old man goriot

Chapter 28
"Poor chap! Like a watchdog," said Sylvie.

"It's the off-season now, and everyone has found a nest; how can there be any tenants coming? It really makes me dizzy. That old witch of Michno, abducted Poiret from me too! What did she do to him, Actually told him to be submissive and follow her like a puppy?"

"Oh! That's not it!" Sylvie said, turning her head sideways. "Those old girls have their own tricks."

"That poor Monsieur Vautrin, they say a convict," went on the widow. "Hey, Sylvie, that's too much, I don't believe it now. Fifteen francs a month for such a jovial fellow." Drink coffee with wine, and never default on paying bills!"

"And so generous!" Christophe said.

"It's a mistake." Sylvie said.

"No, he confessed it himself," continued Madame Vauquer. "I can't imagine that all these things happened in my apartment. There are not even cats in our area! Honest woman, I am not dreaming." ...Look, we've seen Louis XVI have an accident, we've seen the emperor step down, and we've seen him come back and then step down, all of which makes sense; but why should we have trouble with the common people's apartment? The king doesn't want it, the rice doesn't You must eat; a dutiful woman from the Confranc family entertains guests with good food and drink, unless the world is at the end... Oh, yes, it is the end of the world."

"Think about Miss Michno, who has caused you such a disaster, and it is said that she will receive a [-]-franc annuity." Sylvie said loudly.

"Don't mention it, she's a villain!" said Madame Vauquer. "That's not enough, she moved to the Noir apartment! Well, she can do anything, she must have done bad things in the past, stole Things have killed people. She should be the one who went to the convict prison, not the poor good man..."

At this moment, Eugene and Old Man Goriot rang the bell.

"Ah! The two trustworthy lodgers are back," said the widow, with a sigh.

The two reliable tenants, who had almost forgotten the commotion in the common flat, announced to their landlady that they were about to move to the Angtandau district.

"Oh, Sylvie!" said the widow, "my last trump card is gone. You've killed me, gentlemen! You've given me a bludgeon. I've got the bludgeon. At the end of the day, I've aged ten years on my face. I'm going crazy, really! What about the beans? Ah! Well, if I'm the only one left here, you should go tomorrow, Christopher. Goodbye , gentlemen, good night."

"What's the matter with her?" Eugene asked Sylvie.

"What's the matter! After all that happened, everyone ran away, and she was so dizzy. Why, I heard her crying. She felt better after crying. It was the first time since I worked for her that she was bleeding." Where are the tears?"

The next day, Madame Vauquer had figured it out, as she said.Although she lost all her guests, her life was completely messed up, and she looked very sad, but she was clear-headed, and what she expressed was real pain, deep pain, the pain of loss of interests and disruption of habits.Indeed, the look a lover looks upon when he leaves his mistress's lodgings is no more miserable than that of Madame Vauquer at the empty table.Eugene comforted her by saying that Bianchon's internship in the hospital would be over in a few days, and that he might come to fill his place; she also said that the staff of the museum often expressed their desire to live in Mrs. Couture's house; There will be a lot of guests again.

"I hope God hears you, my dear sir! But bad luck has come into my house; death will come in ten days, you see," she said, casting a somber glance toward the dining-room, "Whose turn will it be?"

"It's better to move away." Eugene whispered to old man Goriot.

"Ma'am," said Sylvie, running hurriedly, "I haven't seen Mistigli for three days."

"Ah! Yes, if my cat dies, if it leaves us, I—"

The poor widow did not finish her sentence, but leaned back in her chair with folded hands, overwhelmed by this ominous omen.

At noon, when the postman came to the area around the Pantheon, Eugene received a letter in an elegant envelope with the coat of arms of the Beausian family stamped on the seal.Enclosed was an invitation to the de Nucingens' ball; the great ball, which had been announced a month before, was about to take place at the vicomtesse's house.In addition to the invitation, there was a note to Eugene:
Monsieur, I think you will be pleased to greet Madame de Nucingen for me.Invitations are sent as directed; I would like to know Madame de Restaut's sister.Come to me with this beauty; don't let her take your affections, for in this you owe me much.

Viscountess de Beauseant
"Well," Eugene read the short note again and thought, "Madame de Beauseant has clearly told me that Baron de Nucingen is not welcome to her."

He hastened to Danfina's, glad to surprise her, and perhaps to be rewarded.Madame de Nucingen was taking a bath.Rastignac was waiting in the small drawing room; a fiery young man, who had been thinking of his mistress for two years and wished he could get her sooner, was naturally impatient and restless.This kind of excitement, young people will never experience it for the second time in their lifetime.The first feminine woman that a man desires, that is to say, a woman who meets the standards of Parisian society, who is always visible and always radiant, will always feel that she is incomparable.Love in Paris is very different from love elsewhere.In order to be invulnerable, everyone will inevitably flaunt themselves in the public in terms of feelings that claim to have no interest considerations, but men and women are not believed to be true.In this place, a woman should satisfy not only the needs of the heart and the senses, but also, she knows full well, the hundreds of vanities that are a part of life.Here especially, love is nothing but bragging, shamelessness, extravagance, coaxing, ostentation.In the court of Louis XIV, all the women envied the princess de la Vallier, because her charm made the great king forget himself, and he did not hesitate to tear his six thousand francs. The Duke de Vermandois[82] came to the stage of the world.So what else can we ask of others?You have to be young, rich, and have status, and if possible, the more prominent the better; if you have an idol, the more you stand before her, the more she will favor you.Love is a religion, and it costs more to follow than any other; it comes and goes like a naughty child, and makes a mess wherever it goes.This luxury of affection is the snow in the garret; what would love be without this wealth?The laws of Parisian society are strict, and if there are any exceptions, they are to be found only in the solitary minds, who are not governed by the morals of society, who live at the springs of clear springs, whose waters are swift and swift, who guard the shade of the brook, and are happy to Hearing the language of the infinite world, which exists for them, in all things, and in their own hearts; and while they pitied the mortals they waited patiently for wings to grow and be exalted.However, like most young people, Rastignac has tasted the taste of glory and wealth ahead of time. He wants to go to the battlefield of society fully armed; Does not know the means of ambition, nor understands the purpose of such ambition.This desire for power can be a beautiful thing if there is no pure and holy love to fill life; provided it is freed from all personal self-interest, and the greatness of the state is the goal.But we college students have not yet reached the point where we can examine the path of life and judge it.Children who grew up in the provinces often have some fresh and wonderful ideas that haunt their youth like green shades; so far, Eugene has not even completely shaken off those attractive ideas.He was always hesitating, not daring to cross the threshold of Paris.In spite of his curiosity, he still longed in his bones for the comfortable life of a true country gentleman in a castle.But last night, when he was in his new home, the last of his worries were gone.By virtue of his birth, he had already been blessed spiritually for a long time, and now he enjoyed real benefits in wealth, which made him throw away the way of the provincials, and quietly climbed into a promising career. Location.Therefore, as he sat comfortably waiting for Danfina in this pretty little drawing room, so to speak, which was also his, he felt that he was a far cry from the Rastignac who had come to Paris the year before; Yu, he asked himself if he was still like himself at the moment.

"Madame is in the bedroom." Thérèse came to report, startling him.

He saw Danfina lying on the loveseat by the fireplace, his face bright and refreshed; fruit.

"Look! We meet again," she said excitedly.

"What do you think I brought you?" said Eugene, sitting beside her, and taking her arm, he kissed her hand.

Madame de Nucingen looked at the invitation with a smile.Satisfied with her vanity, she fixed her watery eyes on Eugene, threw her arms round his neck, and drew him madly towards him.

"Thank you 'you' ("I'm going to say 'you'," she said in Eugene's ear, "Therese is in the bathroom, let's pay attention!") for giving me this blessing Points? Yes, I dare to call this a blessing. This is what you give, isn’t it more satisfying than self-esteem? No one would introduce me to that circle before. Maybe you will feel that I am small, superficial, and frivolous now, Like a citizen of Paris; but think, my friend, that I am ready to sacrifice everything for you; I was more eager than ever to set foot in the Saint-Germain Quarter, not because you were there."

"Don't you think," asked Eugene, "that Madame de Beauseant is hinting to us that she does not intend to see the Baron de Nucingen at the ball?"

"Yes," said the baroness, returning the letter to Eugene, "these ladies have such a carefree nature. But what the hell, I'm going. My sister must be going too, I know, She is packing a beautiful outfit." She whispered again, "Eugene, there are some bad speculations outside, and she is going to show her face on purpose. Don't you know the rumors about her? This morning, Nucingen came Tell me, at the fraternity yesterday, people talked about it without hesitation. My God! A woman's honor, a family's honor, it's a big deal! I feel hurt and hurt, even though it's about my poor sister. It is said that Mr. de Tray signed the loan notes, totaling as much as one hundred thousand francs, almost all of which are due, and that he is about to be sued. It is also said that the sister is desperate and has sold her diamonds to the Jews. "Those beautiful diamonds, you may have seen her wear them, or they were passed down from her mother-in-law. Anyway, everyone has been talking about it for the past two days. I think Anastasia will order a gold one." Silver thread brocade long dress, deliberately attracting everyone's attention in the Bao Mansion, will wear her diamonds, shining brilliantly. I don't want to compare to her. She always wants to step on me and has never been nice to me; I help After she is so busy, she always accommodates her when she has no money. Well, let's not talk about other people's affairs, and today I want to have a good time."

At one o'clock in the morning, Rastignac was still at Madame de Nucingen's, and she bid him farewell, a joyous farewell to the future.She said sadly: "I'm really scared, I'm really superstitious; what's wrong with me, you can say whatever you like; I just feel terrified, will it make me sad?"

"What a child." Eugene said.

"Ah! It's me who is a child tonight." She laughed.

Eugene returned to Vauguet's apartment, thinking that he would definitely be able to move out tomorrow, and had sweet dreams along the way, which is always the case when young people still have the taste of happiness on their lips.

"How is it?" Old Man Goriot asked Rastignac as he passed the door.

"I will tell you tomorrow," Eugene replied.

"Tell me, don't you?" cried the old man. "Go to bed. We'll be happy tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)