a little tour in france-第14章

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waiter　of　course　felt　justified　in　sitting　down　at　the　same　table　with　a　gentleman　who　had　come　in　and　asked　him　for　writing　materials。　　He　served　this　gentleman　with　a　horrible　little　portfolio；　covered　with　shiny　black　cloth　and　accompanied　with　two　sheets　of　thin　paper；　three　wafers；　and　one　of　those　instruments　of　torture　which　pass　in　France　for　pens；　…　these　being　the　utensils　invariably　evoked　by　such　a　request；　and　then；　finding　himself　at　leisure；　he　placed　himself　opposite　and　began　to　write　a　letter　of　his　own。　　This　trifling　incident　reminded　me　afresh　that　France　is　a　democratic　country。　　I　think　I　re…　ceived　an　admonition　to　the　same　effect　from　the　free；　familiar　way　in　which　the　game　of　whist　was　going　on　just　behind　me。　　It　was　attended　with　a　great　deal　of　noisy　pleasantry；　flavored　every　now　and　then　with　a　dash　of　irritation。　　There　was　a　young　man　of　whom　I　made　a　note；　he　was　such　a　beautiful　specimen　of　his　class。　　Sometimes　he　was　very　facetious；　chatter…　ing；　joking；　punning；　showing　off；　then；　as　the　game　went　on　and　he　lost；　and　had　to　pay　the　_consomma…　tion_；　he　dropped　his　amiability；　slanged　his　partner；　declared　he　wouldn't　play　any　more；　and　went　away　in　a　fury。　　Nothing　could　be　more　perfect　or　more　amusing　than　the　contrast。　　The　manner　of　the　whole　affair　was　such　as；　I　apprehend；　one　would　not　have　seen　among　our　English…speaking　people；　both　the　jauntiness　of　the　first　phase　and　the　petulance　of　the　second。　　To　hold　the　balance　straight；　however；　I　may　remark　that　if　the　men　were　all　fearful　〃cads；〃　they　were；　with　their　cigarettes　and　their　inconsistency；　less　heavy；　less　brutal；　than　our　dear　English…speaking　cad；　just　as　the　bright　little　cafe　where　a　robust　mater…　familias；　doling　out　sugar　and　darning　a　stocking；　sat　in　her　place　under　the　mirror　behind　the　_comptoir_；　was　a　much　more　civilized　spot　than　a　British　public…　house；　or　a　〃commercial　room；〃　with　pipes　and　whiskey；　or　even　than　an　American　saloon。



XIII。

It　is　very　certain　that　when　I　left　Tours　for　Le　Mans　it　was　a　journey　and　not　an　excursion；　for　I　had　no　intention　of　coming　back。　　The　question；　in…　deed；　was　to　get　away；　…　no　easy　matter　in　France；　in　the　early　days　of　October；　when　the　whole　_jeunesse_　of　the　country　is　going　back　to　school。　　It　is　accom…　panied；　apparently；　with　parents　and　grandparents；　and　it　fills　the　trains　with　little　pale…faced　_lyceens_；　who　gaze　out　of　the　windows　with　a　longing；　lingering　air；　not　unnatural　on　the　part　of　small　members　of　a　race　in　which　life　is　intense；　who　are　about　to　be　restored　to　those　big　educative　barracks　that　do　such　violence　to　our　American　appreciation　of　the　oppor…　tunities　of　boyhood。　　The　train　stopped　every　five　minutes；　but；　fortunately；　the　country　was　charming；　…　hilly　and　bosky；　eminently　good…humored；　and　dotted　here　and　there　with　a　smart　little　chateau。　　The　old　capital　of　the　province　of　the　Maine；　which　has　given　its　name　to　a　great　American　State；　is　a　fairly　interest…　ing　town；　but　I　confess　that　I　found　in　it　less　than　I　expected　to　admire。　　My　expectations　had　doubtless　been　my　own　fault；　there　is　no　particular　reason　why　Le　Mans　should　fascinate。　　It　stands　upon　a　hill；　indeed；　…　a　much　better　hill　than　the　gentle　swell　of　Bourges。　　This　hill；　however；　is　not　steep　in　all　direc…　tions；　from　the　railway；　as　I　arrived；　it　was　not　even　perceptible。　　Since　I　am　making　comparisons；　I　may　remark　that；　on　the　other　hand；　the　Boule　d'Or　at　Le　Mans　is　an　appreciably　better　inn　than　the　Boule　d'Or　at　Bourges。　　It　looks　out　upon　a　small　market…place　which　has　a　certain　amount　of　character　and　seems　to　be　slipping　down　the　slope　on　which　it　lies；　though　it　has　in　the　middle　an　ugly　_halle_；　or　circular　market…　house；　to　keep　it　in　position。　　At　Le　Mans；　as　at　Bourges；　my　first　business　was　with　the　cathedral；　to　which；　I　lost　no　time　in　directing　my　steps。　　It　suf…　fered　by　juxta…position　to　the　great　church　I　had　seen　a　few　days　before；　yet　it　has　some　noble　features。　　It　stands　on　the　edge　of　the　eminence　of　the　town；　which　falls　straight　away　on　two　sides　of　it；　and　makes　a　striking　mass；　bristling　behind；　as　you　see　it　from　below；　with　rather　small　but　singularly　numerous　flying　buttresses。　　On　my　way　to　it　I　happened　to　walk　through　the　one　street　which　contains　a　few　ancient　and　curious　houses；　…　a　very　crooked　and　untidy　lane；　of　really　mediaeval　aspect；　honored　with　the　denomina…　tion　of　the　Grand'　Rue。　　Here　is　the　house　of　Queen　Berengaria；　…　an　absurd　name；　as　the　building　is　of　a　date　some　three　hundred　years　later　than　the　wife　of　Richard　Coeur　de　Lion；　who　has　a　sepulchral　monu…　ment　in　the　south　aisle　of　the　cathedral。　　The　structure　in　question　…　very　sketchable；　if　the　sketcher　could　get　far　enough　away　from　it　…　is　an　elaborate　little　dusky　facade；　overhanging　the　street；　ornamented　with　panels　of　stone；　which　are　covered　with　delicate　Renaissance　sculpture。　　A　fat　old　woman；　standing　in　the　door　of　a　small　grocer's　shop　next　to　it；　…　a　most　gracious　old　woman；　with　a　bristling　moustache　and　a　charming　manner；　…　told　me　what　the　house　was；　and　also　in…　dicated　to　me　a　rotten…looking　brown　wooden　mansion；　in　the　same　street；　nearer　the　cathedral；　as　the　Maison　Scarron。　　The　author　of　the　〃Roman　Comique；〃　and　of　a　thousand　facetious　verses；　enjoyed　for　some　years；　in　the　early　part　of　his　life；　a　benefice　in　the　cathedral　of　Le　Mans；　which　gave　him　a　right　to　reside　in　one　of　the　canonical　houses。　　He　was　rather　an　odd　canon；　but　his　history　is　a　combination　of　oddities。　　He　wooed　the　comic　muse　from　the　arm…chair　of　a　cripple；　and　in　the　same　position　…　he　was　unable　even　to　go　down　on　his　knees　…　prosecuted　that　other　suit　which　made　him　the　first　husband　of　a　lady　of　whom　Louis　XIV。　was　to　be　the　second。　　There　was　little　of　comedy　in　the　future　Madame　de　Maintenon；　though；　after　all；　there　was　doubtless　as　much　as　there　need　have　been　in　the　wife　of　a　poor　man　who　was　moved　to　compose　for　his　tomb　such　an　epitaph　as　this；　which　I　quote　from　the　〃Biographie　Universelle〃：…

〃Celui　qui　cy　maintenant　dort；　 Fit　plus　de　pitie　que　d'envie；　 Et　souffrit　mille　fois　la　mort；　 Avant　que　de　perdre　la　vie。　 Passant；　ne　fais　icy　de　bruit；　 Et　garde　bien　qu'il　ne　s'eveille；　 Car　voicy　la　premiere　nuit；　 Que　le　Pauvre　Scarron　sommeille。〃



There　is　rather　a　quiet；　satisfactory　_place_　in　front　of　the　cathedral；　with　some　good　〃bits〃　in　it；　notably　a　turret　at　the　angle　of　one　of　the　towers；　and　a　very　fine；　steep…roofed　dwelling；　behind　low　walls；　which　it　overlooks；　with　a　tall　iron　gate。　　This　house　has　two　or　three　little　pointed　towers；　a　big；　black；　precipitous　roof；　and　a　general　air　of　having　had　a　history。　　There　are　houses　which　are　scenes；　and　there　are　houses　which　are　only　houses。　　The　trouble　with　the　domestic　architecture　of　the　United　States　is　that　it　is　not　scenic；　thank　Heaven！　and　the　good　fortune　of　an　old　structure　like　the　turreted　mansion　on　the　hillside　of　Le　Mans　is　that　it　is　not　simply　a　house。　　It　is　a　per…　son；　as　it　were；　as　well。　　It　would　be　well；　indeed；　if　it　might　have　communicated　a　little　of　its　personality　to　the　front　of　the　cathedral；　which　has　none　of　its　own。　　Shabby；　rusty；　unfinished；　this　front　has　a　romanesque　portal；　but　nothing　in　the　way　of　a　tower。　One　sees　from　without；　at　a　glance；　the　peculiarity　of　the　church；　…　the　disparity　between　the　romanesque　nave；　which　is　small　and　of　the　twelfth　century；　and　the　immense　and　splendid　transepts　and　choir；　of　a　period　a　hundred　years　later。　　Outside；　this　end　of　the　church　rises　far　above　the　nave；　which　looks　merely　like　a　long　porch　leading　to　it；　with　a　small　and　curious　romanesque　porch　in　its　own　south　flank。　　The　transepts；　shallow　but　very　lofty；　display　to　the　spectators　in　the　_place_　the　reach　of　their　two　clere…story　windows；　which　occupy；　above；　the　whole　expanse　of　the　wall。　　The　south　transept　terminates　in　a　sort　of　tower；　which　is　the　only　one　of　which　the　cathedral　can　boast。　　Within；　the　effect　of　the　choir　is　superb；　it　is　a　church　in　it…　self；　with　the　nave　simply　for　a　point　of　view。　　As　I　stood　there；　I　read　in　my　Murray　that　it　has　the　stamp　of　the　date　of　the　perfection　of　pointed　Gothic；　and　I　found　nothing　to　object　to　the　remark。　　It　suffers　little　by　confrontation　with　Bourges；　and；　taken　in　itself；　seems　to　me　quite　as　fine。　　A　passage　of　double　aisles　surrounds　it；　with　the　arches　that　divide　them　sup…　ported　on　very　thick　round　columns；　not　clustered。　There　are　twelve　chapels　in　this　passage；　and　a　charm…　ing　little　lady　chapel；　filled　with　gorgeous　old　glass。　The　sustained　height　of　this　almost　detached　choir　is　very　noble；　its　lightness　and　grace；　its　soaring　sym…　metry；　carry　the　eye　up　to　places　in　the　air　from　which　it　is　slow　to　descend。　　Like　Tours；　like　Chartres；　like　Bourges　（apparently　like　all　the　French　cathedrals；　and　unlike　several　English　ones）　Le　Mans　is　rich　in　splendid　glass。　　The　beautiful　upper　windows　of　the　choir　make；　far　aloft；　a　sort　of　gallery　of　pictures；　blooming　with　vivid　color。　　It　is　the　south　transept　that　contains　the　formless　image　…　a　clumsy　stone　woman　lying　on　her　back　…　which　purports　to　represent　Queen　Berengaria　aforesaid。

The　view　of　the　cathedral　from　the　rear　is；　as　usual；　very　fine。　　A　small　garden　behind　it　masks　its　base；　but　you　descend　the　hill　to　a　large　_place　de　foire_；　ad…　jacent　to　a　fine　old　pubic　promenade　which　is　known　as　Les　Jacobins；　a　sort　of　miniature　Tuileries；　where　I　strolled　for　a　while　in　rectangular　alleys；　destitute　of　herbage；　and　received　a　deeper　impression　of　vanished　things。　　The　cathedral；　on　the　pedestal　of　its　hill；　looks　considerably　farther　than　the　fair…ground　and　the　Jacobins；　between　the　rather　bare　poles　of　whose　straightly　planted　trees　you　may　admire　it　at　a　con…　venient　distance。　　I　admired　it　till　I　thought　I　should　remember　it　（better　than　the　event　has　proved）；　and　then　I　wandered　away　and　looked　at　another　curious　old　church；　Notre…Dame…de…la…Couture。　　This　sacred　edifice　made　a　picture　for　ten　minutes；　but　the　picture　has　faded　now。　　I　reconstruct　a　yellowish…brown　facade；　and　a　portal　fretted　with　early　sculptures；　but　the　details　have　gone　the　way　of　all　incomplete　sensations。　After　you　have　stood　awhile　in　the　choir　of　the　cathedral；　there　is　no　sensation　at　Le　Mans　that　goes　very　far。　　For　some　reason　not　now　to　be　traced；　I　had　looked　for　more　than　this。　　I　think　the　reason　was　to　some　extent　simply　in　the　name　of　the　place；　for　names；　on　the　whole；　whether　they　be　good　reasons　or　not；　are　very　active　ones。　　Le　Mans；　if　I　am　not　mistaken；　has　a　sturdy；　feudal　sound；　suggests　some…　thing　dark　and　square；　a　vision　of　old　ramparts　and　gates。　　Perhaps　I　had　been　unduly　impressed　by　the　fact；　accidentally　revealed　to　me；　that　Henry　II。；　first　of　the　English　Plantagenets；　was　born　there。　　Of　course　it　is　easy　to　assure　one's　self　in　advance；　but　does　it　not　often　happen　that　one　had　rather　not　be　assured？　There　is　a　pleasure　sometimes　in　running　the　risk　of　disappointment。　　I　took　mine；　such　as　it　was；　quietly　enough；　while　I　sat　before　dinner　at　the　door　of　one　of　the　cafes　in　the　market…place　with　a　_bitter…et…curacao_　（invaluable　pretext　at　such　an　hour！）　to　keep　me　com…　pany。　　I　remember　that　in　this　situation　there　came　over　me　an　impres