The Parisians — Volume 10Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
General
The Parisians — Volume 10
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
English fiction -- 19th century; Paris (France) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"But happening to visit that capital of Europe a few months before we
come to our dates at Aix-la-Chapelle, he made acquaintance with Madame
Marigny, a natural daughter of high-placed parents, by whom, of course,
she had never been acknowledged, but who had contrived that she should
receive a good education at a convent; and on leaving it also contrived
that an old soldier of fortune--which means an officer without fortune--
who had served in Algiers with some distinction, should offer her his
hand, and add the modest dot they assigned her to his yet more modest
income. They contrived also that she should understand the offer must be
accepted. Thus Mademoiselle 'Quelque Chose' became Madame Marigny, and
she, on her part, contrived that a year or so later she should be left a
widow. After a marriage, of course the parents washed their hands of
her--they had done their duty. At the time Don Juan made this lady's
acquaintance nothing could be said against her character; but the
milliners and butchers had begun to imply that they would rather have
her money than trust to her character. Don Juan fell in love with her,
satisfied the immediate claims of milliner and butcher, and when they
quitted Paris it was agreed that they should meet later at Aix-la-
Chapelle. But when he resorted to that sultry and, to my mind,
unalluring spa, he was surprised by a line from her saying that she had
changed her name of Marigny for that of Duval.
"'I recollect,' said Leporello, 'that two days afterwards my master said
to me, 'Caution and secrecy. Don't mention my name at the house to which
I may send you with any note for Madame Duval. I don't announce my name
when I call. _La petite_ Marigny has exchanged her name for that of
Louise Duval; and I find that there is a Louise Duval here, her friend,
who is niece to a relation of my own, and a terrible relation to quarrel
with--a dead shot and unrivalled swordsman--Victor de Mauleon. My
master was brave enough, but he enjoyed life, and he did not think _la
petite_ Marigny worth being killed for.'
"Leporello remembered very little of what followed. All he did remember
is that Don Juan, when at Vienna, said to him one morning, looking less
gay than usual, 'It is finished with _ca petite_ Marigny_-she is no
more.' Then he ordered his bath, wrote a note, and said with tears in
his eyes, 'Take this to Mademoiselle Celeste; not to be compared to _la
petite_ Marigny; but _la petite_ Celeste is still alive.' Ah, Monsieur!
if only any man in France could be as proud of his ruler as that Italian
was of my countrymen! Alas! we Frenchmen are all made to command--or at
least we think ourselves so--and we are insulted by one who says to us,
'Serve and obey.' Nowadays, in France, we find all Don Juans and no
Leporellos.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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