old man goriot

Chapter 5 Civilian Apartments (4)
"Oh, two!" said fat Sylvie, who did not recognize the same person.

A few days later another girl, tall, well-proportioned, with a dark complexion, black hair, and piercing eyes, came to Monsieur Goriot.

"Oh, three!" said Sylvie.

The second girl also came to see her father in the morning for the first time, but came back a few days later at night, dressed for a ball and in a carriage.

"Oh, four!" exclaimed Madame Vauquer and fat Sylvie.The two of them didn't see a trace of her casual dress last morning in this noble lady.

At that time Goriot was still paying twelve hundred francs for board and lodging.Mrs. Vauquer felt that it was natural for a rich man to have four or five mistresses, and it was also clever to describe mistresses as daughters.She was not angry when he summoned them to Vauquer's apartment.But it was precisely because of these women that Goriot, the lodger, was so indifferent to her that she called him Old Cat at the beginning of the second year.Once, after he had reduced it to nine hundred francs, Madame Vauquer saw one of the girls coming down the stairs, and asked him very rudely what he intended to do with her apartment.Old Man Goriot replied that this lady was his eldest daughter.

"So you have three dozen daughters?" said Madame Vauquer sharply.

"I only have two," Old Man Gao said after taking over the conversation, his tone was as gentle as a bankrupt man, and he could endure any hardships.

At the end of the third year, the old man saved money again, moved to the fourth floor, and paid only 45 francs for board and lodging every month.He quit smoking, quit his hairdresser, and stopped powdering his hair.It was the first time that Old Man Goriot showed up without powder. The landlady couldn't help screaming when she saw the color of his hair. It turned out that his hair was an ugly dark gray with greenish shades.Due to the worry in his heart, he unknowingly showed a sad face, which became more and more distressed day by day, and seemed to be the most distressed face around the dinner table.Now there is no doubt about it.Old man Goriot is an old coquette; the medicine for his disease has side effects, and if it weren't for the doctor's ability, his eyes would have been lost long ago.The reason his hair color is so disgusting is because he is over-indulgent and taking drugs to maintain it.The old man's state of mind and body gave some basis to the gossip which was passed around.The fine clothes he had brought with him were no longer wearable, and he bought fourteen sous a yard of cotton instead.Gold cigarette cases, gold chains, diamonds and jewellery, everything was gone.He said goodbye to the light blue dress and all high-end clothing, regardless of winter or summer, and only wore a maroon duffel coat, a wool waistcoat, and gray pea trousers.He grew thinner and thinner, his calves dropped; his face, once bulging with contentment, was now wrinkled, and his forehead was wrinkled; his teeth showed.In his fourth year in the Rue Neuve Saint-Geneviève, he had changed beyond recognition. At the age of 62, he was a good noodle merchant, who looked less than forty; the fat and fat boss, proud of his spring and suave, made passers-by happy to see him, and his smile was quite youthful; now he looks like a seventy-year-old man, in a trance In a trance, staggering, looking ashen.The blue eyes, so piercing at first, turned iron gray and dull; the tears stopped flowing, and the red rims seemed to be bleeding.Some people find him disgusting, others find him pitiful.A gang of young medical students, noticing his drooping lower lip, measured the tops of his cheek corners, questioned him in vain, and said he had cretinism.One evening, after dinner, Madame Vauquer said to him sarcastically: "Hey! Are they not coming to see you, your daughters?" expressing doubts about his paternity.Old man Gao couldn't help but startled, as if he had been stabbed by the landlady with a sharp object.

"Sometimes." He replied excitedly.

"Oh! Oh! Sometimes you see them!" cried the students in unison. "That's great, old Goriot!"

However, the old man did not hear the ridicule caused by his answer, and fell into deep thought again.Those who only observe him from the surface think that he is dull and confused.If one knew him well, one might be interested in the problems facing his material and spiritual situation; but that is more difficult than anything else.It is not difficult to know whether Goriot has really been in the noodle business and how much property he has; but those old people who pay attention to him never go out of the confines of the district and stay in the apartment all the time, like oysters stuck to rocks ; as for the others, under the peculiar influence of Parisian life, they forgot the poor old man they were teasing as soon as they stepped out of the Rue Neuve Saint-Geneviève.These narrow-minded people and carefree young people all think that with old man Gao's shabby and confused appearance, he has no wealth or ability at all.As for the women he called his daughters, everyone agreed with Madame Vauquer; Madame Vauquer had a strict logic in her speech; She said: "If old man Goriot had such rich daughters as the ladies who came to see him, he would never live on the fourth floor of me and pay only 45 francs a month for board and lodging. , and don't dress like a poor man." Nothing refutes such conclusions.So by the end of November, [-], when the tragedy struck, everyone in the flat had a pretty sure opinion of the poor old man.He never had a wife, no daughters at all; too much fun turned him into a snail, a humanoid mollusk that could be classified as a low-level capsid, said a patron of the museum, said the museum clerk.Compared with Goriot, Poiret became an eagle, a gentleman.Poiret can talk, he can reason, he can answer; although his speech, theory, and answer are the same as if he hadn't spoken, because he is used to repeating others' words in other words; but after all he helps talk, he is alive, It seems to have a feeling; but the old man, according to the museum clerk, always points to zero degrees on the thermometer.

Eugene de Rastigne returned from his vacation with the spirit of an ordinary young man; or like a man in adversity, temporarily possessing all the advantages of an elite.In the first year of living in Paris, there was not much homework for the junior college students, and he had complete leisure to enjoy the obvious pleasures of Paris' material life.A college student needs to know the repertoire of each theater, figure out the way out of the maze of Paris, figure out the rules, learn how to talk, get used to all kinds of entertainment unique to the capital, go to good places and bad places, and listen to interesting ones. He doesn't have much time for courses and reciting the collections of various museums.So he was obsessed with boring things, thinking how great it was.He had his big men, some professors from the Collège de France, paid to be able to face the audience.He adjusted his tie and made a gesture so that the girls in the balcony of the Burlesque Theater would notice him.After getting started with everything, he reborn himself, expanded his circle of life, and finally realized that people are divided into layers, layers upon layers, to form a society.On a sunny day, there was an endless stream of carriages on the Champs-Elysées. He first admired them, and then envied them.When Eugene went on vacation after obtaining a bachelor's degree in literature and law, he had already gone through these preliminary studies unconsciously.My childhood fantasies, the concept of the mainland, have disappeared without a trace.With his knowledge changed and his ambition boosted, he has a clear view of his father's estate and family situation.His parents, two brothers, two sisters, and an aunt who had no property but a pension lived on the small piece of land in Rastignac.The income of the manor is about [-] francs a year, but it is not stable, depending on the market of grape wine, but he has to scrape together [-] francs a year for him.Years of financial difficulties, the family kept it secret out of love for him; when he was a child, he thought his two younger sisters were so beautiful, but now he couldn't help comparing them with the typical Parisian girls who he thought were the beauties of his dreams; Family, the prospects are bleak; he can vividly count every grain and grain; even the dregs of the press bed are made into home-made drinks; in short, there are many situations that made him famous Desire and the desire to get ahead, intensified tenfold.Like all ambitious people, he only wants to earn by his own ability.But he is obviously a southerner, he hesitates when it comes to implementation, and his decision wavers, like a young man in the vast ocean, who neither knows which direction to push, nor which angle to sail.At first he wanted to work hard, but soon he felt the need to establish interpersonal relationships, and found that women had a great influence on social life, so he suddenly wanted to devote himself to socializing and conquer a few women who could be his backers.A young man with enthusiasm and talent, coupled with his elegant demeanor and masculine beauty that makes women unable to hold back, is it still difficult to meet such a woman?These thoughts went on and on as he walked in the fields.He used to be happy hanging out with his sisters, but now they think he has become more.His aunt, Mrs. de Marciac, also went to the court and got acquainted with those dignitaries in the palace.The ambitious young man suddenly remembered that in the memories his aunt used to tell him when he was a child, there were some clues that could be used to break into society, at least as important as what he was doing in law school; The people who can still be warmed up, what kind of relatives are they?The old lady sorted out the branches of the family tree, and thought that among the wealthy relatives who could use her, among all the people who could support her nephew, the Viscountess de Beausian was the best to speak.She wrote the young woman a letter in old-fashioned style, and told Eugene that if he could succeed with the vicomtesse, she would help him find the rest of his relatives.A few days after Rastignac's arrival, Madame de Beauseant received a letter from his aunt.In reply, the Viscountess gave Zhang an invitation to the ball the next day.

Such was the general state of affairs in the apartment at the end of November, [-].

A few days later, Eugene attended Madame de Beauseant's ball and returned around two o'clock in the morning.In order to make up for the lost time, the courageous college student made up his mind to go back to the night train while dancing.He was about to stay up late for the first time in this silent neighborhood. He thought he was in high spirits, but in fact it was just the impulse to see the luxurious scene.He did not dine at Madame Vauquer's apartment that night, and the guests may have thought that he would not come back from the ball until dawn, just as he sometimes came back from the Prado ballroom, and the Odéon ball, the silk stockings were splashed. Mud, leather shoes become crooked.Christopher opened the door and looked out into the street before locking it.Rastignac came back just at this moment, and could have gone upstairs and back to his room in silence, but Christophe, who followed him, made a lot of noise.Eugene took off her make-up, put on slippers, put on a crappy overcoat, lit the peat pot, and got ready to study with two strokes.The young man's movements were not loud, completely overwhelmed by the sound of Christopher's heavy leather shoes still walking.Eugene thought for a while before diving headfirst into the legal book.He saw that the Vicomtesse de Beauseant was a fashion king in Paris, and that her mansion was considered the most pleasant place in the Saint-Germain district.In terms of family status and property, she is also a well-known figure in aristocratic society.Thanks to the help of Aunt de Marciac, the poor student was welcomed in her house without knowing the extent of this care.Being accepted in those resplendent salons is equivalent to a noble certificate.This social circle is the most difficult to enter. Now that you have shown your face in it, you can pass everywhere without hindrance.The glamorous party dazzled him; he and the Viscountess didn't say a few words, and found a woman who made young people fall in love at first sight among the bustling Parisian fairies.The Countess Anastasia de Resto was tall, well-proportioned, and considered one of the most beautiful ladies in Paris.Imagine a woman with big black eyes, beautiful hands, fine feet, and fiery passion in her manners; a woman who, according to the Marquis de Roncrolles, was a thoroughbred.Unpredictable emotions do not detract from her virtues; plump and round without being fat.Thoroughbred horses and ladies of great family are already replacing the angels of heaven, the beauties of ancient fables, and the ancient myths of love that the new school of gentry has discarded.In Rastignac's mind, Madame Anastasia de Resto was simply a charming woman.He managed to get on her fan's waiting list twice and was able to speak to her during the first quadruple.

"Where will I meet you in the future, ma'am?" He said abruptly, with impulsive energy, which hit the arms of ordinary women.

She said, "Lin Yuan, Burlesque Theater, my home, anywhere."

So the southern adventurer, like a young chasing woman, hastened to curry favor with the charming countess in quadrilles and waltzes.He claimed to be Madame de Beauseant's cousin, and the lady in his mind invited him, saying that he could come to her house at any time.At the end she smiled at him, and Rastignac felt it necessary to pay him a visit.He had the good fortune to meet a gentleman who did not laugh at his ignorance, which is a fatal flaw among those famous madmen of the time.Among these were Morancourt, Ronquerolle, Maxime de Tray, de Marsay, Arjuda-Pinto, Van de Nasse, who were pretentious, self-satisfied, and the most elegant. The women who had a close relationship, such as Madame Blancon, Duchess de Langeais, Countess de Kergarrouet, Madame de Selisi, Duchess de Carigliano, Ferro Countess, Madame de Lanty, Marquise de Egremont, Madame Firmiani, Marquise de Listomayre, Marquise de Espa, Duke de Maufriñuez Madame, Madame Granlieu.The naive student who had the good fortune to meet the Marquis de Montriveau, lover of the Duchess de Langeais, a general as simple as a child, told Rastignac that the Countess de Restaut lived On Elder Street.

At a young age, he longs to join the upper class, longs for a woman, and sees two big families open their doors to him!Step into the mansion of the Viscountess de Beausaint in Saint-Germain, and step into the residence of the Countess de Restaut in Angtendo!Seeing a series of Parisian salons at a glance, thinking that he is quite handsome enough to find help and protection in a woman's heart!I also think that I am ambitious, just like an acrobat, stepping on the straight cable firmly, without crooked or falling, and using a charming woman as the best balance pole!With these thoughts in her mind, the woman seemed to stand majestically beside the charcoal fire, between the code and poverty; facing this situation, who can not meditate and explore his future like Eugene? Can the future be embellished without the fantasy of success?He was dreaming wildly, and dreaming so much of future joys that he thought he was already at Madame de Resto's side, when a sigh broke the silence of the night and resounded in Eugene's heart, He thought it was the gasping of the dying.He gently opened the door, came to the corridor, and saw a ray of light under the door of the old man Goriot.He was afraid that his neighbor was sick, so he put his eyes close to the keyhole and looked into the room; he saw the old man messing with something, and thought there was a ghost in it; Eugene thought that in order to fulfill his social responsibility, he should let this so-called noodle dealer work in the middle of the night Let's see clearly.It turned out that old man Goriot had a table turned upside down, as if he had tied a gilt silver plate to the rungs of the table, and a gilt silver utensil like a soup bowl. , Tighten it hard, it seems to be twisted into an ingot shape.

(End of this chapter)