Meantime, Pons' proud silence and withdrawal to the Mons Aventinus of the Rue de Normandie had, as might be expected, impressed the Presidente, not that she troubled herself much about her parasite, now that she was freed from him. She thought, with her charming daughter, that Cousin Pons had seen through her little "Lili's" joke. But it was otherwise with her husband the President. Camusot de Marville, a short and stout man, grown solemn since his promotion at the Court, admired Cicero, preferred the Opera-Comique to the Italiens, compared the actors one with another, and followed the multitude step by step. He used to recite all the articles in the Ministerialist journals, as if he were saying something original, and in giving his opinion at the Council Board he paraphrased the remarks of the previous speaker. His leading characteristics were sufficiently well known; his position compelled him to take everything seriously; and he was particularly tenacious of family ties. Like most men who are ruled by their wives, the President asserted his independence in trifles, in which his wife was very careful not to thwart him. For a month he was satisfied with the Presidente's commonplace explanations of Pons' disappearance; but at last it struck him as singular that the old musician, a friend of forty years' standing, should first make them so valuable a present as a fan that belonged to Mme. de Pompadour, and then immediately discontinue his visits. Count Popinot had pronounced the trinket a masterpiece; when its owner went to Court, the fan had been passed from hand to hand, and her vanity was not a little gratified by the compliments it received; others had dwelt on the beauties of the ten ivory sticks, each one covered with delicate carving, the like of which had never been seen. A Russian lady (Russian ladies are apt to forget that they are not in Russia) had offered her six thousand francs for the marvel one day at Count Popinot's house, and smiled to see it in such hands. Truth to tell, it was a fan for a Duchess.
It cannot be denied that poor Cousin Pons understands rubbish of that sort— said Cecile, the day after the bid.
Rubbish! cried her parent. "Why, Government is just about to buy the late M. le Conseiller Dusommerard's collection for three hundred thousand francs; and the State and the Municipality of Paris between them are spending nearly a million francs over the purchase and repair of the Hotel de Cluny to house the 'rubbish,' as you call it.—Such 'rubbish,' dear child," he resumed, "is frequently all that remains of vanished civilizations. An Etruscan jar, and a necklace, which sometimes fetch forty and fifty thousand francs, is 'rubbish' which reveals the perfection of art at the time of the siege of Troy, proving that the Etruscans were Trojan refugees in Italy."
This was the President's cumbrous way of joking; the short, fat man was heavily ironical with his wife and daughter.
The combination of various kinds of knowledge required to understand such 'rubbish,' Cecile, he resumed, "is a science in itself, called archaeology. Archaeology comprehends architecture, sculpture, painting, goldsmiths' work, ceramics, cabinetmaking (a purely modern art), lace, tapestry—in short, human handiwork of every sort and description."
Then Cousin Pons is learned? said Cecile.
Ah! by the by, why is he never to be seen nowadays? asked the President. He spoke with the air of a man in whom thousands of forgotten and dormant impressions have suddenly begun to stir, and shaping themselves into one idea, reach consciousness with a ricochet, as sportsmen say.
He must have taken offence at nothing at all, answered his wife. "I dare say I was not as fully sensible as I might have been of the value of the fan that he gave me. I am ignorant enough, as you know, of—"
You! One of Servin's best pupils, and you don't know Watteau? cried the President.
I know Gerard and David and Gros and Griodet, and M. de Forbin and M. Turpin de Crisse—
You ought—
Ought what, sir? demanded the lady, gazing at her husband with the air of a Queen of Sheba.
To know a Watteau when you see it, my dear. Watteau is very much in fashion, answered the President with meekness, that told plainly how much he owed to his wife.
This conversation took place a few days before that night of first performance of The Devil's Betrothed, when the whole orchestra noticed how ill Pons was looking. But by that time all the circle of dinner-givers who were used to seeing Pons' face at their tables, and to send him on errands, had begun to ask each other for news of him, and uneasiness increased when it was reported by some who had seen him that he was always in his place at the theatre. Pons had been very careful to avoid his old acquaintances whenever he met them in the streets; but one day it so fell out that he met Count Popinot, the ex-cabinet minister, face to face in the bric-a-brac dealer's shop in the new Boulevard Beaumarchais. The dealer was none other than that Monistrol of whom Pons had spoken to the Presidente, one of the famous and audacious vendors whose cunning enthusiasm leads them to set more and more value daily on their wares; for curiosities, they tell you, are growing so scarce that they are hardly to be found at all nowadays.
Ah, my dear Pons, how comes it that we never see you now? We miss you very much, and Mme. Popinot does not know what to think of your desertion.
M. le Comte, said the good man, "I was made to feel in the house of a relative that at my age one is not wanted in the world. I have never had much consideration shown me, but at any rate I had not been insulted. I have never asked anything of any man," he broke out with an artist's pride. "I have often made myself useful in return for hospitality. But I have made a mistake, it seems; I am indefinitely beholden to those who honor me by allowing me to sit at table with them; my friends, and my relatives.... Well and good; I have sent in my resignation as smellfeast. At home I find daily something which no other house has offered me—a real friend."
The old artist's power had not failed him; with tone and gesture he put such bitterness into the words, that the peer of France was struck by them. He drew Pons aside.
Come, now, my old friend, what is it? What has hurt you? Could you not tell me in confidence? You will permit me to say that at my house surely you have always met with consideration—
You are the one exception, said the artist. "And besides, you are a great lord and a statesman, you have so many things to think about. That would excuse anything, if there were need for it."
The diplomatic skill that Popinot had acquired in the management of men and affairs was brought to bear upon Pons, till at length the story of his misfortunes in the President's house was drawn from him. Popinot took up the victim's cause so warmly that he told the story to Mme. Popinot as soon as he went home, and that excellent and noble-natured woman spoke to the Presidente on the subject at the first opportunity. As Popinot himself likewise said a word or two to the President, there was a general explanation in the family of Camusot de Marville. Camusot was not exactly master in his own house; but this time his remonstrance was so well founded in law and in fact, that his wife and daughter were forced to acknowledge the truth. They both humbled themselves and threw the blame on the servants. The servants, first bidden, and then chidden, only obtained pardon by a full confession, which made it clear to the President's mind that Pons had done rightly to stop away. The President displayed himself before the servants in all his masculine and magisterial dignity, after the manner of men who are ruled by their wives. He informed his household that they should be dismissed forthwith, and forfeit any advantages which their long term of service in his house might have brought them, unless from that time forward his cousin and all those who did him the honor of coming to his house were treated as he himself was. At which speech Madeleine was moved to smile.
You have only one chance of salvation as it is, continued the President. "Go to my cousin, make your excuses to him, and tell him that you will lose your situations unless he forgives you, for I shall turn you all away if he does not."
邦斯一怒之下躲在諾曼底街一聲不出的傲氣,當然引起庭長夫人的注意,可是她既然擺脫了吃白食的清客,也就不再為他操什么心。她和她可愛的女兒,都以為舅舅懂得了小麗麗開的玩笑。然而庭長先生的觀感并不如此。矮胖的加繆索·特·瑪維爾,自從在法院中的地位升高之后,變得更莊嚴了:他欣賞西塞羅,認為喜歌劇院比意大利劇院更高雅,喜歡把這個演員跟那個演員作比較,亦步亦趨地跟著群眾;他能背出官方報紙上所有的評論,仿佛是他寫的;在會議席上,他把先發(fā)言的法官的見解申說一番,就算是發(fā)表意見。除了這些主要性格之外,庭長的地位使他對什么都認真,尤其重視親戚關(guān)系。像多數(shù)被女人控制的丈夫一樣,庭長在小事情上故意獨往獨來,而太太也表示尊重。對于邦斯的杳無影蹤,庭長夫人隨便找些理由把庭長搪塞了個把月;可是久而久之,他覺得來往了四十年的老音樂家,正當送了一把蓬巴杜夫人的扇子那樣貴重的禮物之后,反而不再上門,未免太古怪了。包比諾伯爵認為精品的那把扇子,在杜伊勒里宮中傳觀之下博得許多恭維,使庭長夫人聽了得意之極;人家把十根象牙骨的美,細細指給她看,雕工的精巧真是從來未有的。在包比諾伯爵府上,一位俄國太太(俄國人到哪兒都以為是在俄國)愿意出六千法郎把扇子買過來;她覺得寶物落在這樣的人手里太可惜了,因為那的確要公爵夫人才配得上。
聽到有人出價之后,賽西爾第二天就對父親說道:“我們不能不承認,可憐的舅公對這些小玩意兒倒真內(nèi)行……”
“什么!小玩意兒?”庭長叫起來,“政府預(yù)備花三十萬法郎,收買故杜索末拉參議官的收藏,另外還要跟巴黎市政府合湊一百萬把格呂尼古堡買下來重修,存放這些小玩意兒呢!……告訴你,好孩子,這些小玩意兒往往是古代文明唯一的遺跡。一個伊特魯里亞的古瓶或是一串項鏈,要值到四五萬法郎一件;這些小玩意兒教我們見識到特洛伊戰(zhàn)爭時代的藝術(shù)多么完美,又告訴我們伊特魯里亞人原來是特洛伊人逃難到意大利半島去的!”
矮胖庭長的說笑便是這一類,他只會用毫無風趣的挖苦對付太太和女兒。
“賽西爾,你聽著,”他又接著說,“要懂這些小玩意兒,需要好多種學問,那些學問的總名叫作考古學??脊艑W包括建筑、雕塑、繪畫、金銀細工、陶器、紫檀木雕——這是近代的新興藝術(shù)——花邊、地毯,總而言之,包括人類創(chuàng)造的一切工藝品?!?/p>
“那么邦斯舅舅是個學者了?”賽西爾問。
“哎!他怎么不來啦?”庭長問這句話的神氣,仿佛一個人忘了好久的念頭忽然集中,像獵人說的,瞄準了一點放出來,把自己嚇了一跳。
“大概他為了一點小事生氣了,”庭長太太回答,“他送這把扇子的時候,也許我沒有表示充分的賞識。你知道,我是外行……”
“你!”庭長叫道,“你,賽爾凡教授的高足,會不知道華多?”
“我知道達維特、奚拉、葛羅,還有奚羅臺、葛冷、特·福彭,丟爾班·特·克里賽……”
“你應(yīng)當……”
“我應(yīng)當什么,先生?”庭長太太瞪著丈夫的神氣活像古代的示巴女王。
“應(yīng)當知道華多是誰,我的好太太,他現(xiàn)在很時髦呢?!蓖ラL的低聲下氣,顯出他什么都是依仗太太得來的。
庭長夫婦談這些話的時候,就在上演《魔鬼的未婚妻》,樂隊里的人注意到邦斯臉色不好的那一晚的前幾天。一向招待邦斯吃飯,拿他當信差用慣的人,那時都在打聽邦斯的消息;并且在老人來往的小圈子內(nèi)大家有點兒奇怪了,因為好幾個人看見他明明在戲院里服務(wù)。邦斯在日常散步中雖是盡量避免從前的熟人,但有一天在新辟的菩瑪希大街上一個古董鋪里,冷不防跟前任部長包比諾伯爵照了面。那位古董商便是邦斯以前跟庭長太太提過的莫尼斯特洛;像他那批有名的有魄力的商人,都很狡猾地把古董天天抬價,推說貨色越來越少,幾乎找不到了。
包比諾一看見老人就說:“親愛的邦斯,怎么看不見你啦?我們都在想你,內(nèi)人還在問,你這樣躲著我們是什么意思?!?/p>
“伯爵,”老人回答,“在一個親戚家里,他們教我懂得像我這樣年紀的人在社會上是多余的。一向他們就沒有怎么敬重我,可是至少還沒有侮辱我。我從來不有求于人,”他說到這里又流露出藝術(shù)家的傲氣,“凡是瞧得起我招待我的人,我常常幫點兒小忙表示回敬;可是我發(fā)現(xiàn)我看錯了,為了上親戚朋友家吃飯,我就得含垢忍辱,笑罵由人!……好吧,吃白食這一行我現(xiàn)在不干了。在我家里,我每天都有無論哪一家的飯桌上都不會給我的享受——一個真正的朋友!”
老藝術(shù)家的手勢、音調(diào),使這番話更顯得沉痛。包比諾聽了不禁大為感動,把邦斯拉在一旁,說道:
“哎?。±吓笥?,你怎么啦?能不能把你的傷心事告訴我呢?我敢說,在我家里總不至于有人對你失禮吧……”
“你是唯一的例外。況且你是一個王爺,一個政治家,有多少事要操心,即使有什么不周到,也應(yīng)當原諒的?!?/p>
包比諾在應(yīng)付人事與調(diào)度買賣上面學會了一套很高明的手腕;邦斯禁不起他三言兩語,就說出了在瑪維爾家的倒霉事兒。包比諾為他打抱不平,回家馬上告訴了太太;她是一個熱心而正派的女人,一見庭長太太就把她埋怨了一頓。同時,前任部長也跟庭長提了幾句,使加繆索不得不追究這件事。雖然他在家里做不了什么主,但他這一次的責備于法于理都太有根據(jù)了,妻子和女兒都沒法狡辯,只得屈居下風,把錯處全推在仆役頭上。那些用人給叫來罵了一頓。聽到他們把事情從頭至尾都招認之后,庭長才覺得邦斯舅舅的閉門不出真是最聰明的辦法。跟大權(quán)操在主婦手中的那些主人一樣,庭長把丈夫的威嚴、法官的威嚴一齊拿出來,說所有的仆役都得開差,連老用人應(yīng)得的酬勞也要一律取消,倘若從今以后,他們對待邦斯舅舅和別的客人不像對他自己一樣!瑪特蘭納聽了這句話,不由得微微一笑。
“你們只有一條生路,”庭長又說,“就是去向舅老爺賠罪,消他的氣。告訴他,你們能不能留在這兒全在他手里,他要不原諒你們,我就把你們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)開差?!?/p>