登陆注册
5386400000082

第82章

. . . Ah! you were so happy when you were little and still with me. . . ."

"We have never been happy since," said Delphine. "Where are the old days when we slid down the sacks in the great granary?"

"That is not all, father," said Anastasie in Goriot's ear. The old man gave a startled shudder. "The diamonds only sold for a hundred thousand francs. Maxime is hard pressed. There are twelve thousand francs still to pay. He has given me his word that he will be steady and give up play in future. His love is all that I have left in the world. I have paid such a fearful price for it that I should die if I lose him now. I have sacrificed my fortune, my honor, my peace of mind, and my children for him. Oh! do something, so that at the least Maxime may be at large and live undisgraced in the world, where he will assuredly make a career for himself. Something more than my happiness is at stake; the children have nothing, and if he is sent to Sainte-Pelagie all his prospects will be ruined."

"I haven't the money, Nasie. I have NOTHING--nothing left. This is the end of everything. Yes, the world is crumbling into ruin, I am sure. Fly! Save yourselves! Ah!--I have still my silver buckles left, and half-a-dozen silver spoons and forks, the first I ever had in my life. But I have nothing else except my life annuity, twelve hundred francs . . ."

"Then what has become of your money in the funds?"

"I sold out, and only kept a trifle for my wants. I wanted twelve thousand francs to furnish some rooms for Delphine."

"In your own house?" asked Mme. de Restaud, looking at her sister.

"What does it matter where they were?" asked Goriot. "The money is spent now."

"I see how it is," said the Countess. "Rooms for M. de Rastignac.

Poor Delphine, take warning by me!"

"M. de Rastignac is incapable of ruining the woman he loves, dear."

"Thanks! Delphine. I thought you would have been kinder to me in my troubles, but you never did love me."

"Yes, yes, she loves you, Nasie," cried Goriot; "she was saying so only just now. We were talking about you, and she insisted that you were beautiful, and that she herself was only pretty!"

"Pretty!" said the Countess. "She is as hard as a marble statue."

"And if I am?" cried Delphine, flushing up, "how have you treated me? You would not recognize me; you closed the doors of every house against me; you have never let an opportunity of mortifying me slip by. And when did I come, as you were always doing, to drain our poor father, a thousand francs at a time, till he is left as you see him now? That is all your doing, sister! I myself have seen my father as often as I could. I have not turned him out of the house, and then come and fawned upon him when I wanted money. I did not so much as know that he had spent those twelve thousand francs on me. I am economical, as you know; and when papa has made me presents, it has never been because I came and begged for them."

"You were better off than I. M. de Marsay was rich, as you have reason to know. You always were as slippery as gold. Good-bye; I have neither sister nor----"

"Oh! hush, hush, Nasie!" cried her father.

"Nobody else would repeat what everybody has ceased to believe.

You are an unnatural sister!" cried Delphine.

"Oh, children, children! hush! hush! or I will kill myself before your eyes."

"There, Nasie, I forgive you," said Mme. de Nucingen; "you are very unhappy. But I am kinder than you are. How could you say THAT just when I was ready to do anything in the world to help you, even to be reconciled with my husband, which for my own sake I---- Oh! it is just like you; you have behaved cruelly to me all through these nine years."

"Children, children, kiss each other!" cried the father. "You are angels, both of you."

"No. Let me alone," cried the Countess shaking off the hand that her father had laid on her arm. "She is more merciless than my husband. Any one might think she was a model of all the virtues herself!"

"I would rather have people think that I owed money to M. de Marsay than own that M. de Trailles had cost me more than two hundred thousand francs," retorted Mme. de Nucingen.

"DELPHINE!" cried the Countess, stepping towards her sister.

"I shall tell you the truth about yourself if you begin to slander me," said the Baroness coldly.

"Delphine! you are a ----"

Father Goriot sprang between them, grasped the Countess' hand, and laid his own over her mouth.

"Good heavens, father! What have you been handling this morning?" said Anastasie.

"Ah! well, yes, I ought not to have touched you," said the poor father, wiping his hands on his trousers, "but I have been packing up my things; I did not know that you were coming to see me."

He was glad that he had drawn down her wrath upon himself.

"Ah!" he sighed, as he sat down, "you children have broken my heart between you. This is killing me. My head feels as if it were on fire. Be good to each other and love each other! This will be the death of me! Delphine! Nasie! come, be sensible; you are both in the wrong. Come, Dedel," he added, looking through his tears at the Baroness, "she must have twelve thousand francs, you see; let us see if we can find them for her. Oh, my girls, do not look at each other like that!" and he sank on his knees beside Delphine. "Ask her to forgive you--just to please me," he said in her ear. "She is more miserable than you are. Come now, Dedel."

"Poor Nasie!" said Delphine, alarmed at the wild extravagant grief in her father's face, "I was in the wrong, kiss me----"

"Ah! that is like balm to my heart," cried Father Goriot. "But how are we to find twelve thousand francs? I might offer myself as a substitute in the army----"

"Oh! father dear!" they both cried, flinging their arms about him. "No, no!"

"God reward you for the thought. We are not worth it, are we, Nasie?" asked Delphine.

"And besides, father dear, it would only be a drop in the bucket," observed the Countess.

同类推荐
  • 南亭

    南亭

    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。
  • 诏狱惨言

    诏狱惨言

    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。
  • Treatise on Taxes and Contributions

    Treatise on Taxes and Contributions

    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。
  • 六菩萨名亦当诵持经

    六菩萨名亦当诵持经

    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。
  • 十香词

    十香词

    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
  • 运筹帷幄的谋略家(2)(世界名人成长历程)

    运筹帷幄的谋略家(2)(世界名人成长历程)

    《世界名人成长历程——运筹帷幄的谋略家(2)》本书分为西蒙·玻利瓦尔、赫尔穆特·毛奇、朱塞佩·加里波第等部分。
  • 陈志国的今生

    陈志国的今生

    陈志国是一条漂亮的狗,小说描写“我”一家收养这条狗的经历,因一次外出托养,这条狗由原本的任性自尊到怯弱自卑、听任主人摆布,其间折射出的是作者对生命、对族群尊卑及人间善恶的多重思考。曾以《俄罗斯陆军腰带》获第六届鲁迅文学奖短篇小说头奖的作家马晓丽,沉寂多年之后的这篇小说新作,会带给读者怎样的阅读期待?陈志国是在天放亮时咽气的,当时只有我一个人守在身边。前半夜,陈志国一直在嚎叫,声音凄厉而惨烈。我不忍卒听又束手无策,只能不停地抚摸他。陈志国趁势抓住我的弱点,以他一以贯之的顽劣秉性,不依不饶地死缠着不让我撒手。
  • 听总裁们谈经营之道:50位本土总裁谈企业决胜方略

    听总裁们谈经营之道:50位本土总裁谈企业决胜方略

    传递信心、照亮希望、50位本土总裁讲企业决胜之道。全球危机下,企业经营虽困难重重,但他们从容面对,展示了战胜危机的智慧和勇气。他们中前辈耆老,提前布局,谨慎应对;后起之秀,主动出击。逆市扩张……在本书中,企业精英聚集一堂,高谈治企方略,以供中国企业同仁借鉴。
  • 镇魂印

    镇魂印

    人死入葬,画冥妆、穿寿衣、下葬等头七。但有天我看到女人穿着大红嫁衣下葬,她却没有等头七。在送葬的路上有那么多人张望,她偏偏选上了我……
  • 赞美的分寸 批评的尺度

    赞美的分寸 批评的尺度

    《赞美的分寸:批评的尺度》作者专门花费大量时间,查阅古往今来善于说话和成功者的典型事例,对赞美的“分寸”和批评的“尺度”的各个语言环节进行逐一的分析和解剖,从理论和实践上同时进行推演和论证。使广大读者亦能像“高人”一样掌握好赞美与批评的“火候”,并从中找到提升自已和通往成功的捷径。
  • 伪生物研究所

    伪生物研究所

    我有一个不老不死,一本正经的吃着高冷的五分熟牛排的高冷男友。职业是,打击一切牛鬼蛇神,把一切牛鬼蛇神定性为伪生物。并经营着一家伪生物研究所。
  • 重生之大明摄政王

    重生之大明摄政王

    明末时节,满清雄起于关外;流贼起于关内,祸乱天下。崇祯,皇太极、多尔衮、李自成、张献忠……多少帝王将相,英雄豪杰,问鼎逐鹿!他以共和国军人的身份,穿越明朝,以大明军人之身,力挽狂澜,总兵天下,摄政大明,重塑中华!
  • 家居建材这样卖

    家居建材这样卖

    这是一本简单、系统、实用的家居建材行业店员销售操作指导类书籍。本书包含了大量的实战案例,通过对实战案例的解析,为家居建材行业的店员,导购提供一套具体的解决方案。本书作为家居建材企业内训的完整教材,是家居建材销售中每天都会遇到,却又难以应对的问题系统解决方案,是根据家居建材行业完全量身定做,极具操作性。
  • 九世惊宠:妖妻惊天下

    九世惊宠:妖妻惊天下

    前世,他为她抛弃至高无上的荣耀,跃诛仙、路黄泉、灰飞烟灭也要誓死追随。九世再生,也是湮灭在即。她说:我愿用我一切换他前世所有,只要他活着就好。他说:山河为聘,娶她为妻,没了她,我要这天下有何用?权势之争,他将山河拱手,只愿换她一笑。她因他成魔,他亦为她堕神为魔。他说:就算她杀遍天下又如何,只要她高兴,我愿陪她毁了她想毁的一切!且看神界奇迹如何为她颠覆三界。(绝宠,一对一)
  • 大比丘三千威仪

    大比丘三千威仪

    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。