branch of the Negrepelisses; and
if she vouchsafes to acknowledge the relationship, I intend to cultivate
her a good deal; she may perhaps procure a place for Bargeton. At my
solicitation, it might be desired at Court that he should represent the
Charente, and that would be a step towards his election here. If he were
a deputy, it would further other steps that I wish to take in Paris.
You, my darling, have brought about this change in my life. After this
morning's duel, I am obliged to shut up my house for some time; for
there will be people who will side with the Chandours against us. In our
position, and in a small town, absence is the only way of softening down
bad feeling. But I shall either succeed, and never see Angouleme again,
or I shall not succeed, and then I mean to wait in Paris until the time
comes when I can spend my summers at the Escarbas and the winters in
Paris. It is the only life for a woman of quality, and I have waited
too long before entering upon it. The one day will be enough for our
preparations; to-morrow night I shall set out, and you are coming with
me, are you not? You shall start first. I will overtake you between
Mansle and Ruffec, and we shall soon be in Paris. There, beloved, is the
life for a man who has anything in him. We are only at our ease among
our equals; we are uncomfortable in any other society. Paris, besides,
is the capital of the intellectual world, the stage on which you will
succeed; overleap the gulf that separates us quickly. You must not
allow your ideas to grow rancid in the provinces; put yourself into
communication at once with the great men who represent the nineteenth
century. Try to stand well with the Court and with those in power. No
honor, no distinction, comes to seek out the talent that perishes for
lack of light in a little town; tell me, if you can, the name of any
great work of art executed in the provinces! On the contrary, see how
Jean-Jacques, himself sublime in his poverty, felt the irresistible
attraction of that sun of the intellectual world, which produces
ever-new glories and stimulates the intellect--Paris, where men rub
against one another. What is it but your duty to hasten to take your
place in the succession of pleiades that rise from generation to
generation? You have no idea how it contributes to the success of a
clever young man to be brought into a high light, socially speaking. I
will introduce you to Mme. d'Espard; it is not easy to get