Tē 27 Chiong Che sī ko-kùi ê ài-chêng pi-kio̍k
"Khòaⁿ liáu ah sioh?" góa tha̍k liáu
chiah-ê chhiú-kó ê sî, Armand mn̄g góa.
"Góa tha̍k tio̍h ê nā sī chin, goa ê pêng-iú,
góa í-keng liáu-kái lí ná ē hiah kan-khó͘."
"Goán lāu-pē siá ê phe ū khak-jīn che."
Goán koh tâm-lūn chi̍t khùn chit ê tú soah ê
pi-chhám miā-ūn, jiân-āu góa tńg chhù hioh-khùn.
Armand iáu sī siong-sim, m̄-koh kóng-liáu i ê
kò͘-sū, sim-chêng ū khah khin-sang, chin kín tō hoe-ho̍k kiān-khong, goán tō
tâng-chê khì pài-hóng Prudence kap Julie Duprat.
Prudence í-keng phò-sán. I kóng he lóng sī
Marguerite hāi ê; kóng Marguerite phòa-pēⁿ ê sî, iū chioh hō͘ i chin chē chîⁿ, sī
iōng khui chi-phiò ê hong-sek, hāi i āu-lâi bô chîⁿ thang hù, Marguerite bōe
hêng-chîⁿ tō sí ah, koh bô siá chioh-kì hō͘ i, án-ne i mā bô hoat-tō͘
chèng-bêng i sī chè-khoân lâng.
Chit ê pian chhut-lâi ê kò͘-sū, Duvernoy Hj sì-kè
soan-thoân, iōng lâi chò-ûi i keng-chè khùn-lân ê lí-iû. I koh khui-chhùi kā
Armand thó chi̍t tiuⁿ 1000 franc ê phiò-á, Armand sui-jiân bô siong-sìn, m̄-koh
i ke-sian siong-sìn, in-ūi i chun-kèng só͘-ū pôe-phōaⁿ kòe Marguerite seng-oa̍h
ê lâng.
Koh-lâi, goán khì pài-hóng Julie Duprat, i kā i
khòaⁿ tio̍h ê siong-sim tāi-chì kóng hō͘ goán thiaⁿ, siūⁿ khí pêng-iú ê sî, i
lâu lo̍h chin-sêng ê ba̍k-sái.
Lo̍h-bóe, goán lâi kàu Marguerite ê bōng-hn̂g, hit
sî, sì goe̍h ê ji̍t-thâu kng í-keng khai-sí khiú chhut chhiū-hio̍h ê iù-gê.
Armand iáu ū chi̍t-hāng kai pān ê tāi-chì -- tńg in
lāu-pē hia. I chio góa tâng-chê khì.
Goán lâi kàu C siâⁿ, tī hia góa khòaⁿ tio̍h Duval Ss,
i kap in kiáⁿ kóng-khí ê bô͘-iūⁿ kāng-khoán: seⁿ-chò koân-tōa, ui-giâm, koh
jîn-chû.
I hoan-gêng Armand tńg-lâi, hoaⁿ-hí kah lâu
ba̍k-sái, koh chhin-chhiat phok góa ê chhiú. Góa chin kín tō khòaⁿ ē chhut, tī
i ê sim tiong, hū-ài pí siáⁿ lóng khah iàu-kín.
In cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ kiò Blanche, ba̍k-chiu bêng-liāng,
chhùi-tûn an-siông, chāi-chāi piáu-bêng i ê su-sióng sûn-kiat, giân-gí
khiân-sêng. I móa-bīn chhiò-iông hoan-gêng in hiaⁿ-ko tńg-lâi, m̄-koh chit ê
sûn-kiat bí-lē ê siàu-lú pēng m̄-chai-iáⁿ, ūi-tio̍h ûi-hō͘ i ê mn̂g-hong, hn̄g-hn̄g
ū chi̍t ê thàn-chia̍h cha-bó͘ lâi hi-seng ka-tī ê hēng-hok.
Góa tī chit ê khoài-lo̍k ka-têng tòa kúi-nā kang, ūi
in chhōa lâi sim-koaⁿ ho̍k-goân ê Armand, góa chiap-siū tio̍h in jia̍t-chêng ê khoán-thāi.
Góa tńg-kàu Paris, tī chia chiàu góa só͘ thiaⁿ
tio̍h ê siá chit ê kò͘-sū. I ū chi̍t tiám kong-lô, khó-lêng ū-lâng
m̄-siong-sìn, m̄-koh che lóng sī chin ê.
Góa m̄-sī boeh ùi chit ê kò͘-sū tit-tio̍h kiat-lūn,
kóng, só͘-ū chhiūⁿ Marguerite ê cha-bó͘ lóng ē chhiūⁿ i án-ne -- chha chin
hn̄g; m̄-koh góa ū hoat-hiān, in kî-tiong ū chi̍t ê, tī i it-seng tiong bat ū
chin-sim ê ài-chêng, i ūi tio̍h hit ê ài-chêng siū-khó͘, it-ti̍t kàu i sí-khì.
Góa kā góa só͘ chai ê kóng hō͘ tha̍k-chiá thiaⁿ. Che sī góa ê chek-jīm.
Góa m̄-sī teh soan-thoân kan-îm, m̄-koh, m̄-koán tī
tó-ūi thiaⁿ-tio̍h chit-chióng ko-kùi khó͘-chhó ê kî-tó, góa ē chin hoaⁿ-hí thè
i thoân-siaⁿ.
Góa koh kóng chi̍t piàn, Marguerite ê kò͘-sū sī lē-gōa;
i nā m̄-sī lē-gōa, iā tō bô ta̍t-tit kā siá lo̍h-lâi lah.
(Soah)
--
第 27 章 這是高貴 ê 愛情悲劇
"看了 ah sioh?" 我讀了 chiah-ê 手稿 ê 時, Armand 問我.
"我讀著 ê nā 是真, 我 ê 朋友, 我已經了解你那會 hiah 艱苦."
"阮老爸寫 ê 批有確認這."
阮 koh 談論一睏這个拄煞 ê 悲慘命運, 然後我轉厝歇睏.
Armand 猶是傷心, 毋過講了伊 ê 故事, 心情有較輕鬆, 真緊 tō 恢復健康, 阮 tō 同齊去拜訪 Prudence kap Julie Duprat.
Prudence 已經破產. 伊講彼攏是 Marguerite 害 ê; 講 Marguerite 破病 ê 時, 又借予伊真濟錢, 是用開支票 ê 方式, 害伊後來無錢通付, Marguerite 未還錢 tō 死 ah, koh 無寫借據予伊, án-ne 伊 mā 無法度證明伊是債權人.
這个編出來 ê 故事, Duvernoy
Hj 四界宣傳, 用來做為伊經濟困難 ê 理由. 伊 koh 開喙 kā Armand 討一張 1000 franc ê 票仔, Armand 雖然無相信, 毋過伊假仙相信, 因為伊尊敬所有陪伴過 Marguerite 生活 ê 人.
閣來, 阮去拜訪 Julie Duprat, 伊 kā 伊看著 ê 傷心代誌講予阮聽, 想起朋友 ê 時, 伊流落真誠 ê 目屎.
落尾, 阮來到 Marguerite
ê 墓園, 彼時, 四月 ê 日頭光已經開始搝出樹葉 ê 幼芽.
Armand 猶有一項該辦 ê 代誌 -- 轉 in 老爸遐. 伊招我同齊去.
阮來到 C 城, tī 遐我看著 Duval Ss, 伊 kap in 囝講起 ê 模樣仝款: 生做懸大, 威嚴, koh 仁慈.
伊歡迎 Armand 轉來, 歡喜甲流目屎, koh 親切撲我 ê 手. 我真緊 tō 看會出, tī 伊 ê 心中, 父愛比啥攏較要緊.
In 查某囝叫 Blanche, 目睭明亮, 喙脣安祥, 在在表明伊 ê 思想純潔, 言語虔誠. 伊滿面笑容歡迎 in 兄哥轉來, 毋過這个純潔美麗 ê 少女並毋知影, 為著維護伊 ê 門風, 遠遠有一个趁食查某來犧牲家己 ê 幸福.
我 tī 這个快樂家庭蹛幾若工, 為 in chhōa 來心肝復原 ê Armand, 我接受著 in 熱情 ê 款待.
我轉到 Paris, tī 遮照我所聽著 ê 寫這个故事. 伊有一點功勞, 可能有人毋相信, 毋過這攏是真 ê.
我毋是欲 ùi 這个故事得著結論, 講, 所有像 Marguerite ê 查某攏會像伊 án-ne -- 差真遠; 毋過我有發現, in 其中有一个, tī 伊一生中 bat 有真心 ê 愛情, 伊為著彼个愛情受苦, 一直到伊死去. 我 kā 我所知 ê 講予讀者聽. 這是我 ê 責任.
我毋是 teh 宣傳姦淫, 毋過, 毋管 tī 佗位聽著這種高貴苦楚 ê 祈禱, 我會真歡喜替伊傳聲.
我 koh 講一遍, Marguerite ê 故事是例外; 伊 nā 毋是例外, 也 tō 無值得 kā 寫落來 lah.
(煞)
--
Chapter 27
"You have read it?" said Armand, when I had finished the manuscript.
"I understand what you must have suffered, my friend, if all that I read is true."
"My father confirmed it in a letter."
We talked for some time over the sad destiny which had been accomplished, and I went home to rest a little.
Armand, still sad, but a little relieved by the narration of his story, soon recovered, and we went together to pay a visit to Prudence and to Julie Duprat.
Prudence had become bankrupt. She told us that Marguerite was the cause of it; that during her illness she had lent her a lot of money in the form of promissory notes, which she could not pay, Marguerite having died without having returned her the money, and without having given her a receipt with which she could present herself as a creditor.
By the help of this fable, which Mme. Duvernoy repeated everywhere in order to account for her money difficulties, she extracted a note for a thousand francs from Armand, who did not believe it, but who pretended to, out of respect for all those in whose company Marguerite had lived.
Then we called on Julie Duprat, who told us the sad incident which she had witnessed, shedding real tears at the remembrance of her friend.
Lastly, we went to Marguerite's grave, on which the first rays of the April sun were bringing the first leaves into bud.
One duty remained to Armand--to return to his father. He wished me to accompany him.
We arrived at C., where I saw M. Duval, such as I had imagined him from the portrait his son had made of him, tall, dignified, kindly.
He welcomed Armand with tears of joy, and clasped my hand affectionately. I was not long in seeing that the paternal sentiment was that which dominated all others in his mind.
His daughter, named Blanche, had that transparence of eyes, that serenity of the mouth, which indicates a soul that conceives only holy thoughts and lips that repeat only pious words. She welcomed her brother's return with smiles, not knowing, in the purity of her youth, that far away a courtesan had sacrificed her own happiness at the mere invocation of her name.
I remained for some time in their happy family, full of indulgent care for one who brought them the convalescence of his heart.
I returned to Paris, where I wrote this story just as it had been told me. It has only one merit, which will perhaps be denied it; that is, that it is true.
I do not draw from this story the conclusion that all women like Marguerite are capable of doing all that she did--far from it; but I have discovered that one of them experienced a serious love in the course of her life, that she suffered for it, and that she died of it. I have told the reader all that I learned. It was my duty.
I am not the apostle of vice, but I would gladly be the echo of noble sorrow wherever I hear its voice in prayer.
The story of Marguerite is an exception, I repeat; had it not been an exception, it would not have been worth the trouble of writing it.
End
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