登陆注册
4606300000058

第58章

My Grandmother's Death and Its Consequences I Lose M. de Malipiero's Friendship--I Have No Longer a Home--La Tintoretta--I Am Sent to a Clerical Seminary--I Am Expelled From It, and Confined in a Fortress During supper the conversation turned altogether upon the storm, and the official, who knew the weakness of his wife, told me that he was quite certain I would never travel with her again. "Nor I with him,"

his wife remarked, "for, in his fearful impiety, he exorcised the lightning with jokes."

Henceforth she avoided me so skilfully that I never could contrive another interview with her.

When I returned to Venice I found my grandmother ill, and I had to change all my habits, for I loved her too dearly not to surround her with every care and attention; I never left her until she had breathed her last. She was unable to leave me anything, for during her life she had given me all she could, and her death compelled me to adopt an entirely different mode of life.

A month after her death, I received a letter from my mother informing me that, as there was no probability of her return to Venice, she had determined to give up the house, the rent of which she was still paying, that she had communicated her intention to the Abbe Grimani, and that I was to be guided entirely by his advice.

He was instructed to sell the furniture, and to place me, as well as my brothers and my sister, in a good boarding-house. I called upon Grimani to assure him of my perfect disposition to obey his commands.

The rent of the house had been paid until the end of the year; but, as I was aware that the furniture would be sold on the expiration of the term, I placed my wants under no restraint. I had already sold some linen, most of the china, and several tapestries; I now began to dispose of the mirrors, beds, etc. I had no doubt that my conduct would be severely blamed, but I knew likewise that it was my father's inheritance, to which my mother had no claim whatever, and, as to my brothers, there was plenty of time before any explanation could take place between us.

Four months afterwards I had a second letter from my mother, dated from Warsaw, and enclosing another. Here is the translation of my mother's letter "My dear son, I have made here the acquaintance of a learned Minim friar, a Calabrian by birth, whose great qualities have made me think of you every time he has honoured me with a visit. A year ago I told him that I had a son who was preparing himself for the Church, but that I had not the means of keeping him during his studies, and he promised that my son would become his own child, if I could obtain for him from the queen a bishopric in his native country, and he added that it would be very easy to succeed if I could induce the sovereign to recommend him to her daughter, the queen of Naples.

"Full of trust in the Almighty, I threw myself at the feet of her majesty, who granted me her gracious protection. She wrote to her daughter, and the worthy friar has been appointed by the Pope to the bishopric of Monterano. Faithful to his promise, the good bishop will take you with him about the middle of next year, as he passes through Venice to reach Calabria. He informs you himself of his intentions in the enclosed letter. Answer him immediately, my dear son, and forward your letter to me; I will deliver it to the bishop.

He will pave your way to the highest dignities of the Church, and you may imagine my consolation if, in some twenty or thirty years, I had the happiness of seeing you a bishop, at least! Until his arrival, M. Grimani will take care of you. I give you my blessing, and I am, my dear child, etc., etc."

The bishop's letter was written in Latin, and was only a repetition of my mother's. It was full of unction, and informed me that he would tarry but three days in Venice.

I answered according to my mother's wishes, but those two letters had turned my brain. I looked upon my fortune as made. I longed to enter the road which was to lead me to it, and I congratulated myself that I could leave my country without any regret. Farewell, Venice, I exclaimed; the days for vanity are gone by, and in the future I

will only think of a great, of a substantial career! M. Grimani congratulated me warmly on my good luck, and promised all his friendly care to secure a good boarding-house, to which I would go at the beginning of the year, and where I would wait for the bishop's arrival.

M. de Malipiero, who in his own way had great wisdom, and who saw that in Venice I was plunging headlong into pleasures and dissipation, and was only wasting a precious time, was delighted to see me on the eve of going somewhere else to fulfil my destiny, and much pleased with my ready acceptance of those new circumstances in my life. He read me a lesson which I have never forgotten. "The famous precept of the Stoic philosophers," he said to me, "'Sequere Deum', can he perfectly explained by these words: 'Give yourself up to whatever fate offers to you, provided you do not feel an invincible repugnance to accept it.' " He added that it was the genius of Socrates, 'saepe revocans, raro impellens'; and that it was the origin of the 'fata viam inveniunt' of the same philosophers.

M. de Malipiero's science was embodied in that very lesson, for he had obtained his knowledge by the study of only one book--the book of man. However, as if it were to give me the proof that perfection does not exist, and that there is a bad side as well as a good one to everything, a certain adventure happened to me a month afterwards which, although I was following his own maxims, cost me the loss of his friendship, and which certainly did not teach me anything.

同类推荐
  • 正一醮宅仪

    正一醮宅仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 窥天外乘

    窥天外乘

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 弟子规

    弟子规

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 折疑论

    折疑论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 台案汇录庚集

    台案汇录庚集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 克夫农女倾富天下

    克夫农女倾富天下

    拥有空间和木系双系异能的林心兰被男友闺蜜双双背叛,被他们下药之后送到基地实验研究所当实验体,只为换取一个月的粮食。承受身心双重折磨之下,选择自暴,与实验的研究人员同归于尽!一朝醒来,已然成了不知名朝代的另一个林月兰林月兰十二岁,九岁时被一讨水喝的道士断言——克夫!流言非起,从克夫到克双亲,再到克所有亲戚朋友,最后传成了将来会克天下。爷爷奶奶,大伯小叔等等一大堆极品亲戚,害怕被克死,毅然与九岁的林月兰断亲绝义,把她从族谱上划掉,让她自已单过,愚孝父亲遵从,懦弱娘亲哭哭啼啼,弟妹更是毫无办法。九岁分家,一间进风漏雨,颤颤微微随时可能倒塌的小茅屋,一分下水田,两分旱田,把林月兰给打发,从此林家再此林月兰,林月兰成了无根女。颤颤微微的活到十二岁,一招不慎得罪了村里的小霸王,被同村的小伙伴们给拳打脚踢给踢死了。迎来了,穿越过来的林心兰空间异能我有,天下由我走,看我林心兰如何威风八面,成为一代女土豪!
  • 政府网络发言

    政府网络发言

    该书较为全面地分析了网络发言人的时代背景、主体特征、功能定位、制度设计、组织架构和效能保障,同时从网络问政、网络论坛、网络微博,以及培养意见领袖、应对网络谣言等具体方面提出了政府网络发言的基本策略,并对健全网络舆论引导机制进行了深入研究。该书既具有理论开拓的价值,又有着广泛的实际运用意义,可以为新闻传播学者和各级政府官员提供有益的启发、借鉴和帮助。
  • 篆刻:金石篆刻艺术

    篆刻:金石篆刻艺术

    我国古玺的源头可以上溯到新石器时期的印纹陶,后经商周时的甲骨文、铭文、石鼓文等雕刻影响,至战国时形成整体形象。在发展过程中,重要的动力来自文字体系的演变和完善,同时体现了不同时期和不同地域的审美风尚。随着玺印的使用相对普及,其文字表现形式也趋于多样化。先秦古玺留存于世的大多是战国玺。古玺形状各异,内容有官职、姓名和铭文等,玺文精练,章法生动,传达着远古文明发端的信息。随着时间的漫漶,显得越发神秘、朦胧和迷幻,让人感受到一种神奇、古朴的气息,令人心驰神往。
  • 终端怪猎

    终端怪猎

    22世纪一款名为《monster端猎》的虚拟游戏由cold公司出品上市,随着游戏的开发虚拟游戏实现投影具象化,玩家可以在现实世界中用投影环随时随地触发剧情,狩猎魔兽。成为当下最火爆的虚拟游戏!但伴随一次疯狂的实验,让唐易穿越到了游戏里面开始了他的冒险之旅!
  • 古穿今:一直喜欢你

    古穿今:一直喜欢你

    女主:从一国公主到沈家养女,沈歆都在做好自己的本分,唯一不够本分的就是当公主的时候喜欢上了一个不符合自己身份的琴师。国忧家患,沈歆无奈将情弃。临死的时候还在想,幸好没表明过心意。可没想到,重活一世,没有最无奈,只有更无奈。大司乐,你听我解释啊……男主:今世你将我“弃如敝履”,来世我让你追赶不及。别以为我喜欢你,你就可以……好吧,我还是喜欢你,一直喜欢你,喜欢的只有你。
  • 震撼中学生的101个故事

    震撼中学生的101个故事

    当我们阅读历史,阅读生活,总会被一些人的经历和故事所感动,不仅仅是这样,我们还会在他们的身上,得到一些十分有益的启示,而这些启示会激发我们奔向未来的勇气。本书根据社会发展的需求和学生们对知识的实际需要,通过大量查阅资料,耐心细致地筛选出101个故事,其中既有名人小传、民间故事,又有情感小语、心灵故事、生活小文,还有人生哲理、生存之道,这些无不影响着我们对待生活的态度,使我们积极勇敢地面对自己的人生。
  • 秘密情报组

    秘密情报组

    秘密情报组1933年10月,苏联哈巴罗夫斯克(伯力)。伯力的秋天,风和日丽,山林尽染,满眼望去,五彩斑斓,真是一个美丽的金秋。突然,在通古斯卡河畔的树林里,蹿出一位穿苏军制服的中国青年,只见他拼命地奔跑,还不时回头张望。这时,两名苏联士兵从草丛中跃起,拦住他的去路。青年急忙往旁边一闪,顺势跑开,一名苏军士兵见势立即扑上去,两人厮打在一起。“砰!”苏军士兵被击倒在地,青年猫腰钻进了树林。两名苏军士兵气急败坏,端着步枪就要射击。忽然,从树林中走出一位佩戴中校军衔的军官,用手势阻止了他们。
  • 珠宝的前世今生

    珠宝的前世今生

    每一枚珠宝的后面都藏着一些传奇,一些故事。那些围绕着珠宝展开的爱情与战争,无不说明珠宝的魅力不在特洛伊战争中的海伦之下。在故事的流行色彩后面,珠宝知识被轻松而愉悦地娓娓道来。时尚、知识、传奇,尽熔铸于作者精悍幽默的行文之间。
  • 危机的逻辑

    危机的逻辑

    本书全面而深入地展现了曾经和正在发生的各种金融骗局和投资陷阱。如次贷危机的幕后真相、斯坦福国际银行诈骗案、美国梅道夫案,中国企业赴美上市的连环骗、比特币投资隐患、互联网金融诈骗、中国股市中的秘密等,涉及银行、证券、慈善、收藏品投资、房产投资、股市、公司并购等多个领域。在生动而真实的揭秘之后,作者还用大量笔墨分析了每个骗局背后的金融原理和经济常识,以及相应的识别应对之法,为我们提供了相应的防范指南。
  • 天网

    天网

    方达明,在文学期刊发表中短篇小说几十篇。短篇小说《出走》获第八届美国新语丝文学奖三等奖。小说《婶婶》获第九届美国新语丝文学奖,短篇小说《我的土豆》获第四届林语堂文学创作奖。短篇小说《气球》获台湾第33届联合报文学奖小说评审奖。