Rimbaud's girl

There is an unmarried young man of the right age in the family, but Vitaly hardly notices Lucien.

Most of her energy is focused on "making money".But how to make money?Her exclusive art dealer stayed in Arles, and she had to find another one.Vincent's younger brother Theo was still an apprentice in The Hague and could not take orders independently, so she had to write to Arles to ask if Vincent knew any art dealers. She wanted someone who could establish a long-term cooperative relationship and help her Art dealers who sell high prices.

While waiting for Avincent to write back, she visited the showrooms of Goupil and other art companies.

Impressionism has just started to rise, and it is far from being popular. The main reason is that people are used to the delicate and realistic painting style of Romanticism and other previous schools. Impressionist painting style is considered "ugly" to most buyers, especially It is a figure painting.The market for simple landscapes and flowers is opening up. Impressionists use more bold colors and stronger color ratios, but there are too many good painters of landscapes and flowers, and not many buyers can understand more professional elements such as brushstrokes , their request is very simple and rude, that is, "can you understand it", but most of the Impressionist characters are not very "good-looking".Even the more popular Pissarro and Monet, their figure paintings are not "fine" enough.

Vitaly was actually the buyer who bought the most impressionist paintings in Paris, which puzzled her for a long time.

It wasn't until now that she began to want to sell paintings that she learned about the real market conditions.

Vincent replied quickly, saying that if she wanted to sell paintings, she still had to go to Goupil's company. He introduced Goupil's colleagues to her and said that at the beginning, don't worry, as long as one painting can be sold in a week, it will be considered good. that's it.If she can sell a painting for 100 francs (deducting Goupil's commission), and can sell 50 paintings a year, as long as she can paint it, it will be 5000 francs, which is definitely a very good income.Besides, after gaining fame in the future, the price will definitely not be 100 francs.

Of course, she also knew that there were so many painters represented by Goupil's company, and if she could sell one painting a week, she would be considered a very popular painter.

The amount of walking is too tiring for her to stand and paint all day. The top priority is to become famous as soon as possible and try to increase the unit price as much as possible, so that she can live a good life by selling only a few paintings a year.

She went to Paris to meet Degas and asked him how to become famous as soon as possible.

"Hold an art exhibition." Degas gave a simple and rude method.

"But what if no one goes to see the art exhibition?"

"You have to invite some guests, some painters, some newspaper reporters, some celebrities, famous actors from the opera house, nobles—oh no, government officials, officials from the cultural department. Then—prepare 100 bottles Wine." Foran immediately advised her.

Vitaly thought about those exhibition opening days or cultural promotion projects that later generations have seen.Probably the routines are those. In the early stage, I need to do publicity in the newspaper, find a few women to write some soft articles, and promote it. She is familiar with this set, and has a few good journalist friends who have money to talk to; then it should be a painter. The senior commented and cheered?This should not be difficult, she knew Degas, and Degas knew other painters, not just those of the Impressionists;

In addition to drinking and bragging, art exhibitions are usually an important occasion for "building momentum". The price must be marked under each painting, and it should not be too low. For sale" and "sold", "sold"? If someone really bought a painting, they should also arrange several "painting supports", choose a few suitable time points, and put the "sold" wooden sign, Create a "hot" and "sought after" atmosphere, and let "Hua Tuo" brag appropriately when chatting with people, hey!If you don't spend money to buy one or two, then you are ashamed to say that you are a tasteful person!

After the exhibition, there was another wave in the newspapers, creating the title of "Girl Talented Painter", hey!Just wait for people to come to buy paintings in the future!

She has already thought about it from the beginning to the end.

Degas then told her about the routine of the exhibition, which was basically the same as what she thought.Art exhibitions are all about money, and only a few paintings are sold on-site, which is far from paying back the cost. Most of the time it is "painting entrustment".For example, in the first exhibition of Impressionists last year, apart from buying two landscape paintings by Monet, Vitaly didn't fancy other paintings, so he just acted as a "painting support" by the way.

In addition to money, to hold a solo exhibition, she also needs to have enough works, at least 50 paintings, otherwise, if the gallery is not full, then all the space cannot be used reasonably, and the benefits cannot be maximized.She had to go back and count the available works, name those paintings, make a list, and make a plan.

Then start getting money—in order to get more money, you have to get money to hold art exhibitions first, which is a ridiculous paradox!There was also going to the right gallery, asking about rents, and to save money, I had to do everything myself for the exhibition, which couldn't be done in just one month.

She finally decided to leave for London in the second week of October and return to Rouen after New Years.During her stay in London, she lived in Oran's mansion. Gabriel will have a holiday on the second weekend of December, and Arthur will return to London with him, and then she will live with him in Gabriel's London apartment.

So the art exhibition can only be discussed after she returns to Rouen, and it will not be held until next spring at the earliest.

After returning from London, Vitaly took an inventory of her works and picked out those that were of a high enough level to be sold. Most of them were pastels painted in Marseilles and Arles. Some are painted as oil paintings.She is short on time and needs to draw more as soon as possible.

Feedback from various sources is that flowers, still lifes, and landscapes are the best sellers, and most of the portraits are custom-made. She is not famous enough for anyone to be willing to customize, but she has to work hard, so she gave Flaubert, Ka Rowling, Romy and the servants at home have drawn a lot of sketches, selected some, and prepared to paint them into oil paintings;

Flowers and landscapes should be consciously composed into a group picture, both color pastel painting and oil painting are acceptable, 4 or 6 groups are drawn on a small square sheet of 3 to 4 sheets, and two groups are drawn on 3 to 5 rectangular narrow strips; squares can be Buy half a dozen and go back to form a combined form similar to tile paintings, which can also be placed on the multi-drawer cabinet; the same is true for narrow strips, which can be hung side by side or individually; The bedroom layout sketches are all drawn, which is convenient for buyers to have a more intuitive impression; or directly hang in the gallery for display;

The art exhibition needs to be prepared, and the writing cannot be let go. "Floating Dream" has been serialized since May, once a week. After 5 weeks of serialization, it will be published three times a week at the end of June. Before she went to Marseille, she submitted two Monthly manuscripts to the "Shangri-La" daily.The newspaper checkout is very fast. Basically, it is published last week, and the manuscript fee will be sent out next weekend or next Monday. Sometimes it is a check, and sometimes it is simply cash. It is very happy to receive money, and a small amount of money is accumulated. , that is wealth!

She was worried that she would not have time to write when she went to London, so she rushed to write the manuscript before leaving Rouen. The manuscript had to be handed in 10 weeks in advance. Write a third book.

Flaubert felt that she was writing too fast and perhaps not very precise, but it turned out that she wrote fast and well, and still had time to urge him to finish the script promised to Mr. Alfonso.Mr. Alfonso came over once in July. After reading the outline and the beginning of the script, he very readily issued an advance payment of 7 francs and a promissory note of 8000 francs. After the script is delivered, the bank will cash the 1 francs; after the script is officially performed in the theater, he can still receive a weekly check for the manuscript fee, which is the box office dividend, that is to say, the higher the attendance rate, the dividend Flaubert can get more and more.

This is long-term income. If the play is popular, it can be performed in theaters for several years; if it can be performed in London, it will be two box office dividends, double income, and double happiness!

As a middle-aged man with no savings, Flaubert was under great financial pressure.

The plan to rent out the manor was blocked, there was no rich man in Rouen who needed to rent a country manor, and the rich man had his own country house or manor.The reason for the need to save is that the income from land rent is not fixed. When the year is not good, even half of the usual land rent cannot be collected. Flaubert is not the kind of mean landlord who is greedy for money. If you ask for mercy, he will waive the other party's land rent.

In short, his financial situation is not optimistic.

Vitaly secretly discussed with Caroline, saying that no matter whether the year is good or not, Flaubert can’t let the tenant’s land rent be exempted so easily. The tenant can pay in installments or postpone it until next year’s harvest. pay.Caroline felt that this was also a good way, which not only showed the landlord's kindness, but also avoided the reduction of the landlord's family's income.

Caroline has been preparing her luggage for London these days.

No matter what she said, she lived a good life. When her family was in a good situation, all the people who came and went were rich and noble, and she understood the psychology of those noble ladies very well.In Marseilles, Vitaly made dozens of skirts of very good material and fashionable styles. She selected two dozen skirts, and matching underwear, petticoats, drawers, and checked her corset. , I thought it was too little, so I took her to Rouen and ordered a dozen; I ordered a dozen leather shoes after Gabriel returned to Paris from Marseilles, and bought more than a dozen pairs of shoes and boots for various occasions, including I also bought half a dozen indoor slippers.

With so much luggage, the suitcases have to be custom-made, so I ordered a set of suitcases from Louis Vuitton in Paris. There are two small suitcases for Mrs. Reval and Gisela. Carry one each.Vitaly was a lady and had nothing to carry but a fan or a purse.

It cost almost 600 francs to make the suitcase, which made Vitaly feel distressed.

Jewelry is indispensable, but she doesn't have any valuable jewelry, the ones Flaubert gave her last time, the most valuable is the engagement ring.Caroline chose some suitable jewelry for her, some pairs of earrings, a pearl necklace, a ribbon necklace with gemstones.Flaubert wanted to help her borrow some jewelry from Mrs. Beverly, but Vitaly thought it was too troublesome. The Oran family knew that her family had no money, so there was no need to borrow jewelry to support the scene.

r/>Thinking about it, Flaubert had no choice but to forget it.

It's finally Friday, the second week of October, and Vitaly is leaving for London.

It was impossible not to be apprehensive, she had never met the Orans, and feared that they would find fault with her birth, manners, upbringing--which was almost inevitable; she was alone with her fiancé's parents, who was not there yet It's scary just thinking about her.

Gabriel wrote a letter to comfort her before she left, which made her worry even more.

well!Men just can't understand women's worries!

Flaubert has been in good health for a while, so he personally took her to the Rouen train station. Seeing her petite figure get on the train and into the box, he almost cried.

"I really shouldn't be so sad," Flaubert said sadly to Caroline on the carriage back to the manor, "When I think of a child like her going to London alone, I'm so worried."

"Uncle, don't worry, Vitaly is smart and can handle it."

"She has never seen what those mean and cruel nobles look like, they eat people without spit out bones, Vitaly... Even if I gave her my last name, it is not enough, she can't deal with them. He should marry someone like Fran, it's much better, and I don't have to worry about her."

"Don't make the Oran couple too scary. Gabriel is a good boy, and his parents must be fine too."

"Oh! Sometimes I want to persuade her to choose another person, but that is her choice, and I can't ask her. I'm just her adoptive father. Even her biological father can't influence her choice. Yes, add Bailie is a good child, but marriage is not a matter between two people, she will live in his house in the future, then—"

"Did you think of me that way?"

"Of course. I am worried that if you go to someone else's house, you will be picked on and embarrassed. You are my beloved child. I am willing to give you the best in the world, as long as you can be happy." But thinking about it, she is now How can you say "happy"?He sighed, "Why don't you take the children to Paris? I can give you the rent, and I can afford it."

"No, uncle. You shouldn't pay me any more."

"Silly boy. You can't leave Henry all the time, man—you've got to watch your husband and don't let him spend money on other women."

Caroline looked down.It's true that it's not good for couples to be apart all the time, men are unstable creatures and you don't know what they're capable of.

"I haven't discussed this matter with Vitaly yet. When she comes back, I will discuss it with her. You... Your health is getting worse every year. I want to take care of you for a few more years."

"She won't live at home for a few years, and they will get married after Gabriel graduates. Don't always think that I will lie down tomorrow, I can live for many years." Flaubert pretended to be relaxed.

Caroline decided it was better not to expose him.After all, it is a cruel thing to remind an elderly person that death is getting closer.

Rouen to Calais train.

In the box, Vitaly sat with Gisela, opposite Madame Reval and Lucien.Flaubert was worried that she would stay overnight in Calais without a man, so he asked Lucien to take her to Calais and take her on board the next morning.At Dover, she will be picked up by the housekeeper of the Oran family, and she will take the train to London that day.

It's useless to worry about it now, anyway, put your attitude at ease, the Oran couple can do whatever they say, as long as they don't scold her and her family, everything else can be tolerated.Thinking about it, the Oran and his wife wouldn't scold her if they had nothing to do, let alone beat her. Others... it seems that there is nothing wrong with it?

She took out a copy of Zola when she got in the car.Lucien was very quiet, didn't talk to her very much, and didn't have anything to communicate with her. When he arrived in Calais, he still stayed in the hotel where he stayed last time. After completing the check-in procedures, Lucien hired a porter to move his luggage to Guises Pull the room.

Lucien was born in an ordinary businessman's family, so he couldn't help but feel that Vitaly was too good at showing off!He was not a gossip, but Vitaly was already well-known and had a double surname, so he knew that Vitaly was not a child of the Flaubert family, and presumably her family background was not too high.He heard from the servants that the lady was engaged to a young master of a noble family, and he thought that Vitaly was just a beautiful girl who loved vanity, nothing special.

Dover Docks the next morning.

The Oran family sent a housekeeper to fetch Vitaly.The housekeeper's attitude was very respectful, but she had a middle-aged woman's "everything under control" air, and she directed Mrs. Reval and Gisela around, and they were both in a daze.

For the first time, Vitaly experienced the concept of "aristocratic travel".

Out of the pier, get on the carriage, go directly to the train station, have lunch in the restaurant next to the train station, then board the train, first class box, arrive in London a few hours later, get off the train, get out of the train station, then get on the carriage again, carriage After walking for more than an hour, I got off the carriage and arrived at the mansion of Oran's family.The whole process was well arranged.

Vitaly was already dizzy and didn't know where to go.

Several maids greeted her at the foot of the steps, and the housekeeper hurriedly asked the maids if the room had been tidied up, and asked Miss Rimbaud to wash and change her dress first, before seeing the master and wife at dinner time.

Vitaly thought, this is not bad, she won't see her future in-laws in a dusty face as soon as she arrives, and if the dinner time is late, she can even take a nap or rest for a while.

"What time is dinner?" she asked.

"Dinner at eight o'clock on time, lunch at two o'clock in the afternoon, and breakfast at seven o'clock in the morning. Miss, please remember the three meal times, you should not let the master and wife wait for you."

"I remember." She nodded slightly.

The housekeeper glanced at her, called the maid, and took her upstairs to the guest room.

The maid introduced herself, "Hi, miss, I'm Leila, and I was your personal maid when you lived here. Is this your own maid? Does she speak English?"

"Her name is Gisela, and she doesn't speak English very well. I'll ask you to do anything. If you're too busy, you can ask Gisela to help you. This is Mrs. Reval, and she is responsible for going out with me." .”

"I see." Layla nodded.

"Are you going to wake me up in the morning and tell me some rules at home, or should the housekeeper tell me?"

"No, I will tell you, especially some things about the master and wife. You can't ask the master or the wife yourself? The master has a good temper, so don't worry, the young master is the only child of the master, and the master is very I dote on the young master, so I will also dote on you."

"Do you like the young master? I mean, is he a good boy?"

Leila laughed, "Miss, look at what you said! The young master is very good and has a good temper. We—I mean, all the servants—like the young master."

"Is your wife in a good mood?"

"The wife is also very nice, but sometimes she only speaks in French. Her personal maid is a French girl, and she doesn't speak English very well. Well, this is your room, please come in."

"Where is the master's room?"

"Master's room is upstairs," Lei stretched her finger to the top of her head, "it's just above your room. The servant will bring your suitcase up, and the boiler room has already boiled hot water, and you can go back later Go take a shower. The bathroom is here, Gisela, follow me."

Leila is a capable and talkative girl, probably only around 20 years old. After talking all the way, Vitaly has already had a preliminary impression of the Oran family.Not bad, at least Mrs. Orland didn't try to frighten or embarrass her when she first arrived.She doesn't have much experience with older women. Flaubert has no wife, and Caroline is not yet 30, let alone Mrs. Oran is her future mother-in-law. My wife doesn't get along well, and my own life is difficult.

After taking a shower and washing her hair, she returned to her room. Gisela dried her hair and recombed her hair. She simply braided two braids, tied her hair at the back of her head, and braided her hair into two braids. The cornflower blue yarn headband is elegant and pretty.Vitaly is very satisfied with this hairstyle, which is simple and not too casual.

First impressions are very important. She has seen too many cases where the first visit to her boyfriend's house failed for various reasons. Sometimes the boyfriend is too careless, sometimes the girl doesn't take it seriously, and sometimes Because the man's family is Tai Chi.

She was a little nervous in her heart, but she was very calm on the surface. She has come all the time, and she can't run away now.

Gisela didn't say anything, just asked her what color yarn she wanted for her headband and what dress she wanted to wear.She picked out a few dresses to display next to the bed, and Vitaly chose a new one in cornflower blue.

She put on her dress and put on a new pair of cornflower-blue lambskin shoes, with ruffles around the collar and a ribbon flower on the upper.These are newly made shoes in Paris. Because she is too short, all the custom-made shoes are mid-heeled and the heels are not high, so she might not be able to wear them.

She rarely wears shoes with heels, flats are so comfortable to walk on.The height cannot be saved, and it can only be made up by technical means.