登陆注册
5254900000054

第54章 CHAPTER XV. THE WEDDING.(2)

They had eagerly conversed for a while, but now, however, they paused and seemed deeply absorbed. Finally, one of them slowly raised her glowing black eyes and cast a piercing glance upon her sisters. They felt the magic influence of this glance, and raised their eyes at the same time.

"Why do you look at us so intently, Fanny?" they asked.

"I want to see if I can read truth on your brow," said Fanny; "or if the diamonds and the myrtle-crowns conceal every thing. Girls, suppose we take off for a moment the shining but lying masks with which we adorn ourselves in the eyes of the world, and show to each other our true and natural character? We have always lied to each other. We said mutually to each other: 'I am happy. I am not jealous of you, for I am just as happy as you.' Suppose we now open our lips really and tell the truth about our hearts? Would not it be novel and original? Would it not be an excellent way of whiling away these few minutes until our betrothed come and lead us to the altar? See, this is the last time that we shall be thus together--the last time that we bear the name of our father; let us, therefore, for once tell each other our true sentiments. Shall we do so?"

"Yes," exclaimed the two sisters. "But about what do you want us to tell you the truth?"

"About our hearts," replied Fanny, gravely. "Esther, you are the eldest of us three. You must commence. Tell us, therefore, if you love your betrothed, Herr Ephraim?"

Esther looked at her in amazement. "If I love him?" she asked. "Good Heaven! how should I happen to love him? I scarcely know him. Father selected him for me; it is a brilliant match; I shall remain in Berlin; I shall give splendid parties and by my magnificent style of living greatly annoy those ladies of the so-called haute volee, who have sometimes dared to turn up their noses at the 'Jewesses.'

Whether I shall be able to love Ephraim, I do not know; but we shall live in brilliant style, and as we shall give magnificent dinner- parties, we shall never lack guests from the most refined classes of society. Such are the prospects of my future, and although I cannot say that I am content with them, yet I know that others will deem my position a most enviable one, and that is at least something."

"The first confession!" said Fanny, smiling. "Now it is your turn, Lydia. Tell us, therefore, do you love Baron von Eskeles, your future husband?"

Lydia looked at her silently and sadly. "Do not ask me," she said, "for you and Esther know very well that I do not love him. I once had a splendid dream. I beheld myself an adored wife by the side of a young man whom I loved and who loved me passionately. He was an artist, and when he was sitting at his easel, he felt that he was rich and happy, even without money, for he had his genius and his art. When I was looking at his paintings, and at the handsome and inspired artist himself, it seemed to me there was but one road to happiness on earth: to belong to that man, to love him, to serve him, and, if it must be, to suffer and starve with him. It was a dream, and father aroused me from it by telling me that I was to marry Baron von Eskeles, that he had already made an agreement with the baron's father, and that the wedding would take place in two weeks."

"Poor Lydia!" murmured the sisters.

A pause ensued. "Well," asked Esther, "and you, Fanny? You examine us and say nothing about yourself. What about your heart, my child?

Do you love your betrothed, Baron von Arnstein, the partner of Eskeles, your future brother-in-law? You are silent? Have you nothing to say to us?"

"I have to say to you that we are all to be pitied and very unhappy," said Fanny, passionately. "Yes, to be pitied and very unhappy, notwithstanding our wealth, our diamonds, and our brilliant future! We have been sold like goods; no one has cared about the hearts which these goods happen to have, but every one merely took into consideration how much profit he would derive from them. Oh, my sisters, we rich Jewesses are treated just in the same manner as the poor princesses; we are sold to the highest bidder. And we have not got the necessary firmness, energy, and independence to emancipate ourselves from this degrading traffic in flesh and blood. We bow our heads and obey, and, in the place of love and happiness, we fill our hearts with pride and ostentation, and yet we are starving and pining away in the midst of our riches."

"Yes," sighed Lydia, "and we dare not even complain! Doomed to eternal falsehood, we must feign a happiness we do not experience, and a love we do not feel."

"I shall not do so!" exclaimed Fanny, proudly. "It is enough for me to submit to compulsion, and to bow my head; but never shall I stoop so low as to lie."

"What! you are going to tell your husband that you do not love him?" asked the sisters.

"I shall not say that to my husband, but to my betrothed as soon as he makes his appearance."

"But suppose he does not want to marry a girl who does not love him?"

"Then he is the one who breaks off the match, not I, and father cannot blame me for it. But do you not hear footsteps in the hall?

It is my betrothed. I begged him to be here a quarter of an hour previous to the commencement of the ceremony, because I desired to speak to him about a very serious matter. He is coming. Now pray go to the parlor, and wait for me there. I shall rejoin you, perhaps alone, and in that case I shall be free; perhaps, however, Arnstein will accompany me, and in that eventuality he will have accepted the future as I am going to offer it to him. Farewell, sisters; may God protect us all."

"May God protect YOU." said Lydia, tenderly embracing her sister.

"You have a courageous and strong soul, and I wish mine were like yours."

"Would that save you, Lydia?" asked Fanny, sharply. "Courage and energy are of no avail in our case; in spite of our resistance, we should have to submit and to suffer. He is coming."

She pushed her sisters gently toward the parlor door, and then went to meet her betrothed, who had just entered.

同类推荐
  • 大汉三合明珠宝剑全传

    大汉三合明珠宝剑全传

    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。
  • 天妃娘妈传

    天妃娘妈传

    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。
  • 筠谷诗

    筠谷诗

    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。
  • 朱子治家格言

    朱子治家格言

    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。
  • 送清敬闍黎归浙西

    送清敬闍黎归浙西

    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
  • 胡不喜

    胡不喜

    大门不迈二门不出,肩不能挑手不能提,平时多带两本书都哼哼唧唧的极品宅女胡某人竟然被自己妹妹一脚踹出了家门,理由是她需要锻炼锻炼……迷失在森林里却被犯了错的某天道拉去救场子……某天道:“功法神器任你挑,天材地宝任你选,突破晋升不扛雷,你修仙好不好?”某喜:“累,不干,送我回家”……某道:“咳咳,那个那个,回不去了……”某喜:……某道:“所以,修仙吧。修仙可以延年益寿,可以青春永驻,可以返老还童,带挂修仙,踏上强者之路,登上人生巅峰,让芳名永存于事!”某人不为所动:“我活这么些年已经很累了,你还想让我多活几年?”某道:……默默打包,趁某人不备,颤巍巍地一脚踢出……
  • 美人很无辜:倾城王爷别耍酷

    美人很无辜:倾城王爷别耍酷

    “你竟敢刺杀本王?”冰冷残忍的笑容,凝上他的脸。那把刀深深的就刺入了她的胸口,“不……不是的!”刚一穿越而来,就遇上这么乌龙的事情?酷王爷恨她入骨,美人却很无辜!高高在上的太子,对她念念不忘,冰冷无情的绝色杀手,对她一往情深,俊美却冷如冰的王爷夫君,一点点让她心动……爱,能否战胜仇恨?莫名的情愫,却让她沉沦!
  • 星际旅行无限战争

    星际旅行无限战争

    这部作品是讲述男主一行人,如何在众多星际文明之间的纷争之中,守护人类文明,为人类文明寻求生存而努力的故事。
  • 重生九零娇妻撩人

    重生九零娇妻撩人

    ~~~新书,幕后台前,已开,欢迎入坑~~~田小夏重生了,她自己拔了自己的呼吸机,回到了高考后。回到了还没有伤透爸爸的心,被抛下自己的妈妈哄骗之前。回到了还没有认识“闺蜜”,漠视爱人心意之前。回到了还没有听信鬼话,远渡重洋错失真爱之前。回到了一切都还岁月静好的时候。回到了一切都还来得及的时候。
  • 意外之外

    意外之外

    尹守国,2006年开始小说创作,发表中短篇小说70多万字,作品多次被《新华文摘》、《小说选刊》、《北京文学中篇小说月报》等选载,中国作家协会会员,辽宁省作协签约作家。
  • 世说新语

    世说新语

    《世说新语》一经问世,便被世人争相传诵,在此后的一千五百多年时间里,推崇它的文人学士层出 不穷。《世说新语》颇似当今的微型小说,麻雀虽小,五脏俱全,它是中国小说的雏形,也是魏晋风度的 审美产物。喜爱中国文学的读者,尤其是对艺术和美倾心关注的人,不读此书可谓遗憾终生。
  • 世界经典童话故事全集:魔鬼妖怪的故事

    世界经典童话故事全集:魔鬼妖怪的故事

    童话王国简直就是一个多姿多彩的万花筒,在那些语言浅显、妙趣盎然的美丽童话故事里,有的蕴藏着严肃的人生准则,富于哲理,发人深省;有的反映了社会的真实现象,揭露了黑暗、鞭打了丑恶;有的揭示了大自然的奥秘,使人增长知识, 开拓视野。
  • 西风残照中的雁阵:徐志摩谈文学创作(再读徐志摩)

    西风残照中的雁阵:徐志摩谈文学创作(再读徐志摩)

    《西风残照中的雁阵:徐志摩谈文学创作(再读徐志摩)》收录了天下本无事;再来跑一趟野马;关于《一个不很重要的回想》的讨论;从小说到大事;近代英文文学;丹农雪乌的作品等内容。
  • 情窦初开,仿若大梦

    情窦初开,仿若大梦

    深闺中的女子,怎会不向往外面的世界.就有那么一天,兴许是上天看你太寂寞,便派人来于你解闷.他在高墙上,与你讲天讲地,讲外面的世界...岁月蹉跎,那一年就像梦一样,里面的喜惊愁苦都是那么的真实...再次醒来,毫无一人.“以后我带你看天看地”“你可千万不要忘记我呀…”“也许,你再也不会想起我了…”(灵感来源王雨辰《异闻录》第四章八尾猫)
  • 文博大家:王世襄传

    文博大家:王世襄传

    《大家丛书·文博大家:王世襄传》主要内容包括:西清王氏、西清王氏、负笈燕京、西行李庄、追寻国宝、献身故宫、盗宝冤案、“五七”生涯、十年浩劫、开明式家具研究之先河等。