old man goriot

Chapter 24
Vautrin said: "Then you will take care of him at home." Then he whispered in her ear, "This is your responsibility as a good wife. He really loves you, young man; I think you will be his in the future." My little daughter-in-law." He said loudly again: "Anyway, they are well-respected in the local area, happy with each other, full of children. All love stories end like this. Come on, aunt," he said, turning around He put his arms around Mrs. Vauguet, "Go and put on your hat, beautiful floral skirt, and countess' shawl. I'll go and hire a car for you." After speaking, he sang a little tune and left:

sun sun you are god,
The pumpkin is so yellow...

"My God! You see, Mrs. Couture, I am so happy with such a man. Hey," said Mrs. Vauquer, turning to the noodle merchant, "Old man Gao is drunk. The old miser Well, it never occurred to him to take me anywhere. Oh, he's going down, my God! It's a shame for an old man to lose his mind! You will say that a man who has no sense in the first place loses his mind at all. Nothing. Sylvie, help him back to his room."

Sylvie took the old man by the arm and helped him up the stairs, laying his clothes on the bed like a bedroll.

"Poor boy," said Madame Couture, brushing Eugene's hair out of her eyes, "like a girl who doesn't know what it means to be out of line."

"Ah! I can say this. I have owned an apartment for 31 years," said Mrs. Vauquer. "According to what people say, I have passed many young people in my hand, but I have never seen anyone as lovely as Mr. Eugene. Excellent. Does he look good when he sleeps? Put his head on your shoulder, Mrs. Couture. Why! He fell on the shoulder of Mademoiselle Vidoline; no, the children's business is the gods' business .A little more sideways, and his head hits the nose of the chair back. They make a good pair."

"Landlady, don't say a word," cried Mrs. Couture, "what you said..."

"Hey!" said Madame Vauquer, "he can't hear. Come, Sylvie, help me dress me, I want my large corset."

"Ouch! Wear a big corset when you're full, ma'am," said Sylvie, "no, you'll get someone to do it for you, I can't do that. You're messing around, and you're going to kill yourself." of."

"Whatever it is, we must save face for M. Vautrin."

"Is that how you care for your younger heirs?"

"Come, Sylvie, don't argue," said the widow, walking away.

"At her age," said the cook to Vidoline, pointing to the mistress.

Only Madame Couture and Vidoline were left in the dining room, and Eugene fell asleep leaning on the girl's shoulder.In the quiet room, only Christophe's snoring could be heard. In contrast, Eugene slept very peacefully, as cute as a child.Vidoline was glad that she could take the risk of doing this act of caring, to vent all the emotions of a woman, and at the same time feel the young man's heart beating beside her own without any sense of guilt. There was a look of maternal care on her face. The expression seems to be very proud.Thousands of thoughts welled up in the heart, youthful and pure warmth communicated, and stirred up a certain euphoric commotion.

"Poor good girl!" said Mrs. Couture, squeezing her hand.

The innocent and distressed face was covered with a halo of happiness, and the old lady secretly admired it.Vidoline is very similar to the ancient portraits of the Middle Ages. The artist omitted all the details, and only focused on the face with calm and confident brushstrokes. The yellowish complexion seemed to reflect the golden light of heaven.

"He's only had two drinks, mother," said Vidoline, running her fingers through Eugene's hair.

"My boy, if he is used to mischief, he will drink as much as other people. He is admirable when he is drunk."

There was the sound of a carriage in the street.

"Mother," said the young girl, "Monsieur Vautrin is here. Come and help Monsieur Eugene. I don't want that man to see me like this; he speaks words that stain the heart, and his eyes are like a woman's." I can’t bear it, it’s like taking off someone else’s clothes.”

"No," said Mrs. Couture, "you are wrong! Monsieur Vautrin is a good man, a bit like Mr. Couture in those days. He is rough but kind-hearted. He is a good man with a bad temper."

At this moment, Vautrin came in silently. He looked at the picture formed by the two children, and the soft light seemed to be caressing endlessly.

"Well!" he said, folding his arms, "if the good Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, author of "Paul and Virginie," had seen this scene, it would have Inspiration writes beautiful chapters. Youth is beautiful, Mrs. Couture." He looked at Eugene and said, "Good boy, go to sleep. Sometimes happiness comes while you are sleeping." He said to the widow "Madam, I love this young man and move my heart because I know that he is not only handsome in appearance, but also kind-hearted and harmonious inside and out. Look, isn't this a little angel leaning on Angel's shoulder? He, How worthy of love! If I were a woman, I would die for him, (no, not so stupid!) Would live for him. When you admire them like this, ma'am," he whispered in the widow's ear, " I can't help but think that they are a match made in heaven." Then he said aloud, "God has some hidden ways, He reads the heart, He tests the heart[73]. Children, see that you are both pure, soulful Lord, I believe that you are united, and you will never be separated. My lord is wise." He said to the girl again: "I think you are very lucky, show me your hand, Miss Vidoline. I can read palms , people's good luck is always right by me. Come, don't be afraid. Ah! What do I see? Tell the truth, you will soon be the richest heir in Paris. Those who love you will also thank you .Your father will call you back to him. The man you marry is young, handsome, high-ranking, and loves you."

At this time, the widow with heavy makeup came downstairs, and the heavy footsteps interrupted Vautrin's divination.

"Look, Vauguet... Mama...beautiful as a bright star, tied up like a carrot. Don't you feel a little suffocated?" He said, putting his hand on her chest, "the breasts are so tight Mother, if you cry, it will explode; but I'll pick up the pieces as carefully as an antique dealer."

"He can speak French flattery, man!" said the widow, in Madame Couture's ear.

"Good-bye, my children," said Vautrin, turning to Eugene and Védoline, and putting his hands over their heads, "I wish you well. Believe me, madam, the honest man's blessing is not small, and it will come. Happiness, God listens."

"Good-bye, my dear friend," said Madame Vauquer to her lodger; and added in a low voice: "Do you think M. Vautrin is interested in me?"

"Uh! Uh!"

"Ah! dear mamma," sighed Vidoline, looking at her hands, when they were alone in the room, "if only the words of this good M. Vautrin come true!"

"Only one thing will do," the old lady continued, "as long as your devil brother falls off his horse."

"Oh! Mom."

"My God, it may be a sin to curse the enemy," said the widow again, "well, I will atone for it. Indeed, I will send flowers to his grave with all my heart and all my heart. He dare not speak for his mother, You can only play tricks and tricks, monopolize your mother's inheritance, and deprive you of your rights. Back then, your mother brought a lot of property, but it was not stated in the marriage contract, which made you suffer."

"My happiness would be unbearable if it had to be at the cost of someone else's life," said Vidorine. "If I can only be happy if my brother dies, then I'd rather live here forever."

"My God, this good Monsieur Vautrin, you see, he is full of religion; as he said," continued Mrs. Couture, "I am glad to know that he is religious, not like others say." God is more impious than the devil. Alas! Who knows which way God is pleased to lead us?"

With the help of Sylvie, they managed to get Eugene into his own room, and put him on the bed; the cook undressed him to make him more comfortable.Before leaving, Vidoline took advantage of the old lady's back and kissed Eugene on the forehead, feeling that this furtive crime made her feel happy.She looked at his room as if she had gathered the hundreds of happinesses of the day into one thought, one picture, and she kept herself dreaming about it; she was the happiest woman in Paris when she fell asleep.

Vautrin took advantage of the opportunity to entertain the crowd, drugged the wine, made Eugene and old Goriot drunk, and now he ruined himself.The half-drunk Bianchon forgot to ask Miss Mixunuo about the ghost.Had he blurted out the name, it would have alarmed Vautrin.We might as well give the prison celebrity his real name: Jacques Collin.Collin, in Mademoiselle Michnot's mind, had a bold disposition; the old lady was planning to give him a tip-off to escape in the middle of the night, and would it not have been better when she heard the nickname of Venus of the Pere Lachaise cemetery, So he made up his mind to report on the convict.She had just gone out after dinner, accompanied by Poiret, to find the famous police chief in the Via Santa Ana, and she thought that the person she was dealing with was a high-ranking official named Gondello.The Superintendent of Police received her politely.After all the details were negotiated, Miss Mi Xunuo asked for a potion for testing the mark.Seeing the smug look of the big shots on Santa Ana Street looking for the medicine bottle in the desk drawer, Miss Michno realized that the importance of this arrest operation was not limited to the arrest of an ordinary prisoner.She thought hard and guessed that the police also hoped to get a huge amount of money in time based on the prison insider's whistleblower.She told her guess, and the old fox smiled slightly, trying to dispel the old girl's doubts.

"You're mistaken," he resumed, "in the band of thieves Collon is the most dangerous thing ever. That's all. The rascals know it; he's their banner, their pillar. , anyway, their Bonaparte; they all love him. The fellow will never give us his gourd to leave us on the beach square."

Mademoiselle Michno was confused, and Gondiro explained to her the two slang words he used.

Tips and gourds are very important words in the gang of thieves. At first, they thought that they should see two aspects of the head.The kit is the head of a living man, his idea, his thoughts.Gourd is a contemptuous word, expressing how insignificant the head is once moved.

"Cran's tricking us," he went on, "with these English hardened steel guys, we've got our way; if they put up any resistance when they're arrested, we'll kill them right away. We want Cran to-morrow morning Use violence to kill him on the spot. In this way, the lawsuit, guard fees, and their food are all free; at the same time, it eliminates harm for the society. The execution of the sentence, all the legal steps against these rascals, cost far more than the three thousand francs you will get. There is also the question of saving time. We can stop hundreds of crimes by stabbing the devil in the belly, Fifty bad guys can be saved from doing evil and kept in the confines of the misdemeanor courts. That's good policing. That's crime prevention, as true philanthropists say."

"This is doing something for the country," said Poiret.

"That's right," the director continued. "Your words are justified tonight. Yes, of course we are doing our best for the country. The world is really unfair to us. We have done a lot for the society, but No one knows. Anyway, if a person can transcend his prejudices, he is considered wise. Good deeds deviated from worldly opinions will inevitably lead to disasters, and he is a Christian if he can endure them. Paris is Paris, you see? This sentence shows that My life. That's all for now. Good night, madam. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Royal Gardens. Send Christophe to the Rue Buffon where I was last time. Just ask Mr. Gondillo. .Sir, I am waiting for your orders. In case you have something stolen in the future, feel free to find me and return it to the original owner. At your service."

"Well," said Poiret afterwards to Mademoiselle Michnot, "there are some fools in the world who are terrified when they hear about the police station. But this gentleman is very kind, and what he wants you to do is as simple as saying hello." .”

The next day must have been a very unusual day in the history of the Vaugue apartment.Before that, the most striking event in the peaceful apartment life was the comet-like appearance of the fake Countess of Lambermeny.But the current day was full of climaxes, and everything seemed ordinary in comparison; it would become a permanent topic for Madame Vauquer in the future.First Goriot and Eugene de Rastignac slept until eleven o'clock.Madame Vauquer came home from the Gay Theater in the middle of the night and was still in bed by ten thirty in the morning.After drinking up the leftover wine that Vautrin had given him, Christophe's sound sleep delayed the chores in the apartment.Poiret and Mademoiselle Michnot did not complain about the late breakfast.Videline and Madame Couture also slept late.Vautrin went out before eight o'clock and did not return until dinner was served.At a quarter past eleven, Sylvie and Christophe knocked on each door to invite everyone to dinner, but no one said anything dissatisfied.While Sylvie and the waiter were away, Mademoiselle Michnot was the first to go downstairs and poured the potion into Vautrin's own silver cup, which contained the cream for his coffee and warmed it in the steamer with the others.The old girl had already planned to take advantage of this special habit in the apartment.The seven lodgers finally arrived.Eugene, stretching his arms, was the last to go downstairs, when an orderly handed him a letter from Madame de Nucingen.The letter reads as follows:
My friend, I am neither being condescending nor angry with you.I waited for you until two o'clock last night.Waiting for a loved one!Those who have suffered this kind of crime will never let others suffer.I see that you are in love for the first time.What happened?I am uneasy.If it wasn't for the fear of revealing the secrets in my heart, I would have come in person to see if what you encountered was a blessing or a curse.But going out at that time, whether on foot or by car, wouldn't it be ruining yourself?That's when I felt the misfortune of being a woman.I'm worried, please tell me why you didn't come after what my father said to you.I will be unhappy, but I will forgive you.Are you sick?Why live so far away?Please call me back.See you soon, will you?If you are not free, just answer me with a few words; for example: I will come, I am sick.If you are unwell, my father has come to tell me!What happened? ... "Yes, what's the matter?" Eugene cried out, crumpled the letter before reading it, and rushed into the dining room. "What time is it?"

"11:30," said Vautrin, adding sugar to his coffee.

The fugitive stared at Eugene with stern and menacing eyes.Anyone who is born with the ability to seduce the soul has this kind of gaze, which is said to be able to calm the Wu Chi in the madhouse.Eugene could not help trembling in every limb.There was the sound of a carriage in the street, and a servant in liveries of Mr. Taifan's family rushed in with a look of panic. Mrs. Couture recognized it at a glance.

"Miss," he exclaimed, "the master wants you to go back. There is nothing serious about it. Master Frederick was hit on the forehead in a duel, and the doctor said it was hopeless. I'm afraid you won't have time to see him. Already unconscious."

"Poor boy!" Vautrin exclaimed, "with an income of thirty thousand a year, why are you fighting with others? No, young people are really ignorant."

"Monsieur!" cried Eugene to him.

"What's the matter, big boy? Was there no duel in Paris that morning?" said Vautrin, finishing his coffee nonchalantly.Miss Mi Xunuo stared at his action intently, and she was indifferent when she heard the event that shocked everyone.

(End of this chapter)