Father Goriot HonorĂ© de Balzac (love books to read .TXT) đ
- Author: Honoré de Balzac
Book online «Father Goriot HonorĂ© de Balzac (love books to read .TXT) đ». Author HonorĂ© de Balzac
âJust wait a moment, Maxime!â the Count called after him.
âCome and dine with us,â said the Countess, leaving EugĂšne and her husband together once more. She followed Maxime into the little drawing-room, where they sat together sufficiently long to feel sure that Rastignac had taken his leave.
The law student heard their laughter, and their voices, and the pauses in their talk; he grew malicious, exerted his conversational powers for M. de Restaud, flattered him, and drew him into discussions, to the end that he might see the Countess again and discover the nature of her relations with Father Goriot. This Countess with a husband and a lover, for Maxime clearly was her lover, was a mystery. What was the secret tie that bound her to the old tradesman? This mystery he meant to penetrate, hoping by its means to gain a sovereign ascendency over this fair typical Parisian.
âAnastasie!â the Count called again to his wife.
âPoor Maxime!â she said, addressing the young man. âCome, we must resign ourselves. This eveningâ ââ
âI hope, Nasie,â he said in her ear, âthat you will give orders not to admit that youngster, whose eyes light up like live coals when he looks at you. He will make you a declaration, and compromise you, and then you will compel me to kill him.â
âAre you mad, Maxime?â she said. âA young lad of a student is, on the contrary, a capital lightning-conductor; is not that so? Of course, I mean to make Restaud furiously jealous of him.â
Maxime burst out laughing, and went out, followed by the Countess, who stood at the window to watch him into his carriage; he shook his whip, and made his horse prance. She only returned when the great gate had been closed after him.
âWhat do you think, dear?â cried the Count, her husband, âthis gentlemanâs family estate is not far from Verteuil, on the Charente; his great-uncle and my grandfather were acquainted.â
âDelighted to find that we have acquaintances in common,â said the Countess, with a preoccupied manner.
âMore than you think,â said EugĂšne, in a low voice.
âWhat do you mean?â she asked quickly.
âWhy, only just now,â said the student, âI saw a gentleman go out at the gate, Father Goriot, my next door neighbor in the house where I am lodging.â
At the sound of this name, and the prefix that embellished it, the Count, who was stirring the fire, let the tongs fall as though they had burned his fingers, and rose to his feet.
âSir,â he cried, âyou might have called him âMonsieur Goriotâ!â
The Countess turned pale at first at the sight of her husbandâs vexation, then she reddened; clearly she was embarrassed, her answer was made in a tone that she tried to make natural, and with an air of assumed carelessness:
âYou could not know anyone who is dearer to us bothâ ââ âŠâ
She broke off, glanced at the piano as if some fancy had crossed her mind, and asked, âAre you fond of music, M. de Rastignac?â
âExceedingly,â answered EugĂšne, flushing, and disconcerted by a dim suspicion that he had somehow been guilty of a clumsy piece of folly.
âDo you sing?â she cried, going to the piano, and, sitting down before it, she swept her fingers over the keyboard from end to end. R-r-r-rah!
âNo, madame.â
The Comte de Restaud walked to and fro.
âThat is a pity; you are without one great means of success.â âCa-ro, ca-a-ro, ca-a-a-ro, non du-bi-ta-re,â sang the Countess.
EugĂšne had a second time waved a magic wand when he uttered Goriotâs name, but the effect seemed to be entirely opposite to that produced by the formula ârelated to Mme. de BeausĂ©ant.â His position was not unlike that of some visitor permitted as a favor to inspect a private collection of curiosities, when by inadvertence he comes into collision with a glass case full of sculptured figures, and three or four heads, imperfectly secured, fall at the shock. He wished the earth would open and swallow him. Mme. de Restaudâs expression was reserved and chilly, her eyes had grown indifferent, and sedulously avoided meeting those of the unlucky student of law.
âMadame,â he said, âyou wish to talk with M. de Restaud; permit me to wish you good dayâ ââ
The Countess interrupted him by a gesture, saying hastily, âWhenever you come to see us, both M. de Restaud and I shall be delighted to see you.â
EugĂšne made a profound bow and took his leave, followed by M. de Restaud, who insisted, in spite of his remonstrances, on accompanying him into the hall.
âNeither your mistress nor I are at home to that gentleman when he calls,â the Count said to Maurice.
As EugĂšne set foot on the steps, he saw that it was raining.
âCome,â said he to himself, âsomehow I have just made a mess of it, I do not know how. And now I am going to spoil my hat and coat into the bargain. I ought to stop in my corner, grind away at law, and never look to be anything but a boorish country magistrate. How can I go into society, when to manage properly you want a lot of cabs, varnished boots, gold watch chains, and all sorts of things; you have to wear white doeskin gloves that cost six francs in the morning, and primrose kid gloves every evening? A fig for that old humbug of a Goriot!â
When he reached the street door, the driver of a hackney coach, who had probably just deposited a wedding party at their door, and asked nothing better than a chance of making a little money for himself without his employerâs knowledge, saw that EugĂšne had no umbrella, remarked his black
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