[Masterpiece Les Miserables] Paris Sparks

In Corona's impression, Madame de Villefort was still what she had glimpsed at the banquet a few years ago: a dignified and gentle lady.

Therefore, when she followed the Countess of Morcerf into her convalescent room, she hardly recognized Madame de Villefort lying on the bed.The room was stuffy with the smell of medicine that is often found in the rooms of long-ill patients, mixed with a gloomy, dull, and lifeless atmosphere.The pale and emaciated Madame de Villefort was sitting on the bed leaning on the pillow, the crimson curtain and silk quilt made her skin pale, as if it would be pierced if she touched it.Coronne remained expressionless, and was really taken aback: she did not expect that Madame de Villefort was so seriously ill that she looked like a person who had already stepped into the grave.

"Countess of Morcerf, Miss Evermond." She greeted softly, her voice was low, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me for not being able to entertain you in the living room now."

"What a faux pas! You don't have to be polite to us," replied Madame de Morcerf, smiling.She had obviously known Madame de Villefort before, and turned to her to introduce her child: "This is Madame de Villefort's daughter, Valentine."

Little Valentine bowed her knees in a dignified manner, and Corona bowed back.Then little Valentine went up to her mother's bed, and Madame de Villefort stroked her hair feebly with one hand.

Her health was obviously already very bad, and she didn't have the energy to talk too much, so they skipped a lot of polite etiquette, and got straight to the point after a few simple greetings. "What kind of portrait do you want for Lingmei?" Corona asked first, "What is the approximate size, do you want a single person or a group portrait? Do you have any preferred theme?"

"It doesn't have to be very big.—like that one," said Madame de Villefort, gesturing to a small landscape painting hanging above the bedside table. A miniature in a box would do too. Just hurry up, I'm afraid I don't have much time."

"What are you talking about! It's not possible." Corona comforted.

Madame de Villefort merely shook her head. "To draw her in that violet dress," she whispered, "my mother gave her that dress. Just before I fell ill, my father and mother came to see me, and little Valentine was Running on the grass, I watched her tiptoe up and down to reach the wisteria flowers hanging from the flower stand... Her little skirt is the same color as the flowers, so cute..."

Her voice became softer and softer, and she seemed to gradually fall into a coma.The maid came over and respectfully invited them out of the room and sat in the living room.Madame de Villefort's mother, the Marquise de Saint-Meran, was sitting there.She was a very stern and cold looking old woman, and it was hard to imagine that this seemingly hard-hearted old man would refuse to go into the room with them, because she couldn't bear to see her daughter so weak again.

"Renée is asleep," Madame de Morcerf explained to her, "but she has already talked about the picture: she says she wants a small portrait, and if time is short, the miniature in the locket will be Yes. I want Valentine in her violet dress."

"Then draw both." The Marquise de Saint-Méran said with a condescending tone, she stared at Corona sternly, her gaze seemed to indicate that any slight objection from her would be disrespectful. "Price is not a problem. I don't care about anything else you have, these two paintings are to be done immediately, immediately."

"I didn't come here because of these thousands of francs." Even with Corona's self-restraint, she couldn't help but reply, "But I was entrusted by the countess, and I see you again." Madam de Villefort's touching maternal love naturally dare not neglect this, you can rest assured. I don't know if your house has ready-made painting utensils?"

"No." The maid next to him replied.

"Then I need a room for painting, and I need someone to bring my painting tools and paints. Then I will ask Miss Valentine to wear the dress appointed by my wife to be a model for me."

"Ma'am." The maid replied in a low voice, "That dress..."

"What's the matter with that dress?" Madame de Saint-Meran asked.

"Mademoiselle Valentine can no longer fit that dress."

This was not particularly surprising: according to Madame de Villefort, it must have been the dress that Valentine had worn last year.Four or five-year-old children grow so fast, it is normal for skirts to not fit after a year.But at this moment, Mrs. Saint-Meran, who was already upset, turned even darker. "Then make another like it!" she snapped, "and go to a tailor right away—"

"It doesn't really matter." Corona smoothed things over, "Let Miss Valentine wear another dress with a similar neckline, and then show me the dress Madam appointed."

The Marquise of Saint-Meran gave her a surprised look.Corona knew why she was surprised: there are indeed many painters, because of their lack of skills and solid foundation, they have high requirements for models when painting, and they almost want to let the opposite party sit with their backs straight for hours, like her. Such loose painters are rare.But the Marquis didn't ask any questions in the end, she just nodded and ordered the maid to do as she wanted.

Madame de Morcerf sat down for a moment after that and took her leave.Coronne took the servants of the Villefort family home to move the painting tools, and notified Fantine of the incident. When she returned to the Villefort family, little Valentine had already obediently sat down in the temporary studio and waited for her.

She is a well-behaved and quiet child, not noisy or even too restless, so the progress of painting is quite fast.Corona finished the small portrait in the locket in one night, and came to Villefort's house early the next morning to make a larger portrait of her.

In fact, she knew very well that few people would see her painting—probably only Valentine, the Marquise Saint-Meran, the Villeforts and the maids in the house would be able to see it. The painting will be buried with her and never see the light of day.But despite this, her ethics as a painter also required her to try her best to paint as perfect as possible.

So she stayed in the studio all day and night, and soon became acquainted with little Valentine.The child was very quiet. At first Corona thought it was because she was well-behaved, but after getting acquainted with her, she soon realized that Valentine was so quiet because she was afraid.

This is somewhat similar to Cosette's initial situation, but not quite the same.Valentine was born in an aristocratic family, she had enough food and clothing, and naturally she would not suffer any abuse.But after her mother fell ill, the time for family reunion gradually decreased, and her father became less loving, and her mother became weaker and weaker day by day. The family was panicked, and Valentine was inevitably affected.At her age, she can't even understand the concept of death, but she already vaguely knows that something very bad will happen.

With the status of Judge Villefort, he will definitely marry again in the future.Valentine lost her biological mother in such a piss, and would welcome her stepmother in the future. Corona could not help sympathizing with her, and occasionally coaxed her to talk when painting, and let her come down to walk around and play for a while from time to time, lest she get bored sitting on the chair. up.She was kind and gentle, and Valentine was not afraid of her, and was soon fond of her.By the morning of the third day, Coronne had drawn the details of the dress, so she only needed the maid to hold the purple dress and gesture, instead of Valentine sitting there, Valentine ran away Come over and look at the half-finished oil painting next to her.After watching for a while, she asked in a low voice, "Can you draw your mother?"

Corona was taken aback. "Didn't your mother have a portrait?" she asked with a smile. "Isn't her portrait hanging in the corridor?"

"They say it's a portrait of mother, but mother doesn't look like that," said Valentine.

Corona stopped writing for a while, recalling the painting she saw in the corridor.It was a portrait of Madame de Villefort when she was a girl. In the painting, she sat upright in a richly decorated room with a solemn expression.After getting married and giving birth, her figure has become a little plump, and she is not out of shape, and she can still clearly see the similarity with the portrait, but for a five-year-old child, it may indeed be difficult to slim down a gloomy and serious painting. A young girl, connected with her tender and loving mother in her arms.

"Has there not, then, a more recent portrait of Madame de Villefort?" she asked, half to Valentine and half to the maid.Sure enough, this question was also answered by the maid: "The master has been very busy before, and the lady wants to draw a portrait of the whole family when he is free. But a year ago, the lady was not in good health, so the portrait was postponed later. .later……"

Later, her health probably got worse, and she was very tired after sitting in one position for a long time, so she postponed it infinitely.Corona nodded. "I drew this picture because Madame de Saint-Meran—that is, your grandmother asked me to draw it. If she didn't ask me, I couldn't draw one for you myself."

Valentine obediently did not continue to ask, but just hung her head in disappointment.Corona couldn't bear to see it, so she took out her sketchbook and charcoal pencils during the break, and went to visit Madame de Villefort with Valentine.

Madame de Villefort was already very ill, and was seldom awake and more asleep. Valentine did not speak to her, but sat on the edge of her mother's bed and cuddled her.Corona sat on the other side, carefully observed Madame de Villefort's features, and drew a small sketch of her on paper.She made her cheeks slightly fuller and her expression more vivid, making it look like she was before the disease.When the two returned to the studio, she tore off the paper and gave it to Valentine.

The oil painting is almost finished.Corona comforted Valentine, and didn't think about it any more, but just concentrated on adding the last details to the painting.But not long after the lunch break, Mrs. Saint-Meran hurried into the studio.

"Ma'am." Corona put down her pen and nodded to her, "Miss Valentine's portrait is almost finished, about an hour—"

The Marquise of Saint-Méran carefully looked at the painting that was nearly completed for a long time, and nodded approvingly. "When it's finished, take it to Renee to take a look at." She instructed the maid on the side.

"The smell of oil painting is relatively strong, so don't keep it in Madam's bedroom." Corona quickly added.

Madame Saint-Méran nodded slightly, then turned to Corona again. "Did you draw this?" She asked, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Corona.It was the little portrait she had made of Valentine.Valentine moved anxiously on the small chair, looking back and forth between her grandmother and Corona worriedly.

"I drew it, ma'am."

Mrs. Saint-Meran looked at her for a while in silence, as if she was thinking about something. "Valentine said she wanted you to paint a picture of her mother," she said at last.

Corona froze for a moment. "It is a great honor for Miss Valentine and you to appreciate my work." She smiled and said tactfully, "But in order to paint this picture of Miss Valentine, I have turned down many other things. Madame can't get up now. It will take a long time to be my model and draw her portrait. I am afraid that I am only a mortal after all, and my energy is limited—”

"As long as you paint well, time and price are not a problem." Mrs. Saint-Méran said.

"I'm not asking you about the price. But please forgive me, madam. I have a sister and a niece, and I have my own family to take care of. I'm afraid I can't keep painting for you like this."

"Would you like to paint?" asked Valentine in a low voice.

Corona was used to dressing herself up in social speech in the halls of nobles, but the five-year-old little Valentine hadn't learned these euphemistic etiquettes, so she spoke very straightforwardly. "—I didn't mean that." Corona paused, and replied a little embarrassed.

"I want you to draw it. You are the most like my mother—most like her looking at me with special tenderness," begged Valentine, tearfully.

Corona quickly glanced at Mrs. Saint-Méran from the corner of her eyes. She frowned tightly, her face full of disapproval.Corona could imagine that this marquise was used to being aloof, and she was only used to ordering and asking others, and she probably rarely had the experience of being declined politely.But even the most stern of men can soften their hearts when it comes to the dying only daughter, the daughter's only child.She looked at Valentine, but said nothing, and said nothing to stop her.

In this way, she was fully intending to indulge this wish of her granddaughter, which means that this portrait of Madame de Villefort is actually the decision of little Valentine. "It's not that I don't want to paint for Madame de Villefort." So Coronne bent down and comforted her softly, "It's just that I have something at home and I can't put it off forever. If I want to paint for Madame, maybe the painting will Finished slowly. Is that okay too?"

Valentine nodded with great certainty.

The author has something to say: Sorry for being a day late... because I was on the train last night, I really couldn't update it.

Yes, the author is currently on a long-term business trip.

This article must be poisonous! ! ! !Must have! ! ! !Is it because I filled Corona's schedule so much that the world let me experience the feeling of this schedule for myself! ! ! !Next time I must save the full text and start the article, otherwise I will be a puppy! ! ! !

The business trip will last for more than a month, and for various reasons, the network conditions of the temporary residence are not very good.During this period of time, I will take the method of setting up a multi-chapter manuscript box at one time. If the chapters in the middle manuscript box are broken and not connected, you may face occasional interruptions. Don’t panic, just read it the next day ( .