I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 74 What Molière saw

Molière and his dazzling troupe stumbled into Paris, but they were a little unlucky because they couldn't find someone who could vouch for them, so they couldn't borrow a house to live in, so some people thought they should Go to the Duchess of Montpensier. After all, the Duchess admired their plays very much at that time, but then she didn't know what happened, and the Duchess suddenly left Saint-Falgo - of course, they know now, and that's because The duchess was pardoned by the king and set off for Paris at once.

Only Molière had a different idea, and only he knew why... he didn't want to see the Duchess of Montpensier, because he took a sum of money from the Count D'Artagnan, the special envoy of the king, I wrote and rehearsed a little play about a stingy father and a foolish daughter overnight. At that time, the Duchess was touched by a pain in her heart, and she couldn't react for a while, but it's hard to say that she won't have any associations when she sees him again—but Since the Monsieur d'Artagnan had promised to introduce him to the king, he should go in his way.

Monsieur d'Artagnan is now a well-known figure in Paris, and as soon as he returned to Paris, the king made good on his promise and made him the acting captain of the company of the Guards, and he can now be truly recognized. He is called an earl; it comes that his romantic reputation has come from the street to the court, and it is said that many noble ladies are willing to spend a lot of money for him, and he also likes to be well dressed and proud to ride the king's reward horse ( The new horse, his old beautiful dark horse, which had been damaged in that unknown inn), was walking up and down the streets of Paris.

For Molière's request, D'Artagnan had nothing against him, and the king did mention to him that if there was an excellent troupe or musician, he could recommend him - he agreed and acted as a guarantor. , helped Moliere rent a two-story building near the Red Child Market. This building has a long history. After the two riots, it almost left a charred shell, although its owner tried his best to repair it. Passed, but take a closer look at the corners - the floor pried away, the walls blackened by fire, the ceiling with no light stand but a brown hole, the window without glass and the door panel without the handle... but for the exhausted It would be nice if the troupe had a place to live, and it was not that they had never lived in the stables and cattle sheds. They occupied several rooms noisily, leaving Molière and the landlord to negotiate a few houses with the landlord.

When Molière returned to their midst, his companions made a fire in the middle of the room, and placed the clay pots they had brought with them, poured some water into the pots, and added cured dried meat and beans. , this is their dinner - if others see this scene, they will feel desolate, but Molière is full of confidence, he rubs his hands as quickly as a huge fly, smug- They are already in Paris, this is the best step, although the air quality here is obviously not comparable to St. Fargo, but as long as they can win the favor of the king, then they will be able to relocate to a better place soon, also Eat fresher, tastier food.

Like potatoes, which are said to be very delicious. He has seen them in the kitchen. It is said that the production is very large, but it has not yet reached the point where a small troupe leader can get his hands on it - but maybe in Paris, after all, this is the king's favorite. one of the foods.

"Baptiste! Come and drink the soup!" A loud shout interrupted M. Molière's fantasy. His female companion, the only female singer in the troupe, was scooping out a spoonful of beans from the clay pot. Poured discreetly into a tin pan that had been knocked out no less than five or six holes.

   "Come on!" Molière shouted, "Also, call me Molière!" As he said, he looked away from the window, but at this moment, the scene on the street corner suddenly caught his eye.

Not only did he not return to his friends, he even stretched out half of his body and head with great interest, watching a group of people crying and shouting and being forcibly driven out of a dark and narrow alley. Dressed up, these people don't seem to be living at their worst, and some of them are bloated - they could even be called in an age when clothes are still so valuable that they can almost be regarded as inheritances or rewards. Rich, and their cries are powerful and clear... They are begging the savage soldiers, these terrible people, not to drive them out of their homes.

   "What are they doing?" The singer lady, who couldn't wait for Molière, stuck her head out from under his elbow, "What did they do?"

These are two very similar-sounding questions, but they have very different meanings, yes, men are complaining, women are begging, old people are praying, children are howling and sobbing, everyone who sees and hears A little pity would inevitably arise, but since Moliere left home, he did not know how many places he had passed, and he could see at a glance that these people were not the innocent people they claimed. Strong men gathered in groups of three and five, then an old man surrounded by a group of juveniles and children, young women led by older ladies, some with babies, but they were not. Concerned about how the child is, during the quarrel and shove, they would even throw the baby's swaddle on the ground and let them cry.

"It's a robber's den," said Molière. "Look," he pointed to his girlfriend, "those strong men are thieves or robbers, and they come together because they are accustomed to being with their accomplices. Together; look at that person," he asked his girlfriend to look at the people surrounded by dozens of children: "The average person doesn't have so many children of similar age, that's the teacher of the thieves and their teacher. Master, he wears so many clothes - the shirt collar alone has more than ten layers, there are three coats, and those cumbersome accessories, those are all stolen goods; and those women, almost all 'names', although Saying they probably don't deserve the title - I'm afraid there aren't any good customers to win, I mean, compared to Boulogne, there's probably only thieves, sailors, workers, or traders here, so they're often just because they can't afford it Expensive birth control pills and having children are the ones you see, so they don't care at all... Anyway, they grow up like this, either thieves or..." Molière shrugged.

   "So are those cops?"

"Maybe," said Molière absentmindedly. He quickly took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote and drew on it with a charcoal pen. Collecting materials all the time was his greatest success. These scenes and characters were deeply memorized and used in his play—just as he was concentrating on writing the last word, he heard his girlfriend burst into laughter.

   "What's wrong?" Did something interesting happen?

"Look," shouted his companion, and Molière followed her gaze to see a nobleman in a long black coat boarding a carriage in a state of confusion, followed by a hailstorm Shoot down dead mice, cats and dogs in general, and even half-rotting fish.

   "It seems that this is the person in charge of this matter." Molière turned the page over and hurriedly added a few words.

   Um, um, what's wrong with Chapter 72 - the whole chapter is big, or is it from the waist down and above the knee?

   (end of this chapter)