old man goriot

Chapter 16
"Oh! That's the point. Add a few more words, and the matter will be clear," said Vautrin. "Old Taypan is an old bastard. It is said that he killed a friend of his during the Revolution; this man is The buddy who was with me naturally has some original opinions. He is a banker and the major shareholder of Frederick Typhane Company. He wants to pass the family property to his only son instead of Vedoline. Me, I I don't like such injustice. I'm like Don Quixote, and I love the weak and the strong. If God wills to recall his son, Taifan will turn back to his daughter; It's human folly; but he's barren, I know. Vidoline is tender and sweet, and will soon impress her father, and drive him round with affection like a German top! She knows your love for her, You will never forget that you will marry her. As for me, I will do justice to God. I have a close friend, a colonel in the Legion of the Loire, who has recently been transferred to the royal guard. I have always been obedient and an extreme royalist: he is not such a stubborn fool. If I have any advice for you, my angel, don't be stubborn, and don't believe what you say. If anyone If you want your opinion, just sell it. A man who pretends to never change his opinion is a self-righteous fellow and a self-righteous fool. There are no principles, but events; Connect with the specific plot and control it by yourself. If there are fixed laws and principles, people in the world can't change them at will like we change shirts. Individuals are not necessarily smarter than the whole nation. For France The man who works the least becomes an idol, because his views are always radical, and in fact he is at most worthy of being placed in a museum among those machines, with a label attached to him that reads Lafayette[41]; The prince who was stoned by all, he could have despised all men, and swore if they asked him to swear; but it was he who saved France from partition at the Congress of Vienna; he earned the crown, and was thrown Desludge [42]. Oh! I understand everything! I have many people's secrets! Enough. Once I meet three people who agree on the application of a principle, I have an unshakable opinion ;Then I don’t know what year and month it will be! When it comes to a certain legal clause, there will be no three judges in the court who have the same opinion. Closer to home, let’s talk about my buddy. As long as I speak, he will tell Jesus Christ was crucified again. At the words of old Vautrin, he'd pick a fight with that bastard who wouldn't give his poor sister five francs; and then..."

Speaking of this, Vautrin stood up, put on a posture, and made a sprinting movement of a fencing teacher.

"Then, kill him!" he said again.

"Terrible!" said Eugene. "Are you joking, Monsieur Vautrin?"

"Come! Come! Come! Take it easy," he answered, "don't be childish. But, if you like, be angry, be angry! Call me a scoundrel, scoundrel, scoundrel, robber, but don't call me a liar, don't Call me a spy! Come on, speak up, let out your cannon! I forgive you, it's quite natural at your age! I used to be like that! But think about it. One day, You are doing worse things. You will court a beautiful woman and accept her money. You have already thought of it!" said Vautrin, "because how can you succeed without advances in love? Dear student, virtue are indivisible: what is there is what is not, what is not is not. It is said that faults can be redeemed. This is a wonderful way of saying that sins can be redeemed by repentance! To seduce a woman to achieve social advancement Separation of a family's children, in short, for pleasure, or self-interest, all the despicable deeds done openly and secretly, do you think you are practicing faith, hope and mercy? A dude takes away half of a child's property overnight , why only two months in prison? Poor pauper who stole a thousand franc note, how can it be an aggravated crime and sentenced to hard labor? This is your law. There is no one that is not absurd. People who wear yellow gloves and talk beautifully The common murderer breaks the door with an iron bar: in fact, both of them are night activities! The difference between what I propose to you now and what you will do in the future is that no blood is seen. Blood. You still believe that there is something fixed in the world! You should not put others in your eyes, but should study the loopholes that can be exploited in the French Open. You have made a fortune without knowing it, and the secret must be a crime that slipped through the net. Just do it clean."

"Stop it, sir, I don't want to hear any more. You're making me doubt myself. I'm just going to go with my gut for now."

"You're welcome, handsome boy. I thought you were a tough guy," Vautrin said, "I won't tell you anything from now on. But, one last thing." He looked intently at the student, "you know me It's a secret," he said.

"Since you don't accept your plan, of course you will forget it."

"Well said, I'm glad. You see, someone else would be less cautious. Don't forget what I intend to do for you. I'll give you a fortnight. Choose as you please."

"This guy's brain is as stubborn as iron!" Rastignac thought to himself, watching Vautrin walk away calmly with his cane under his arm. "Madame de Beauseant said it to me in a gentle way, and he said it nakedly. He tore my heart with claws of steel. Why should I go to Madame de Nucingen's? As soon as I had an idea, he guessed it. In short, this robber told me more about virtue than others and books. If virtue cannot be compromised, didn’t I deceive my sister?” He said As he spoke, he threw the purse on the table.

He sat down, dazed and deep in thought.

"To abide by morality is to be a noble victim! Humph! Everyone believes in morality; but who is a virtuous person? People everywhere advocate freedom; but in this world, where are free people? It’s like a cloudless blue sky; but if you want to be rich and expensive, don’t you just make up your mind to lie, bow your waist, crawl around, and then stand up to blow and pat and cover up? Isn’t it just to agree to come down and listen to those who once lied? Bending, crawling people order? Before you can join them, you have to serve them first. Huh, that's not okay. I want to work hard and cleanly; I want to work hard day and night, and I will get rich by hard work. This road to getting rich is the slowest, but I have a clear conscience when I put my head on the pillow every day. Looking at my life, I am pure and flawless, just like a lily. What could be more beautiful? My life and I are now like The relationship between a young man and his fiancée, Vautrino showed me what happened ten years after marriage. What the hell! My brain is getting more and more confused. I don't want to think about anything, just go with my heart."

Fat Sylvie's voice woke Eugene as if from a dream, and she said that the tailor was coming.He stood before the tailor with the two purses, and the sight was not unpleasant to him.After trying on a few evening dresses, and then changing into new ones for the day, I was instantly a different person. "I am no longer under M. de Trail," he thought to himself, "at last I am a gentleman!"

"Monsieur," said old Goriot, entering Eugene's room, "you may ask me, which houses does Madame de Nucingen go to?"

"Correct!"

"Well, next Monday she's going to the Marshal de Carigliano's ball. If you can go, please tell me back if my two girls are having a good time, what clothes they are wearing, anyway, You have to tell me everything."

"How do you know? My good old man," said Eugene, and seated him by the fire.

"Her maid told me. From Thales and Constance, I know every move of the two daughters." He said with a smile on his face.The old man, like a young lover, is proud of his tricks; he knows his mistress so well that she doesn't. "You will definitely see them, you!" As he spoke, his envy and pain were innocently revealed.

"I don't know," Eugene replied, "I'm going to see Madame de Beauseant and ask her if she can introduce me to Madame Marshal."

Eugene thought that he would be able to wear a new dress and go to the Viscountess's house in the future, so he couldn't help but secretly rejoice.The so-called abyss of the human heart by moralists refers to those unconscious behaviors and self-deceiving thoughts that only care about their own interests.This moment, that moment, so serious and capricious, are nothing more than various plans to cater to our pleasure.Seeing that he was well dressed and his gloves and boots were all in order, Rastignac had completely forgotten his determination to be a good man.When young people fall into unrighteousness, they dare not look directly at the mirror of conscience; but adults have seen it.The difference between the two stages of life lies in this.

These two neighbors, Eugene and Old Man Goriot, have become good friends.There are psychological factors in the tacit understanding between the two people; but the same psychological factors have produced diametrically opposed feelings between Vautrin and the college students.An intrepid philosopher who wishes to observe the action of our affections on the physical world may find more than one instance in the relations which arise between us and the animals, that the affections are not abstract.A face-to-face person can tell a person's character, but which face-to-face person can react faster than a dog?A dog knows at a glance whether a stranger likes him or dislikes him.People of a feather flock together, as the saying goes; we still hear that saying, though some of us are bored and love to find fault with the so-called dross of the old vocabulary.When we are loved by others, we feel it.This kind of emotion can leave traces on no matter what, and can travel through space.A letter is a heart, a faithful echo of words, so the amorous person regards the letter as the treasure of love.Old man Gao's blind emotion elevates himself to the realm of dog nature, which naturally smells the pity, respect and sympathy of the college students for him and the young people.But the early friendship was not so close to heart-to-heart.Eugene had indeed expressed his desire to see Madame de Nucingen, which did not mean that he intended to rely on the old man's introduction, but only hoped that a little bit of information that Goriot had inadvertently let him take advantage of.Old Goriot didn't mention his daughter to Eugene until he came back from visiting the two wives and said that in public. "My dear sir," said he a day later, "how can you think that Madame de Restaut is angry with you when you say my name? I am a happy man, both of whom are dutiful daughters." Father. It's just that the two sons-in-laws are not good to me. I don't want to make two lovely children feel bad because of the quarrel with the son-in-law; I'd rather watch them secretly. I am happy because of the mystery, not those who can see their daughters at any time Father can understand. I can't, do you understand? So when the weather is good, I first ask the maid if my daughter is going out, and then go to the Champs Elysees. I wait for them on the way. The car is coming When I saw them, my heart jumped; I applauded secretly when I saw their clothes; when they passed by, they smiled at me, as if a bright sun fell from the sky, dyeing the whole world golden for me. I stayed there, and they still wanted to I came back. I saw them again! Breathed the fresh air, and my cheeks were red. The people around said: "What a beautiful woman!" I was very happy when I heard that. Isn't that my blood? I like it The horses that pull their carts really want to be their lap dogs. When they are happy, I can live a meaningful life. Each has its own way of love, and my way does not hinder anyone. Why do people care about me? My Happiness is different. Is it against the law to see my daughter go out to the ball at night? If I go late, people say: "Madame has gone." How sad I am! One night I waited until three o'clock in the morning, Just to take a look at Naxi, who I haven’t seen for two days. I almost fainted with joy! I beg you, when you mention me in the future, you must say how filial my daughter is. They want to send me various gifts, I stopped them, and said to them: 'Save your money! What do I want with those things? I don't want anything.' Actually, my dear sir, what am I? I'm just a worthless living dead; Where my daughter is, my soul will follow." The old man paused for a moment and then said, "After you see Madame de Nucingen, tell me which of the two you prefer." At this time he saw that Eugene was about to go out; the young man went for a walk in the Tuileries Park, and when the time came, he went to Madame de Beauseant's house.

This walk was the key to Eugene's life.Several women noticed him.He was so handsome and young, so handsome, so elegant!When he saw people paying attention to him with almost appreciation, he immediately forgot about his sister and aunt who had been plundered by him, and also forgot all kinds of moral concerns.He saw the devil flying over his head, the devil who is so easy to be mistaken for an angel, Satan with colorful wings, scattering rubies all the way, shooting golden arrows to the front of the palace, making the women dress in red and purple, and making the plain A vulgar splendor casts the vain throne; he hears the ostentatious voice of the god of vanity, whose pomp and extravagance seem to us the sign of power.Although Vautrin's remarks were so cynical, they were deeply rooted in his heart, just like the ugly face of a woman selling cosmetics was engraved in the memory of a young girl who said to her: "Gold Roll on, flow on with love!" Eugene wandered around lazily for a while; at about five o'clock, he came to Madame de Beauseant's house, and unexpectedly received a great blow, which ordinary young people have no psychological ability to resist. .Before that, he had always thought that the Viscountess was polite and sweet, but he didn't know that it was endowed by noble education, and only from the heart could there be true feelings.

As soon as he entered, Madame de Beauseant waved her hand impatiently and said to him coldly: "Monsieur de Rastignac, I cannot receive you, at least at this time! I have something to do..."

For a person who is good at observing words and expressions, Rastignac has quickly learned this set-the words, gestures, eyes, and tone of voice all reflect the nature and habits of the aristocratic class.He glimpsed iron palms in velvet gloves, individuality and selfishness in manners, wood under paint.He finally heard the voice from the king to the nobles: I am the king.Before, Eugene believed her words too easily, thinking that she had a noble heart.Like all unfortunate men, he wholeheartedly subscribed to the touching covenant of benefactor and benefactor, the first clause of which states that all great minds are perfectly equal.Little do they know that the good deeds of maintaining the two of them are as unique as true love and as incomprehensible as the passion of heaven.Both are acts of generosity of good heart.Rastignac had no choice but to swallow his breath because he wanted to be at the Duchess de Carigliano's ball.

"Ma'am," he said excitedly, "it's nothing important, and I won't bother you. Please be gracious and allow me to see you again. I'll wait."

"That's good! Come and have dinner with me," she said, a little ashamed of her bluntness, for the lady's kindness was no less than her nobility.

Eugene was quite touched by the sudden turn of events. Before leaving, he could not help feeling: "Climb, climb, everything must be endured. Even the best woman will cancel the promise of friendship for a while, and leave you like an old shoe. On the other hand, what will happen to the woman next to her? Everyone is for himself, what can I do? Yes, her house is not a shop, and I shouldn't ask her for anything. As Tovlen said, it should be like a cannonball. " Thinking of the joy of having dinner at the Viscountess's house, the college student's complaints were immediately wiped away.

(End of this chapter)