第5章
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  \"Letusdropthesubject,\"saidshe,withincomparabledignityofgesture,expression,andattitude。\"Makeasplendidfortune,beoneoftheremarkablemenofyourcountry;thatismydesire。Fameisadrawbridgewhichmayservetocrossadeepgulf。Beambitiousifyoumust。Ibelieveyouhavegreatandpowerfultalents,butusethemratherforthehappinessofmankindthantodeserveme;youwillbeallthegreaterinmyeyes。\"

  Inthecourseofthisconversation,whichlastedtwohours,RodolphediscoveredthatFrancescawasanenthusiastforLiberalideas,andforthatworshipoflibertywhichhadledtothethreerevolutionsinNaples,Piemont,andSpain。Onleaving,hewasshowntothedoorbyGina,theso-calledmute。Ateleveno\'clocknoonewasastirinthevillage,therewasnofearoflisteners;RodolphetookGinaintoacorner,andaskedherinalowvoiceandbadItalian,\"Whoareyourmasterandmistress,child?Tellme,Iwillgiveyouthisfinenewgoldpiece。\"

  \"Monsieur,\"saidthegirl,takingthecoin,\"mymasteristhefamousbooksellerLampariniofMilan,oneoftheleadersoftherevolution,andtheconspiratorofallotherswhomAustriawouldmostliketohaveintheSpielberg。\"

  \"Abookseller\'swife!Ah,somuchthebetter,\"thoughthe;\"weareonanequalfooting——Andwhatisherfamily?\"headded,\"forshelookslikeaqueen。\"

  \"AllItalianwomendo,\"repliedGinaproudly。\"Herfather\'snameisColonna。\"

  EmboldenedbyFrancesca\'smodestrank,Rodolphehadanawningfittedtohisboatandcushionsinthestern。Whenthiswasdone,thelovercametoproposetoFrancescatocomeoutonthelake。TheItalianaccepted,nodoubttocarryoutherpartofayoungEnglishMissintheeyesofthevillagers,butshebroughtGinawithher。FrancescaColonna\'slightestactionsbetrayedasuperioreducationandthehighestsocialrank。BythewayinwhichshetookherplaceattheendoftheboatRodolphefelthimselfinsomesortcutofffromher,and,inthefaceofalookofprideworthyofanaristocrat,thefamiliarityhehadintendedfelldead。ByaglanceFrancescamadeherselfaprincess,withalltheprerogativesshemighthaveenjoyedintheMiddleAges。Sheseemedtohavereadthethoughtsofthisvassalwhowassoaudaciousastoconstitutehimselfherprotector。

  Already,inthefurnitureoftheroomwhereFrancescahadreceivedhim,inherdress,andinthevarioustriflesshemadeuseof,Rodolphehaddetectedindicationsofasuperiorcharacterandafinefortune。Alltheseobservationsnowrecurredtohismind;hebecamethoughtfulafterhavingbeentrampledon,asitwere,byFrancesca\'sdignity。Gina,herhalf-grown-up/confidante/,alsoseemedtohaveamockingexpressionasshegaveacovertorasideglanceatRodolphe。

  ThisobviousdisagreementbetweentheItalianlady\'srankandhermannerswasafreshpuzzletoRodolphe,whosuspectedsomefurthertricklikeGina\'sassumeddumbness。

  \"Wherewouldyougo,SignoraLamporani?\"heasked。

  \"TowardsLucerne,\"repliedFrancescainFrench。

  \"Good!\"saidRodolphetohimself,\"sheisnotstartledbyhearingmespeakhername;shehad,nodoubt,foreseenthatIshouldaskGina——

  sheissocunning——Whatisyourquarrelwithme?\"hewenton,goingatlasttositdownbyherside,andaskingherbyagesturetogivehimherhand,whichshewithdrew。\"Youarecoldandceremonious;what,incolloquiallanguage,weshouldcall/short/。\"

  \"Itistrue,\"sherepliedwithasmile。\"Iamwrong。Itisnotgoodmanners;itisvulgar。InFrenchyouwouldcallitinartistic。Itisbettertobefrankthantoharborcoldorhostilefeelingstowardsafriend,andyouhavealreadyprovedyourselfmyfriend。PerhapsIhavegonetoofarwithyou。Youmusttakemetobeaveryordinarywoman。\"——

  Rodolphemademanysignsofdenial——\"Yes,\"saidthebookseller\'swife,goingonwithoutnoticingthispantomime,which,however,sheplainlysaw。\"Ihavedetectedthat,andnaturallyIhavereconsideredmyconduct。Well!Iwillputanendtoeverythingbyafewwordsofdeeptruth。Understandthis,Rodolphe:Ifeelinmyselfthestrengthtostifleafeelingifitwerenotinharmonywithmyideasoranticipationofwhattrueloveis。Icouldlove——aswecanloveinItaly,butIknowmyduty。Nointoxicationcanmakemeforgetit。

  Marriedwithoutmyconsenttothatpooroldman,Imighttakeadvantageofthelibertyhesogenerouslygivesme;butthreeyearsofmarriedlifeimplyacceptanceofitslaws。Hencethemostvehementpassionwouldnevermakemeutter,eveninvoluntarily,awishtofindmyselffree。

  \"Emilioknowsmycharacter。Heknowsthatwithoutmyheart,whichismyown,andwhichImightgiveaway,Ishouldneverallowanyonetotakemyhand。ThatiswhyIhavejustrefusedittoyou。Idesiretobelovedandwaitedforwithfidelity,nobleness,ardor,whileallI

  cangiveisinfinitetendernessofwhichtheexpressionmaynotoversteptheboundaryoftheheart,thepermittedneutralground。Allthisbeingthoroughlyunderstood——Oh!\"shewentonwithagirlishgesture,\"Iwillbeascoquettish,asgay,asglad,asachildwhichknowsnothingofthedangersoffamiliarity。\"

  Thisplainandfrankdeclarationwasmadeinatone,anaccent,andsupportedbyalookwhichgaveitthedeepeststampoftruth。

  \"APrincessColonnacouldnothavespokenbetter,\"saidRodolphe,smiling。

  \"Isthat,\"sheansweredwithsomehaughtiness,\"areflectiononthehumblenessofmybirth?Mustyourloveflauntacoat-of-arms?AtMilanthenoblestnamesarewrittenovershop-doors:Sforza,Canova,Visconti,Trivulzio,Ursini;thereareArchintosapothecaries;but,believeme,thoughIkeepashop,Ihavethefeelingsofaduchess。\"

  \"Areflection?Nay,madame,Imeantitforpraise。\"

  \"Byacomparison?\"shesaidarchly。

  \"Ah,onceforall,\"saidhe,\"nottotorturemeifmywordsshouldillexpressmyfeelings,understandthatmyloveisperfect;itcarrieswithitabsoluteobedienceandrespect。\"

  Shebowedasawomansatisfied,andsaid,\"Thenmonsieuracceptsthetreaty?\"

  \"Yes,\"saidhe。\"Icanunderstandthatinarichandpowerfulfemininenaturethefacultyoflovingoughtnottobewasted,andthatyou,outofdelicacy,wishedtorestrainit。Ah!Francesca,atmyagetendernessrequited,andbysosublime,soroyallybeautifulacreatureasyouare——why,itisthefulfilmentofallmywishes。Toloveyouasyoudesiretobeloved——isnotthatenoughtomakeayoungmanguardhimselfagainsteveryevilfolly?Isitnottoconcentrateallhispowersinanoblepassion,ofwhichinthefuturehemaybeproud,andwhichcanleavenonebutlovelymemories?IfyoucouldbutknowwithwhathuesyouhaveclothedthechainofPilatus,theRigi,andthissuperblake——\"

  \"Iwanttoknow,\"saidshe,withtheItalianartlessnesswhichhasalwaysatouchofartfulness。

  \"Well,thishourwillshineonallmylifelikeadiamondonaqueen\'sbrow。\"

  Francesca\'sonlyreplywastolayherhandonRodolphe\'s。

  \"Ohdearest!foreverdearest!——Tellme,haveyouneverloved?\"

  \"Never。\"

  \"Andyouallowmetoloveyounobly,lookingtoheavenfortheutmostfulfilment?\"heasked。

  Shegentlybentherhead。TwolargetearsrolleddownRodolphe\'scheeks。

  \"Why!whatisthematter?\"shecried,abandoningherimperialmanner。

  \"IhavenownomotherwhomIcantellofmyhappiness;sheleftthisearthwithoutseeingwhatwouldhavemitigatedheragony——\"

  \"What?\"saidshe。

  \"Hertendernessreplacedbyanequaltenderness——\"

  \"/Poveromio/!\"exclaimedtheItalian,muchtouched。\"Believeme,\"shewentonafterapause,\"itisaverysweetthing,andtoawoman,astrongelementoffidelitytoknowthatsheisallinallonearthtothemansheloves;tofindhimlonely,withnofamily,withnothinginhisheartbuthislove——inshort,tohavehimwhollytoherself。\"

  Whentwoloversthusunderstandeachother,theheartfeelsdeliciouspeace,supremetranquillity。Certaintyisthebasisforwhichhumanfeelingscrave,foritisneverlackingtoreligioussentiment;manisalwayscertainofbeingfullyrepaidbyGod。Loveneverbelievesitselfsecurebutbythisresemblancetodivinelove。Andtherapturesofthatmomentmusthavebeenfullyfelttobeunderstood;itisuniqueinlife;itcanneverreturnnomore,alas!thantheemotionsofyouth。Tobelieveinawoman,tomakeheryourhumanreligion,thefountoflife,thesecretluminaryofallyourleastthoughts!——isnotthisasecondbirth?Andayoungmanmingleswiththislovealittleofthefeelinghehadforhismother。

  RodolpheandFrancescaforsometimeremainedinperfectsilence,answeringeachotherbysympatheticglancesfullofthoughts。TheyunderstoodeachotherinthemidstofoneofthemostbeautifulscenesofNature,whoseglories,interpretedbythegloryintheirhearts,helpedtostampontheirmindsthemostfugitivedetailsofthatuniquehour。TherehadnotbeentheslightestshadeoffrivolityinFrancesca\'sconduct。Itwasnoble,large,andwithoutanysecondthought。ThismagnanimitystruckRodolphegreatly,forinitherecognizedthedifferencebetweentheItalianandtheFrenchwoman。Thewaters,theland,thesky,thewoman,allweregrandioseandsuave,eventheirloveinthemidstofthispicture,sovastinitsexpanse,sorichindetail,wherethesternnessofthesnowypeaksandtheirhardfoldsstandingclearlyoutagainstthebluesky,remindedRodolpheofthecircumstanceswhichlimitedhishappiness;alovelycountryshutinbysnows。

  Thisdelightfulintoxicationofsoulwasdestinedtobedisturbed。A

  boatwasapproachingfromLucerne;Gina,whohadbeenwatchingitattentively,gaveajoyfulstart,thoughfaithfultoherpartasamute。Thebarkcamenearer;whenatlengthFrancescacoulddistinguishthefacesonboard,sheexclaimed,\"Tito!\"assheperceivedayoungman。Shestoodup,andremainedstandingattheriskofbeingdrowned。

  \"Tito!Tito!\"criedshe,wavingherhandkerchief。

  Titodesiredtheboatmentoslacken,andthetwoboatspulledsidebyside。TheItalianandTitotalkedwithsuchextremerapidity,andinadialectunfamiliartoamanwhohardlykneweventheItalianofbooks,thatRodolphecouldneitherhearnorguessthedriftofthisconversation。ButTito\'shandsomeface,Francesca\'sfamiliarity,andGina\'sexpressionofdelight,allaggrievedhim。Andindeednolovercanhelpbeingillpleasedatfindinghimselfneglectedforanother,whoeverhemaybe。TitotossedalittleleatherbagtoGina,fullofgoldnodoubt,andapacketofletterstoFrancesca,whobegantoreadthem,withafarewellwaveofthehandtoTito。

  \"GetquicklybacktoGersau,\"shesaidtotheboatmen,\"IwillnotletmypoorEmiliopinetenminuteslongerthanheneed。\"

  \"Whathashappened?\"askedRodolphe,ashesawFrancescafinishreadingthelastletter。

  \"/Laliberta/!\"sheexclaimed,withanartist\'senthusiasm。

  \"/Edenaro/!\"addedGina,likeanecho,forshehadfoundhertongue。

  \"Yes,\"saidFrancesca,\"nomorepoverty!FormorethanelevenmonthshaveIbeenworking,andIwasbeginningtobetiredofit。Iamcertainlynotaliterarywoman。\"

  \"WhoisthisTito?\"askedRodolphe。

  \"TheSecretaryofStatetothefinancialdepartmentofthehumbleshopoftheColonnas,inotherwords,thesonofour/ragionato/。Poorboy!

  hecouldnotcomebytheSaint-Gothard,norbytheMont-Cenis,norbytheSimplon;hecamebysea,byMarseilles,andhadtocrossFrance。

  Well,inthreeweeksweshallbeatGeneva,andlivingatourease。

  Come,Rodolphe,\"sheadded,seeingsadnessoverspreadtheParisian\'sface,\"isnottheLakeofGenevaquiteasgoodastheLakeofLucerne?\"

  \"ButallowmetobestowaregretontheBergmanns\'delightfulhouse,\"

  saidRodolphe,pointingtothelittlepromontory。

  \"Comeanddinewithustoaddtoyourassociations,/poveromio/,\"

  saidshe。\"Thisisagreatday;weareoutofdanger。Mymotherwritesthatwithinayeartherewillbeanamnesty。Oh!/lacarapatria/!\"

  ThesethreewordsmadeGinaweep。\"Anotherwinterhere,\"saidshe,\"andIshouldhavebeendead!\"

  \"PoorlittleSiciliankid!\"saidFrancesca,strokingGina\'sheadwithanexpressionandanaffectionwhichmadeRodolphelongtobesocaressed,evenifitwerewithoutlove。

  Theboatgrounded;Rodolphesprangontothesand,offeredhishandtotheItalianlady,escortedhertothedooroftheBergmanns\'house,andwenttodressandreturnassoonaspossible。

  Whenhejoinedthelibrarianandhiswife,whoweresittingonthebalcony,Rodolphecouldscarcelyrepressanexclamationofsurpriseatseeingtheprodigiouschangewhichthegoodnewshadproducedintheoldman。Henowsawamanofaboutsixty,extremelywellpreserved,aleanItalian,asstraightasanI,withhairstillblack,thoughthinandshowingawhiteskull,withbrighteyes,afullsetofwhiteteeth,afacelikeCaesar,andonhisdiplomaticlipsasardonicsmile,thealmostfalsesmileunderwhichamanofgoodbreedinghideshisrealfeelings。

  \"Hereismyhusbandunderhisnaturalform,\"saidFrancescagravely。

  \"Heisquiteanewacquaintance,\"repliedRodolphe,bewildered。

  \"Quite,\"saidthelibrarian;\"Ihaveplayedmanyapart,andknowwellhowtomakeup。Ah!IplayedoneinParisundertheEmpire,withBourrienne,MadameMurat,Madamed\'Abrantis/etuttequanti/。

  Everythingwetakethetroubletolearninouryouth,eventhemostfutile,isofuse。Ifmywifehadnotreceivedaman\'seducation——anunheard-ofthinginItaly——Ishouldhavebeenobligedtochopwoodtogetmylivinghere。/Povera/Francesca!whowouldhavetoldmethatshewouldsomedaymaintainme!\"

  Ashelistenedtothisworthybookseller,soeasy,soaffable,sohale,Rodolphescentedsomemystification,andpreservedthewatchfulsilenceofamanwhohasbeenduped。

  \"/Cheavete,signor/?\"Francescaaskedwithsimplicity。\"Doesourhappinesssaddenyou?\"

  \"Yourhusbandisayoungman,\"hewhisperedinherear。

  Shebrokeintosuchafrank,infectiouslaughthatRodolphewasstillmorepuzzled。

  \"Heisbutsixty-five,atyourservice,\"saidshe;\"butIcanassureyouthateventhatissomething——tobethankfulfor!\"

  \"Idonotliketohearyoujestaboutanaffectionsosacredasthis,ofwhichyouyourselfprescribedtheconditions。\"

  \"/Zitto/!\"saidshe,stampingherfoot,andlookingwhetherherhusbandwerelistening。\"Neverdisturbthepeaceofmindofthatdearman,assimpleasachild,andwithwhomIcandowhatIplease。Heisundermyprotection,\"sheadded。\"IfyoucouldknowwithwhatgenerosityheriskedhislifeandfortunebecauseIwasaLiberal!forhedoesnotsharemypoliticalopinions。Isnotthatlove,MonsieurFrenchman?——Buttheyarelikethatinhisfamily。Emilio\'syoungerbrotherwasdesertedforahandsomeyouthbythewomanheloved。Hethrusthisswordthroughhisownhearttenminutesafterhehadsaidtohisservant,\'Icouldofcoursekillmyrival,butthatwouldgrievethe/Diva/toodeeply。\'\"

  Thismixtureofdignityandbanter,ofhaughtinessandplayfulness,madeFrancescaatthismomentthemostfascinatingcreatureintheworld。Thedinnerandtheeveningwerefullofcheerfulness,justified,indeed,bythereliefofthetworefugees,butdepressingtoRodolphe。

  \"Canshebefickle?\"heaskedhimselfashereturnedtotheStopfers\'

  house。\"Shesympathizedinmysorrow,andIcannottakepartinherjoy!\"

  Heblamedhimself,justifyingthisgirl-wife。

  \"Shehasnotaintofhypocrisy,andiscarriedawaybyimpulse,\"

  thoughthe,\"andIwanthertobelikeaParisianwoman。\"

  Nextdayandthefollowingdays,infact,fortwentydaysafter,RodolphespentallhistimeattheBergmanns\',watchingFrancescawithouthavingdeterminedtowatchher。Insomesoulsadmirationisnotindependentofacertainpenetration。TheyoungFrenchmandiscernedinFrancescatheimprudenceofgirlhood,thetruenatureofawomanasyetunbroken,sometimesstrugglingagainstherlove,andatothermomentsyieldingandcarriedawaybyit。Theoldmancertainlybehavedtoherasafathertohisdaughter,andFrancescatreatedhimwithadeeplyfeltgratitudewhichrousedherinstinctivenobleness。

  ThesituationandthewomanweretoRodolpheanimpenetrableenigma,ofwhichthesolutionattractedhimmoreandmore。

  Theselastdayswerefullofsecretjoys,alternatingwithmelancholymoods,withtiffsandquarrelsevenmoredelightfulthanthehourswhenRodolpheandFrancescawereofonemind。Andhewasmoreandmorefascinatedbythistendernessapartfromwit,alwaysandinallthingsthesame,anaffectionthatwasjealousofmerenothings——already!

  \"Youcareverymuchforluxury?\"saidheoneeveningtoFrancesca,whowasexpressingherwishtogetawayfromGersau,whereshemissedmanythings。

  \"I!\"criedshe。\"IloveluxuryasIlovethearts,asIloveapicturebyRaphael,afinehorse,abeautifulday,ortheBayofNaples。

  Emilio,\"shewenton,\"haveIevercomplainedhereduringourdaysofprivation。\"

  \"Youwouldnothavebeenyourselfifyouhad,\"repliedtheoldmangravely。

  \"Afterall,isitnotinthenatureofplainfolkstoaspiretograndeur?\"sheasked,withamischievousglanceatRodolpheandatherhusband。\"Weremyfeetmadeforfatigue?\"sheadded,puttingouttwoprettylittlefeet。\"Myhands\"——andsheheldoneouttoRodolphe——

  \"werethosehandsmadetowork?——Leaveus,\"shesaidtoherhusband;

  \"Iwanttospeaktohim。\"

  Theoldmanwentintothedrawing-roomwithsublimegoodfaith;hewassureofhiswife。

  \"IwillnothaveyoucomewithustoGeneva,\"shesaidtoRodolphe。

  \"Itisagossipingtown。ThoughIamfarabovethenonsensetheworldtalks,Idonotchoosetobecalumniated,notformyownsake,butforhis。Imakeitmypridetobethegloryofthatoldman,whois,afterall,myonlyprotector。Weareleaving;stayhereafewdays。WhenyoucomeontoGeneva,callfirstonmyhusband,andlethimintroduceyoutome。Letushideourgreatandunchangeableaffectionfromtheeyesoftheworld。Iloveyou;youknowit;butthisishowIwillproveittoyou——youshallneverdiscerninmyconductanythingwhateverthatmayarouseyourjealousy。\"

  Shedrewhimintoacornerofthebalcony,kissedhimontheforehead,andfled,leavinghiminamazement。

  NextdayRodolpheheardthatthelodgersattheBergmanns\'hadleftatdaybreak。ItthenseemedtohimintolerabletoremainatGersau,andhesetoutforVevaybythelongestroute,startingsoonerthanwasnecessary。AttractedtothewatersofthelakewherethebeautifulItalianawaitedhim,hereachedGenevabytheendofOctober。ToavoidthediscomfortsofthetownhetookroomsinahouseatEaux-Vives,outsidethewalls。Assoonashewassettled,hisfirstcarewastoaskhislandlord,aretiredjeweler,whethersomeItalianrefugeesfromMilanhadnotlatelycometoresideatGeneva。

  \"NotsofarasIknow,\"repliedtheman。\"PrinceandPrincessColonnaofRomehavetakenMonsieurJeanrenaud\'splaceforthreeyears;itisoneofthefinestonthelake。ItissituatedbetweentheVillaDiodatiandthatofMonsieurLafin-de-Dieu,lettotheVicomtessedeBeauseant。PrinceColonnahascometoseehisdaughterandhisson-in-

  lawPrinceGandolphini,aNeopolitan,orifyoulike,aSicilian,anoldadherentofKingMurat\'s,andavictimofthelastrevolution。

  ThesearethelastarrivalsatGeneva,andtheyarenotMilanese。

  Seriousstepshadtobetaken,andthePope\'sinterestintheColonnafamilywasinvoked,toobtainpermissionfromtheforeignpowersandtheKingofNaplesforthePrinceandPrincessGandolphinitolivehere。GenevaisanxioustodonothingtodispleasetheHolyAlliancetowhichitowesitsindependence。/Our/partisnottoruffleforeigncourts;therearemanyforeignershere,RussiansandEnglish。\"

  \"EvensomeGevenese?\"

  \"Yes,monsieur,ourlakeissofine!LordByronlivedhereaboutsevenyearsattheVillaDiodati,whicheveryonegoestoseenow,likeCoppetandFerney。\"

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