；　they　must　represent　the　intelligence　and　the　glory　of　the　nation。　　Nations；　like　women；　love　strength　in　those　who　rule　them；　they　cannot　give　love　without　respect；　they　refuse　utterly　to　obey　those　of　whom　they　do　not　stand　in　awe。　　An　aristocracy　fallen　into　contempt　is　a　roi　faineant；　a　husband　in　petticoats；　first　it　ceases　to　be　itself；　and　then　it　ceases　to　be。

And　in　this　way　the　isolation　of　the　great；　the　sharply　marked　distinction　in　their　manner　of　life；　or　in　a　word；　the　general　custom　of　the