The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane - Alain René le Sage (best fiction books of all time .txt) 📗

class="calibre1">five or six rooms on a floor, in a regular gradation of costly

furniture and tasteful equipment.

 

What luxury! What magnificence! I thought myself in presence of a

vicequeen, or, to mend the poverty of the comparison, in a fairy

palace, where all the riches of the earth were collected. In

fact, there were the productions of many people and of many

countries, so that one might describe this residence as the

temple of a goddess, whither every traveller brought some rare

product of his native land, as a votive offering. The divinity

was reclining on a voluptuous satin sofa: she was lovely in my

eyes, and pampered with the fumes of daily sacrifices. She was in

a tempting dishabille, and her polished hands were elegantly busy

about a new head-dress for her appearance that evening. Madam,

said the abigail, here is that said steward; take my word for it,

you will never get one more to your liking. Arsenia looked at me

very inquisitively, and did not find me disagreeable. Why, this

is something, Laura, cried she; a very smart youth truly: I

foresee that we shall do very well together. Then directing her

discourse to me, Young man, added she, you suit me to a hair, and

I have only one observation to make: you will be pleased with me,

if I am so with you. I answered that I should do my utmost to

serve her to her heart’s content. As I found that the bargain was

struck, I went immediately to fetch in my own little

accommodations, and returned to take formal possession.

 

CH. X. — Much such another as the foregoing.

 

IT was near the time of the doors opening. My mistress told me to

attend her to the theatre with Laura. We went into her dressing-room, where she threw off her ordinary attire, and assumed a more

splendid costume for the stage. When the performance began, Laura

shewed me the way, and seated herself by my side where I could

see and hear the actors to advantage. They disgusted me for the

most part, doubtless because Don Pompeyo had prejudiced me

against them. Several of them were loudly applauded, but the

fable of the pig would now and then come across my mind.

 

Laura told me the names of the actors and actresses as they made

their entrances. Nor did she stop there, for the hussy gave some

highly seasoned anecdotes into the bargain. Her characters were,

crack-brain for this, impertinent fellow for that. That delicate

sample of sin, who depends on her wantonness for her attractions,

goes by the name of Rosarda: a bad speculation for the company!

She ought to be sent with the next cargo to New Spain, she may

answer the purpose of the viceroy. Take particular notice of that

brilliant star now coming forward; that magnificent setting sun,

increasing in bulk as its fires become less vivid. That is

Casilda. If from that distant day when she first laid herself

open to her lovers, she had required from each of them a brick to

build a pyramid, like an ancient Egyptian princess, the edifice

by this time would have mounted to the third heaven. In short,

Laura tore all character to pieces by her scandal. Heaven forgive

her wicked tongue! She blasphemed her own mistress.

 

And yet I must own my weakness. I was in love with the wench,

though her morals were not strictly pure. She scandalized with so

winning a malignity that one liked her the better for it. Off

went the jill-flirt between the acts, to see if Arsenia wanted

her; but instead of coming straight back to her place, she amused

herself behind the scenes, in laying herself out for the little

flatteries of all the wheedling fellows. I dogged her once, and

found that she had a very large acquaintance. No less than three

players did I reckon up, who stopped to chat with her one after

the other, and they seemed to be on a very improvable footing.

This was not quite so well; and for the first time in my life I

felt what jealousy was. I returned to my seat so absent and out

of spirits, that Laura remarked it as soon as she came back to

me. What is the matter, Gil Blas, said she with astonishment;

what blue devil has perched upon your shoulder in my absence? You

look gloomy and out of temper. My fairy queen, answered I, it is

not without reason, you have an ugly kick in your gallop. I have

observed you with the players … . So, so! An admirable

subject for a long face, interrupted she with a laugh. What! That

is your trouble, is it? Why really! You are a very silly swain;

but you will get better notions among us. You will fall by

degrees into our easy manners. No jealousy, my dear creature, you

will be completely laughed out of it in the theatrical world. The

passion is scarcely known there. Fathers, husbands, brothers,

uncles, and cousins, are all upon a liberal plan of community,

and often make a strange jumble of relationships.

 

After having warned me to take no umbrage, but to look at

everything like a philosophical spectator, she vowed that I was

the happy mortal who had found the way to her heart. She then

declared that she should love me always, and only me. On this

assurance, which a man might have doubted without criminal

scepticism, I promised her not to be alarmed any more, and kept

my word. I saw her, on that very evening, whisper and giggle with

more men than one. At the end of the play we returned home with

our mistress, whither Florimonde came soon after to supper, with

three old noblemen and a player. Besides Laura and myself, the

establishment consisted of a cook-maid, a coachman, and a little

footboy. We all laboured in our respective vocations. The lady of

the frying-pan, no less an adept than Dame Jacintha, was assisted

in her cookery by the coachman. The waiting-woman and the little

footboy laid the cloth, and I set out the sideboard,

magnificently furnished with plate, offered up at the shrine of

our green-room goddess. There was every variety of wines, and I

played the cup-bearer, to show my mistress the versatility of my

talents. I sweated at the impudence of the actresses during

supper; they gave themselves quality airs, and affected the tone

of high life. Far from giving their guests all their style and

titles, they did not even vouchsafe a simple “Your lordship,” but

called them familiarly by their proper names. To be sure, the old

fools encouraged their vanity by forgetting their own distance.

The player, for his part, in the habits of the heroic cast, lived

on equal terms with them; he challenged them to drink, and in

every respect took the upper hand. In good truth, said I to

myself, while Laura was demonstrating the equality of the Marquis

and the comedian during the day, she might have drawn a still

stronger inference for the night, since they pass it so merrily

in drinking together.

 

Arsenia and Florimonde were naturally frolicsome. A thousand

broad hints escaped them, intermingled with small favours, and

then a coquettish revolt at their own freedom, which were all

seasoned exactly to the taste of these old sinners. While my

mistress was entertaining one of them with a little harmless

toying, her friend, between the other elders, had not taken the

cue of Susanna. While I was contemplating this picture, which had

but too many attractions for a knowing youth like me, the dessert

was brought in. Then I set the bottles and glasses on the table,

and made my escape to sup with Laura, who was waiting for me. How

now! Gil Blas, said she, what do you think of those noblemen

above-stairs? Doubtless, answered I, they are deeply smitten with

Arsenia and Florimonde. No, replied she, they are old

sensualists, who hang about our sex without any particular

attachment. All they ask is some little frivolous compliance, and

they are generous enough to pay well for the least trifle of

amorous endearment. Heaven be praised, Florimonde and my mistress

are at present without any serious engagements; I mean that they

have no husband-like lovers, who expect to engross all the

pleasures of a house, because they stand to the expenses. For my

part, I am very glad of it: and maintain that a sensible woman of

the world ought to refuse all such monopolies. Why take a master?

It is better to support an establishment by retail trade, than to

confine one’s self to chamber practice on such terms.

 

When Laura’s tongue was wound up, and it was seldom down, words

seemed to cost her nothing. What a glorious volubility! She told

a thousand stories of the actresses belonging to the prince’s

company; and I gathered from her whole drift that I could not be

better situated to take a scientific view of the cardinal vices.

Unfortunately I was at an age when they inspire but little

horror; and this abigail had the art of colouring her corruptions

so lusciously as to hide their deformities and heighten their

meretricious lure. She had not time to open the tenth part of her

theatrical budget, for she did not talk more than three hours.

The senators and the player went away with Florimonde, whom they

saw safe home.

 

When they were gone, my mistress said to me — Here, Gil Blas,

are ten pistoles to go to market to-morrow. Five or six of our

gentlemen and ladies are to dine here, take care that we are well

served. Madam, answered I, with this sum there shall be a banquet

for the whole troop. My friend, replied Arsenia, correct your

phraseology; you must say company, not troop. A troop of robbers,

a troop of beggars, a troop of authors; but a company of

comedians, especially when you have to mention the actors of

Madrid. I begged my mistress’s pardon for having used so

disrespectful a term, and entreated her to excuse my ignorance. I

protested that henceforward, when I spoke collectively of so

august a body, I would always say the company.

 

CH. XI. — A theatrical life and an author’s life

 

I TOOK the field the next morning, to open my campaign as

steward. It was a fish day; for which reason I bought some good

fat chickens, rabbits, partridges, and every variety of game. As

the gentlemen of the sock and buskin are not on the best possible

terms with the church, they are not over-scrupulous in their

observance of the rubric. I brought home provisions more than

enough for a dozen portly gentlemen to have fasted on during a

whole Lent. The cook had a good morning’s work. While she was

getting dinner ready, Arsenia got up and spent the early part of

the day at her toilet. At noon came two of the players, Signor

Rosimiro and Signor Ricardo. Afterwards two actresses, Constance

and Celinaura; then entered Florimonde, attended by a man who had

all the appearance of a most spruce cavalier. He had his hair

dressed in the most elegant manner, his hat set off with a

fashionable plume, very tight breeches, and a shirt with a laced

frill. His gloves and his handkerchief were in the hilt of his

sword, and he wore his cloak with a grace altogether peculiar to

himself.

 

With a prepossessing physiognomy and a good person, there was

something extraordinary in the first blush of him. This

gentleman, said I to myself, must be an original. I was not

mistaken; his singularities were striking. On his entrance, he

ran with open arms and embraced the company, male and female, one

after another. His grimaces were more extravagant than any