Shadow of great britain

Balzac helped Mrs. Berni to the room on the second floor.

Although he had many lovers, Madame Berni, as his first lover, a noble lady whom he admired, always had a very special status in Balzac's heart.

Before becoming Balzac's lover, Madame Berni had never had the idea of ​​falling in love with this boy who was 23 years younger than him, nor had she ever seduced him. But perhaps precisely because of this, Balzac, a fledgling boy, was conquered by the charm exuded by this lady.

Every time Balzac came to this neighbor's house to provide tutoring for her daughters, Mrs. Berni always liked to tease Balzac. She happily ridiculed Balzac's words and deeds and ridiculed his pretentiousness. Extraordinary and ambitious.

After the two became familiar with each other, she began to play the role of an intimate aunt again, listening to Balzac talk about his childhood and how his mother had been indifferent and abandoned him for a long time.

When Mrs. Berni heard this, she couldn't help but think of her son who died young, and she even saw the hidden brilliance in this humble young man.

As for Balzac, this young man who was only 22 years old had already fallen in love with Madame Berni's noble temperament. Although this lady's face is not extremely beautiful, even though she is 45 years old, she still has delicate skin and a fair neck.

Moreover, as the goddaughter of Marie Antoinette, Queen Louis XVI, Madame Berni's experience of frequenting the upper class society of the old era also gave her an indescribable sense of elegance in her speech.

In the words of Balzac, it is: "The retroflexion of Madame Berni is as if she were caressing you."

The young Balzac made a lot of determination before he finally plucked up the courage to confess his love to Madame Berni.

However, when Mrs. Berni saw the love letter written by Balzac, she burst into laughter. As always, she laughed at Balzac's sighs, his novels, and his dressing sense.

But Balzac, a stupid young man, didn't know what giving up was. He really liked this lady who was one year older than his mother, and he knew better that her marriage was not happy and that she once had a lover. .

This was all the reason why Balzac thought he could succeed.

However, Madame Berni was a little frightened when she was pursued by Balzac at first. She did not hate Balzac, she would even regard him as half her son, but Mrs. Berni had never thought of being a lover with such a young child.

Balzac wrote love letters one after another in various ways, and after going through a period of complex psychological activities, Mrs. Berni's mood began to change from the initial fright to a subtle one.

She still did not accept the young man's pursuit, and even after listening to Balzac read a love letter to her face to face, she ordered this half-baked 'philosopher' not to fall in love again in the future, otherwise she would never see him again.

Balzac was so distraught that he once wrote a letter crying that he would never love Madame Berni again.

But not being in love does not mean that he intends to break off the relationship with his wife. He still comes to Mrs. Berni's house on time every day to provide family tutoring for her daughters. He meets the lady again with a smile, and then leaves with a depressed face.

One night, after saying goodbye, he found that he had forgotten something at Berni's house, so he went back to get it. However, Balzac was surprised to find his wife sitting on a bench in the garden wearing a beautiful holiday dress. meditation.

Perhaps the hazy moonlight was always too charming, so Mrs. Berni accepted Balzac's first kiss there.

How to describe this love affair with a twenty-three-year age difference?

Mrs. Berni looked at this young man from a perspective that did not seem like that of couples of the same age with a small age gap. Rather than relying on the little boy, it was better to say that she was dominant in all aspects. She taught Balzac, and watched this talented young man very patiently, wanting to see how much he could achieve in the end.

And Balzac's treatment of Madame Berni was not like those young and beautiful girls he met later. This relationship was very long-lasting and strong, and even had a touch of family affection. This can be seen from his pet name for Madame Berni, whom he often referred to in his letters as 'my poor mother'.

But not long after this relationship was firmly established, Balzac's mother discovered that her son went out early and came back late every day. A woman's intuition soon made her realize that there was something hidden in her stupid boy.

She soon discovers the secret and begins trying to separate her son from her lover, who is about her own age.

But no matter how hard she tried, it was in vain. Although she was very strict with Balzac, her mother, Balzac's grandmother, was quite spoiled by her grandson.

After discovering that Balzac was in an extremely bad mood, the old lady took the initiative to take on the important task of delivering messages to her grandson and lover.

Balzac's mother often severely scolded Balzac for not doing his job properly and being clumsy, but his grandmother and Mrs. Berni always secretly supported his literary dream behind his back.

Judging from the results, Grandma and Mrs. Berni were obviously right.

Although Balzac was a penniless pawn in the French literary world for a long time, since the publication of "Donkey Skin", he has soared to the sky.

In 1831 and 1832 alone, Balzac's total income included 1,125 francs for "The Story of a Donkey's Skin", 3,750 francs for "Scenes from a Private Life", and "Philosophical Novels". He earned 5,250 francs from "Collections" and "Anecdotes of Touraine" and 4,166 francs from writing articles for newspapers and magazines, totaling 14,291 francs.

But like most literary giants of this era, although Balzac had such a high income, his inflated desire for consumption caused him to not only fail to save half a sou, but also owed a debt of 6,000 francs.

However, for Mrs. Berni, this is not a particularly difficult problem to solve. She is very happy to support this young literary man who is half lover and half son.

Balzac diligently filled Madame Berni's wine. After being locked in the room by the publisher and forced to write the manuscript for three months, he was very happy to see the 'poor mother'.

"You know? I joined a right-wing literary group a while ago, and Foch and Hugo were very unhappy about it. They said: 'You have become a complete orthodoxy now! Listen to me, don't Joining forces with that evil force that has no future in the country. The situation may indeed be bad, but no matter how bad it is, it will not cause Henry V and his accomplices, the clergy and the evil gentry, to come back. '

But I don’t care what they say. In a country like France, power politics is indeed necessary. Whether this person is Bonaparte, Charles X, emperor, king, or dictator, it must be centralized by one person. The reign of strength is absolutely necessary. If I have one complaint against Louis Philippe, it is that he was too weak. "

When Mrs. Berni heard this, she just smiled and held Balzac's hand and sat down: "So, you still want to hear those interesting stories from the old times today? Do you have any new ideas that you want to write into a novel? Last April I pulled you out of Paris, and you ended up writing "The Curate of Tours" and "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman" in one go. As a result, you entered a period of inspirational exhaustion as soon as you returned to Paris. Otherwise, you would be with me again this month. Shall I go and live in the country of St. Firmin for a while? I can tell you whatever you want to know."

When Balzac heard this, he showed some resistance: "Mom, it's not that I don't want to go with you. In fact, I don't really like social activities in Paris. But at least I can't leave Paris recently. I still have things to do here. ”

"Have you got something to do?" Madame Berni said sarcastically: "You must have fallen in love with some young girl again, right? The Duchess of Abrontes has contacted you again recently?"

Balzac swore to God: "I assure you, I have not at all. You have to believe me, I will never deceive you."

Madame Berni sighed: "I'm afraid that if a certain lady writes to you and asks you to visit her, you will probably be happy to go. Wasn't there such a lady who summoned you from Tours to Versailles to comfort her pain? ? She also deliberately exaggerated her pain for selfish purposes. As for this situation, it is obviously much more serious, especially since you said that you joined a right-wing Orthodox group, I guess it must be the Marquise de Castries. Influence you.

Unfortunately, your vanity is always so strong that it controls your behavior, especially when you are unaware of its power. However, my beloved, my dear friend and son, please listen to what I have to say. In order for you to hear these truths, I speak to you in the most friendly voice. think about it! When you are in urgent need of three or four thousand francs, those people will never give you a penny.

Those people are always ungrateful when they gain power. This is due to their nature, and they will never change their nature for you. They are all selfish, scheming, domineering, and despise all people who are not of noble origin. My good son! For the sake of everything you value, for your honor, for your future happiness, and for the peace of me who loves you, never listen to them, you were almost fooled. "

Balzac's eyes flashed when he heard this: "My good mother, please believe me, my staying in Paris this time has nothing to do with the girl, but because Alexandre Dumas came back from London. If I hide at this time When I get out, that guy will definitely ridicule me in the newspaper, saying that I am deliberately afraid of his reputation. This guy has been spreading rumors in the past two days, saying that he intends to show off to me. I am not afraid of a fat man like him. ”

When Mrs. Berni heard this, she reluctantly held Balzac's arm: "Honoré, I will take what you said to be true. But don't be impulsive, okay? I heard that Mr. Dumas is a sharpshooter. Are you looking for a duel with him? You were in two car accidents last year, and your leg was crushed by a wheel and it didn't take long for you to recover. Do you want to add another gunshot wound to your body? "

Balzac just said bitterly: "Mom, I promise you, even if I don't use a gun, I can solve the problem with a pen. But I will also take what you said before, among the friends I made before. , there are indeed some bastard things. For example, Mezre, when I was rich, he called me his best friend, but I only owed a month's theater box money, and he called me "Pomegranate Garden" in his debt collection letter. 'Sir. However, I have to deal with this guy Dumas first, and then I will go to Mezret to settle the score..."

…

Balzac and Madame Berni were whispering lovers' whispers, but what they didn't know was that in the next room, another 'couple', an old man and a young man, had already captured their every move. The bottom of my eyes.

Vidocq looked through the small hole in the back of the wardrobe that had been newly drilled a few days ago and looked at the moment of passion between the 'mother and son' next door. reward."

Arthur brought a pot of black tea and leisurely savored the afternoon sunshine in Paris: "I hadn't thought it through before, but after seeing the relationship between Balzac and Madame Berni, I now fully understand that Benjamin is looking everywhere for himself." Mom's original intention. Compared with ordinary girls, such a wise and powerful lady is far superior in all aspects."

"Benjamin?" Vidocq recalled: "Is he a police officer from Scotland Yard? He has understood this truth at a young age. It seems that this young man has a bright future!"

"No, Benjamin is not our police officer, but you are right that he has a bright future."

Arthur took a sip of tea: "Three years ago, Benjamin was a notorious Jewish boy with a lot of debt. But after getting acquainted with Mrs. Sikes, not only did his financial situation improve greatly, but now he has become a A member of the new generation of Tory forces that cannot be ignored.”

Vidocq smiled and sat back at the table, and poured himself a cup of tea: "Do you remember what I told you before in London? The same was true for our previous boss Du Plessis at the Grand Paris Police Department. It's just that he's not as talented as Balzac, so he can only rely on his pretty face and consistent shamelessness to pick up the skirt of the director's wife. And you, brother, you not only have Balzac. With Zach's talent and Duplessi's face, what's even more gratifying is that you also have expertise in music and natural philosophy, and even won the title of knight early through hard work. As long as you are willing to work here Please be considerate, I guarantee you will be revived in London soon."

Arthur just raised his eyebrows when he heard this and said: "Mr. Vidocq, maybe it's because you are a master in love, so you always think of this aspect too easily. I can't coordinate the relationship between the ladies. This It's like walking a tightrope between the Bonapartists, the Orthodox and the Republicans. If you don't play well, you will get burned."

"Haha." Vidocq said with a smile: "You said you can't play well? I don't believe it. Brother, managing the relationship with various noble ladies is a required course for diplomats, even if it is for you to be better If you are qualified for this responsibility, you have to make up for this shortcoming, right? It’s not just about getting married and finding a few lovers. This is easy for you.”

Arthur just blinked his eyes after hearing this: "You French people, this time I came to Paris has opened my eyes. Although the upper class in London is not much cleaner than Paris, I haven't seen anyone who can." Doing this blatantly.”

Vidocq smiled indifferently and said: "What is this called? This is called hypocrisy. You British Protestants always like to do these superficial things. If you don't have a deep understanding, maybe everyone really thinks that there are people living there. Brother, don't tell me that these religious men and women can come up with such a trick of arranging for someone to book this room a few days in advance and punch holes in the wall to spy on others. Even the security department can't do this. matter."

Arthur just shrugged and said: "I also really want to be like the Security Department, who breaks in and takes someone without official permission, and then issues an arrest warrant, but the judicial procedures in Britain are too strict and old-fashioned, so Scotland Yard In most cases, we can only try our best to get the evidence first, and it is impossible for us to get the evidence casually on the street, so we have to resort to this strategy again and again.”

Vidocq raised his eyebrows and said: "In that case, why don't you just ask Pan, Gao and the others to drill holes in the wall on the right? After all, only the room on the right is next to Mr. Pooh and Miss Dorval's long-term renter. Huan's room, if someone is watching them, it can only be in the right room. Why do you have to make a hole in the left wall?"

Arthur didn't explain much about this. He just smiled and raised his teacup and touched it lightly with Vidocq: "As you know, those in our industry have to be cautious, just in case."

"that's it?"

"Of course." Arthur raised his eyebrows and said: "I also like to satisfy my own trivial curiosity as much as possible under reasonable circumstances. I don't have many hobbies, but collecting all information about everyone happens to be one of them. one."