登陆注册
19662600000156

第156章 CHAPTER XII A STAR(2)

And do you know, messieurs, who is this Christopher Columbus of a new celestial world? An old man, two-thirds blind, who has scarcely eyes enough to walk in the street.""Wonderful! Marvellous! Admirable!" came from all sides.

"What is the name of this learned man?" asked several voices.

"Monsieur Picot, or, if you prefer it, pere Picot, for that is how they call him in the rue du Val-de-Grace, where he lives. He is simply an old professor of mathematics, who has turned out several very fine pupils,--by the bye, Felix Phellion, whom we all know, studied under him, and it was he who read, on behalf of his blind old master, the communication to the Academy this afternoon."Hearing that name, and remembering the promise Felix had made her to lift her to the skies, which, as he said it, she had fancied a sign of madness, Celeste looked at Madame Thuillier, whose face had taken a sudden glow of animation, and seemed to say to her, "Courage, my child! all is not lost.""My dear Theodose," said Thuillier, "Felix is coming here to-night;you must take him aside and get him to give you a copy of that communication; it would be a fine stroke of fortune for the 'Echo' to be the first to publish it.""Yes," said Minard, assuming the answer, "that would do good service to the public, for the affair is going to make a great noise. The committee, not finding Monsieur Picot at home, went straight to the Minister of Public Instruction; and the minister flew to the Tuileries and saw the King; and the 'Messager' came out this evening--strange to say, so early that I could read it in my carriage as I drove along--with an announcement that Monsieur Picot is named Chevalier of the Legion of honor, with a pension of eighteen hundred francs from the fund devoted to the encouragement of science and letters.""Well," said Thuillier, "there's one cross at least well bestowed.""But eighteen hundred francs for the pension seems to me rather paltry," said Dutocq.

"So it does," said Thuillier, "and all the more because that money comes from the tax-payers; and, when one sees the taxes, as we do, frittered away on court favorites--""Eighteen hundred francs a year," interrupted Minard, "is certainly something, especially for savants, a class of people who are accustomed to live on very little.""I think I have heard," said la Peyrade, "that this very Monsieur Picot leads a strange life, and that his family, who at first wanted to shut him up as a lunatic, are now trying to have guardians appointed over him. They say he allows a servant-woman who keeps his house to rob him of all he has. Parbleu! Thuillier, you know her; it is that woman who came to the office the other day about some money in Dupuis's hands.""Yes, yes, true," said Thuillier, significantly; "you are right, I do know her.""It is queer," said Brigitte, seeing a chance to enforce the argument she had used to Celeste, "that all these learned men are good for nothing outside of their science; in their homes they have to be treated like children.""That proves," said the Abbe Gondrin, "the great absorption which their studies give to their minds, and, at the same time, a simplicity of nature which is very touching.""When they are not as obstinate as mules," said Brigitte, hastily.

"For myself, monsieur l'abbe, I must say that if I had had any idea of marriage, a savant wouldn't have suited me at all. What do they do, these savants, anyhow? Useless things most of the time. You are all admiring one who has discovered a star; but as long as we are in this world what good is that to us? For all the use we make of stars it seems to me we have got enough of them as it is.""Bravo, Brigitte!" said Colleville, getting loose again; "you are right, my girl, and I think, as you do, that the man who discovers a new dish deserves better of humanity.""Colleville," said Flavie, "I must say that your style of behavior is in the worst taste.""My dear lady," said the Abbe Gondrin, addressing Brigitte, "you might be right if we were formed of matter only; and if, bound to our body, there were not a soul with instincts and appetites that must be satisfied. Well, I think that this sense of the infinite which is within us, and which we all try to satisfy each in our own way, is marvellously well helped by the labors of astronomy, that reveal to us from time to time new worlds which the hand of the Creator has put into space. The infinite in you has taken another course; this passion for the comfort of those about you, this warm, devoted, ardent affection which you feel for your brother, are equally the manifestation of aspirations which have nothing material about them, and which, in seeking their end and object, never think of asking, 'What good does that do? what is the use of this?' Besides, I must assure you that the stars are not as useless as you seem to think.

Without them how would navigators cross the sea? They would be puzzled to get you the vanilla with which you have flavored the delicious cream I am now eating. So, as Monsieur Colleville has perceived, there is more affinity than you think between a dish and a star; no one should be despised,--neither an astronomer nor a good housekeeper--"The abbe was here interrupted by the noise of a lively altercation in the antechamber.

"I tell you that I will go in," said a loud voice.

"No, monsieur, you shall not go in," said another voice, that of the man-servant. "The company are at table, I tell you, and nobody has the right to force himself in."Thuillier turned pale; ever since the seizure of his pamphlet, he fancied all sudden arrivals meant the coming of the police.

Among the various social rules imparted to Brigitte by Madame de Godollo, the one that most needed repeating was the injunction never, as mistress of the house, to rise from the table until she gave the signal for retiring. But present circumstances appeared to warrant the infraction of the rule.

同类推荐
  • 燕翼诒谋录

    燕翼诒谋录

    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。
  • The Birds

    The Birds

    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。
  • 何耶揭唎婆像法

    何耶揭唎婆像法

    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。
  • 泰族训

    泰族训

    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。
  • 太上九真明科

    太上九真明科

    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。
热门推荐
  • 冬虫也需要夏草

    冬虫也需要夏草

    ‖夏小璐,一个美貌与抠门集于一身的‘灰姑娘’,靠着一手的坑蒙拐骗,发家致富。‖‖冬晓言,一个才华与懒散集于一身的绔世大少,靠着一手的雷厉风行,富上加富。‖夏小璐:没命可以,没钱不行。冬晓言:没钱可以,没你不行。……当两个身份、命运完全不同的他们相遇在一起,会发生什么啼笑皆哭的事情呢?当接连不断的阻碍袭来时,是命运战胜真爱,还是真爱逆袭命运呢?【本文既甜又虐,史上独一无二,暂定1v1。】
  • 爱不可挡:韩少捡到小娇妻

    爱不可挡:韩少捡到小娇妻

    渣男和闺蜜不仅劈腿,还找人陷害她?她奋力反击,将他们全部打个半死,谁知道,却不小心砸了权势熏天的韩少的兰博基尼。她欲哭无泪,只能等待他的宣判。“赔。”他薄唇轻启,吐出一个字。赔就赔吧,谁让她犯错在先呢?就在她左右为难去哪里筹钱的时候,他将她按入怀里。“用你自己赔。”他将她绑回家,欠他的,都用她来赔。
  • 导论·先秦汉族风俗(汉族风俗史(第一卷))

    导论·先秦汉族风俗(汉族风俗史(第一卷))

    从先秦到汉末,从隋唐到民初,中华大地五千年的历史,被深深地扎入汉族的血脉中,把它化成风俗民情,植藏在心里。观看汉族——这个长久居住在中华大地上庞大的民族的风俗变迁,就能大致上了解,中华民族五千年来的历史进程,汉族风俗史,为我们展开了一幅泱泱大国传成五千年精神的历史长卷。
  • 廿二史札记

    廿二史札记

    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。
  • 火爆王妃:后院那个皇帝是我的

    火爆王妃:后院那个皇帝是我的

    当正宫娘娘被迫成为苦主小三,当女人被男人挤下位时,天下还有什么是能挤破真爱的。卫无忧,东临第一美人,太后钦赐良缘,嫁给风靡东临少女、少妇的翊王,却不料成亲当日,夫君领着貌美男人光明正大的回到了王府,鸠占鹊巢。一夜之间,正妃下位,宠男正位,卫无忧苦心成小三。成小三,还不足以让卫无忧悲天怒咒,夫君亲传旨意,宠男日后的生活起居,由卫无忧亲手操办伺候,被人踢下位,打入偏院冷宫中,不算什么,竟然还要去伺候夫君的男宠,天理何在!王妃的威严何在!这个男宠男女通吃吗?这是在干什么?摸她手干什么!不对!那里是腰!你放开!……
  • 进击的赵小川

    进击的赵小川

    神族降临,地球入侵,在神族恐怖的力量面前,人类苦苦挣扎,各地文明差异分裂严重,落后的部落,残暴的君主,一群狂热的宗教信徒纷纷登上历史的舞台,然而在这一切面前,原地球联邦一个作为小基地的山村中走出一名叫做赵小川的少年,阴差阳错下,远离了家乡,为了寻找回家的旅途,他却在路上遇到了各种麻烦....
  • 了凡处

    了凡处

    中国传统的官员,学而优则仕,仕而优则学。我们现在的官员体系里,官员的人文素养缺乏整套的体系。但是在中国传统的结构里面,修身正心的体系,是主流的体系。本书从了凡的为官之道、从政之风来看了凡的实践主张,以期给我们当下如何为政,提供一个传统优秀官员的借鉴。
  • 网配之但为君故

    网配之但为君故

    林灼华不知道自己是什么时候爱上叶澜的,也许是那声轻柔的浅笑,也许是曾经数个安静的下午里伊人的倩影,他只知道等他想起来要追溯原因的时候,他早已一头撞进叶澜不经意间织就的那张名为“情”的网,不愿挣扎,束手就缚。(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 血色绯夜:暗夜妖姬

    血色绯夜:暗夜妖姬

    她是冷酷的美女总裁,也是高傲的血族公主,家财万贯,豪宅无数。漫长的生命让她感觉有些索然无趣,金钱与人心的游戏她玩腻了!背叛?利用?究竟是谁玩了谁……把自己扔到了一个陌生的世界,她如愿以偿地感受到另一种生活。皇权?争宠?战争?待千帆过尽,繁花散落,她是万花丛中过,片叶不沾身?还是,执子之手,与子偕老?
  • 军旗下的方队

    军旗下的方队

    本市包括“军事博物馆上空的五星”“永不泯灭的将帅之星”“军旗上写满了烈士的名字”“长枪、大炮也属于女兵”等内容。