He is a
child, always mismanaging his life. You call him a seeker after
fortune, but he seeks very badly; like all poets, he is a victim of
sensations; he is childish, easily dazzled like a child by anything
that shines, and pursuing its glitter. He used to love horses and
pictures, and he craved fame,--well, he sold his pictures to buy armor
and old furniture of the Renaissance and Louis XV.; just now he is
seeking political power. Admit that his hobbies are noble things."
"You have said enough," replied Modeste; "come," she added, seeing her
father, whom she called with a motion of her head to give her his arm;
"come with me, and I will give you that scrap of paper; you shall
carry it to the great man and assure him of my condescension to his
wishes, but on one condition,--you must thank him in my name for the
pleasure I have taken in seeing one of the finest of the German plays
performed in my honor. I have learned that Goethe's masterpiece is
neither Faust nor Egmont--" and then, as Ernest looked at the
malicious girl with a puzzled air, she added: "It is Torquato Tasso!
Tell Monsieur de Canalis to re-read it," she added smiling; "I
particularly desire that you will repeat to your friend word for word
what I say; for it is not an epigram, it is the justification of his
conduct,--with this trifling difference, that he will, I trust, become
more and more reasonable, thanks to the folly of his Eleonore.
Pages:
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433