登陆注册
4700100000040

第40章

For months all Paris talked of the staircase at Les Jardies which Balzac, great architect that he was, had forgotten to put into the plans for his house. Under the caption, "Literary Indiscretions," the following humorous note appeared in La Caricature Provisoire;"M. de Balzac, after having successively inhabited the four corners of the globe and the twelve wards of Paris, seems to have definitely transferred his domicile to the midst of an isolated plain in the outskirts of Ville-d'Avray; he occupies a house which he has had built there for his own particular accommodation by a direct descendant of the marvellous architect to whom the world owes the cathedral of Cologne. This house, in which no doors or windows are to be found, and which is entered through a square hole cut in the roof, is furnished throughout with an oriental luxury of which even the pashas themselves would be incapable of forming an idea. The great novelist's private study has a floor inlaid with young girl's teeth and hung with superb cashmere rugs that have been sent him by all the crowned heads of the universe. As to the furniture, the chairs, sofas and divans, they are one and all stuffed with women's hair, both blonde and brunette, sent to the author of La Grenadiere by a number of women of thirty who did not hesitate a minute to despoil themselves of their most beautiful adornment,--a sacrifice all the more rare since they have passed the age at which the hair would grow again!"Balzac removed to Les Jardies as soon as the walls of the dwelling had been raised and the floorings laid, and he lived there before there was a piece of furniture in any of the rooms, aside from the few indispensable things. Leon Gozlan has amusingly related the manner in which the novelist supplied their lack by an effort of imagination. He wrote on the walls with charcoal what he intended the interior decoration of his house to be: "Here a wainscoting of Parian marble;here a stylobate of cedar wood; here a ceiling painted by Eugene Delacroix; here an Aubusson tapestry; here a mantelpiece of cipolino marble; here doors on the Trianon model; here an inlaid floor of rare tropical woods."Leon Gozlan says that "Balzac did not resent pleasantries at the expense of these imaginary furnishings," and he adds, "he laughed as heartily as I, if not more so, the day when I wrote, in characters larger than his own, on the wall of his bed-chamber, which was as empty as any of the others:

"HERE A PAINTING BY RAPHAEL, BEYOND ALL PRICE, AND THE LIKE OF WHICHHAS NEVER BEEN SEEN.'"Balzac laughed, but Gozlan did not understand that he found more pleasure in desiring things than in actually possessing them, for in the former case he was limited only by the extent of his own desires, which were almost infinite.

Among the various speculative schemes which Balzac dreamed of, in connection with Les Jardies, and which were to make his fortune,--a dairy, vineyards which were to produce Malaga and Tokay wine, the creation of a village, etc.,--particular mention should be made of his plans for the cultivation of pineapples, which we have upon the authority of Theophile Gautier:

"Here was the project," he tells us, "a hundred thousand square feet of pineapples were to be planted in the grounds of Les Jardies, metamorphosed into hothouses which would require only a moderate amount of heating, thanks to the natural warmth of the situation. The pineapples were expected to sell at five francs each, instead of a louis (twenty francs), which was the ordinary price; in other words, five hundred thousand francs for the season's crop; from this amount a hundred thousand francs would have to be deducted for the cost of cultivation, the glass frames, and the coal; accordingly, there would remain a net profit of four hundred thousand, which would constitute a splendid income for the happy possessor,--'without having to turn out a page of copy,' he used to say. This was nothing; Balzac had a thousand projects of the same sort; but the beautiful thing about this one was that we went together to the Boulevard Montmartre to look for a shop in which to sell these pineapples that were not yet even planted. The shop was to be painted black, with gold trimmings, and there was to be a sign proclaiming in enormous letters: PINEAPPLES FROM LES JARDIES.

"However, he yielded to our advice not to hire the shop until the following year, in order to save needless expense."When the first satisfaction of being a landed proprietor had passed, Balzac realised that he had added a new burden to those he already carried, and he confided to Mme. Carraud: "Yes, the folly is committed and it is complete! Don't talk of it to me; I must needs pay for it, and I am now spending my nights doing so!" Forty thousand francs had been added to his former debts, to say nothing of all sorts of trouble which Les Jardies was still destined to cost him.

同类推荐
  • South American Geology

    South American Geology

    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。
  • 道德真经集注杂说

    道德真经集注杂说

    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。
  • 三才定位图

    三才定位图

    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。
  • The Woman in White

    The Woman in White

    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。
  • 西轩客谈

    西轩客谈

    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
  • 语言的联盟:中国古代名联

    语言的联盟:中国古代名联

    毛翰生为中国人,我们常常为祖先创造的灿烂文化而骄傲。面对辉煌的古典诗歌遗产,我们又不免羞惭于自己的贫乏。文学艺术的发展不同于科学技术,科……
  • 农门哑女

    农门哑女

    本是京城贵女,却阴差阳错成了农门媳妇。又哑又失忆的她如何在这里生活活下去?她以为自己一无是处,原来她还有一种特有的天赋。且看她在从商一路,如何风生水起?
  • 妃上云宵

    妃上云宵

    她的一生是一个传奇。出生时是不详人,一道圣旨却令她麻雀变凤凰成为和亲公主。又因着她的绝世容貌,被太后钦册为美人,成为对付受宠昭仪的棋子。她生性单纯率真,如何能圆滑的在宫中生存?她一点也不想侍伴君侧,可谁来救她出苦海?俊逸太子斗胆向老爹请呈:父皇,赏她给儿臣做太子妃。倾刻间,她从他的女儿变成他的女人,又变成他的儿媳。可为何,高贵的天子,在见到她的那一刻心肝惊痛一下......以为能躲过尔虞我诈的宫斗,却不料皆是命中注定宠绝后宫。一步步血腥谨慎,她能否到达荣极的云宵?
  • 激情与超越:中国一航的5周年

    激情与超越:中国一航的5周年

    2004年7月1日,中国航空工业第一集团公司走过了整整5年,这是与时俱进,缩短差距、跨越新台阶的5年,是抓住机遇,超常拼搏、走向振兴的5年,是铸造蓝天丰碑、谱写时代篇章的5年。本书汇集了纪念中国一航成立5周年的有关文章,从重点型号、技术创新、调整改革、管理创新、集团文化建设等方面全面回顾了中国航空工业第一集团公司“航空报国,追求第一”和“激情进取,志在超越”的难忘岁月,展示了中国一航发展的美好前景。谨将此书献给中国航空工业第一集团公司全体员工和关心、支持中国航空工业的上级有关部门、兄弟单位与人士。
  • 李嘉诚白手起家的八字箴言

    李嘉诚白手起家的八字箴言

    李嘉诚是我们这个时代最杰出的商人之一,连续六年荣膺世界华人首富,连续八年雄居港商首席。他作为香港巨商和财富化身,在创业之初完全是白手起家、以小搏大,创造了一个又一个财富神话。八字箴言是李嘉诚纵横商场几十年的心得,更是他做人与经商完美结合的深悟见解。八字箴言,字字渗透着李嘉诚经营谋略与文化的精华。
  • 亲仇

    亲仇

    这部小说围绕一个家庭里父母与儿女、祖父与孙子以及夫妻之间的矛盾冲突,在家庭琐事中将三代人的故事细细铺展开,写出了三代人的性格特质与内心情感,表达了当代人的情感困惑与追求。
  • 腹黑萌宝:爹地别惹我妈咪

    腹黑萌宝:爹地别惹我妈咪

    当腹黑爹地遇上腹黑萌宝,注定展开一场轰轰烈烈的抢妈咪大战。在某大型魔术直播秀上,因为某天才萌娃的魔术表演,作为重要嘉宾的某男,腿间突然燃起大火……“唐棠,我可是你亲爹地。”“爹地,你再欺负我妈咪的话,我保证,下次烧的可就不止……”某娃打量起某男两腿间……
  • 白石老人自述

    白石老人自述

    本书为齐白石老人的人生自述。书中其从出生的家庭、成长经历、求学过程、平生阅历、艺术造诣等方面进行自述,文中所自述的文字不掩饰,不玩弄笔调,以诚挚的心情,说质朴的事实,表现出白石老人那朴实无华、充满乡土气味和感情深挚的风格。本书讲述了更真实的齐白石,作为权威性的研究资料,使读者更了解其艺术道路的演变过程,同时也让读者更深入的了解白石老人的艺术生涯。
  • 男神来了

    男神来了

    霸道傲娇洁癖的天王巨星,一直深陷绯闻旋涡。所有人都看到了他的光芒万丈,却没有人知道他一个人默默守候一段爱情多年直到她贸然闯入,纤尘不染的味道砸进他的心从此一发不可收拾我这一生遇见的所有人里,千万颗活跃跳动的心,怎及你的钟情?
  • 只和皇帝玩亲亲

    只和皇帝玩亲亲

    五岁那年,她饿的快昏迷的了,无意中咬了一口眼前的肉,结果把他的毒全吸到了自己身上,从此后她成了武林盟主的救命恩人。她一身武功,可惜只是用来压制体内的寒毒,随意的动用真气不死也要呕一大口鲜血,再衰的是,她的医术天下无双,可惜却解不了自己身上的寒毒。十年后,江湖发出一执追婚令,害的她连天下第一庄也不要了,连夜卷铺盖落跑。普天之下,莫非江湖,江湖不到的地方,那就是皇宫。终于混进了和亲公主的队伍里,顺利的以丫鬟的身份进了皇宫,可惜为什么没有人告诉她,那个传言中英明神武的皇帝,竟是个高深莫测的危险人物,一个不小心可就连小命都没有了。好不容易因为救了公主毁容的那张脸,却又冒出了鬼魅帮,害的她被当成人质抓了去,这也就罢了,还因为她手腕上那个月亮行的胎记,竟说她是前朝的九公主,拜托,她只是名字叫阿九罢了。复国?呵呵,开玩笑,皇帝是那么狠,她敢吗?再说天下太平,她虽然是贵为天下第一庄的庄主,虽然她的未婚夫是武林盟主,可她还是没胆量和皇帝对着干。其实这一生只要开开心心的她就谢天谢地了,她的寒毒不知道什么时候会发作,也就是说她的小命随时会被阎王爷招去,有时间复国还不如和皇帝玩亲亲。~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!推荐旧文完结小说:《替身老婆》终结系列之一(杨雪落和安熙照)《替身床伴》终结系列之二(雨清和曲驭)《穿越之调戏美男》终结系列之三(叶蔷和叶君寒,雷辰)古代文:完结《只和皇帝玩亲亲》(阿九和夜帝、)《穿越之杀手皇后》(彦水水和彦少卿)公众文:《弃妃绝爱》