a little tour in france-第32章

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their　trust；　but　the　extinction　of　the　sturdy　little　stronghold　is　too　complete　not　to　have　begun　long　ago。　　Its　memories　are　buried　under　its　ponderous　stones。　　As　we　drove　away　from　it　in　the　gloaming；　my　friend　and　I　agreed　that　the　two　or　three　hours　we　had　spent　there　were　among　the　happiest　impressions　of　a　pair　of　tourists　very　curious　in　the　picturesque。　　We　almost　forgot　that　we　were　bound　to　regret　that　the　shortened　day　left　us　no　time　to　drive　five　miles　further；　above　a　pass　in　the　little　mountains　…　it　had　beckoned　to　us　in　the　morning；　when　we　came　in　sight　of　it；　almost　irresistibly　…　to　see　the　Ro…　man　arch　and　mausoleum　of　Saint　Remy。　　To　compass　this　larger　excursion　（including　the　visit　to　Les　Baux）　you　must　start　from　Arles　very　early　in　the　morning；　but　I　can　imagine　no　more　delightful　day。



XXXIII。

I　had　been　twice　at　Avignon　before；　and　yet　I　was　not　satisfied。　　I　probably　am　satisfied　now；　neverthe…　less；　I　enjoyed　my　third　visit。　　I　shall　not　soon　forget　the　first；　on　which　a　particular　emotion　set　indelible　stamp。　　I　was　travelling　northward；　in　1870；　after　four　months　spent；　for　the　first　time；　in　Italy。　　It　was　the　middle　of　January；　and　I　had　found　myself；　unexpected…　ly；　forced　to　return　to　England　for　the　rest　of　the　winter。　　It　was　an　insufferable　disappointment；　I　was　wretched　and　broken…hearted。　　Italy　appeared　to　me　at　that　time　so　much　better　than　anything　else　in　the　world；　that　to　rise　from　table　in　the　middle　of　the　feast　was　a　prospect　of　being　hungry　for　the　rest　of　my　days。　　I　had　heard　a　great　deal　of　praise　of　the　south　of　France；　but　the　south　of　France　was　a　poor　consolation。　　In　this　state　of　mind　I　arrived　at　Avignon；　which　under　a　bright；　hard　winter　sun　was　tingling　…　fairly　spinning　…　with　the　_mistral_。　　I　find　in　my　journal　of　the　other　day　a　reference　to　the　acuteness　of　my　reluctance　in　January；　1870。　　France；　after　Italy；　ap…　peared；　in　the　language　of　the　latter　country；　_poco　sim…　patica_；　and　I　thought　it　necessary；　for　reasons　now　in…　conceivable；　to　read　the　〃Figaro；〃　which　was　filled　with　descriptions　of　the　horrible　Troppmann；　the　mur…　derer　of　the　_famille_　Kink。　　Troppmann；　Kink；　_le　crime　do　Pantin_；　very　names　that　figured　in　this　episode　seemed　to　wave　me　back。　　Had　I　abandoned　the　so…　norous　south　to　associate　with　vocables　so　base？

It　was　very　cold；　the　other　day；　at　Avignon；　for　though　there　was　no　mistral；　it　was　raining　as　it　rains　in　Provence；　and　the　dampness　had　a　terrible　chill　in　it。　　As　I　sat　by　my　fire；　late　at　night　…　for　in　genial　Avignon；　in　October；　I　had　to　have　a　fire　…　it　came　back　to　me　that　eleven　years　before　I　had　at　that　same　hour　sat　by　a　fire　in　that　same　room；　and；　writ…　ing　to　a　friend　to　whom　I　was　not　afraid　to　appear　extravagant；　had　made　a　vow　that　at　some　happier　period　of　the　future　I　would　avenge　myself　on　the　_ci…　devant_　city　of　the　Popes　by　taking　it　in　a　contrary　sense。　　I　suppose　that　I　redeemed　my　vow　on　the　oc…　casion　of　my　second　visit　better　than　on　my　third；　for　then　I　was　on　my　way　to　Italy；　and　that　vengeance；　of　course；　was　complete。　　The　only　drawback　was　that　I　was　in　such　a　hurry　to　get　to　Ventimiglia　（where　the　Italian　custom…house　was　to　be　the　sign　of　my　triumph）；　that　I　scarcely　took　time　to　make　it　clear　to　myself　at　Avignon　that　this　was　better　than　reading　the　〃Figaro。〃　I　hurried　on　almost　too　fast　to　enjoy　the　consciousness　of　moving　southward。　　On　this　last　occasion　I　was　un…　fortunately　destitute　of　that　happy　faith。　　Avignon　was　my　southernmost　limit；　after　which　I　was　to　turn　round　and　proceed　back　to　England。　　But　in　the　interval　I　had　been　a　great　deal　in　Italy；　and　that　made　all　the　difference。

I　had　plenty　of　time　to　think　of　this；　for　the　rain　kept　me　practically　housed　for　the　first　twenty…four　hours。　　It　had　been　raining　in；　these　regions　for　a　month；　and　people　had　begun　to　look　askance　at　the　Rhone；　though　as　yet　the　volume　of　the　river　was　not　exorbitant。　　The　only　excursion　possible；　while　the　torrent　descended；　was　a　kind　of　horizontal　dive；　ac…　companied　with　infinite　splashing；　to　the　little　_musee_　of　the　town；　which　is　within　a　moderate　walk　of　the　hotel。　　I　had　a　memory　of　it　from　my　first　visit；　it　had　appeared　to　me　more　pictorial　than　its　pictures。　I　found　that　recollection　had　flattered　it　a　little；　and　that　it　is　neither　better　nor　worse　than　most　provincial　museums。　　It　has　the　usual　musty　chill　in　the　air；　the　usual　grass…grown　fore…court；　in　which　a　few　lumpish　Roman　fragments　are　disposed；　the　usual　red　tiles　on　the　floor；　and　the　usual　specimens　of　the　more　livid　schools　on　the　walls。　　I　rang　up　the　_gardien_；　who　ar…　rived　with　a　bunch　of　keys；　wiping　his　mouth；　he　un…　locked　doors　for　me；　opened　shutters；　and　while　（to　my　distress；　as　if　the　things　had　been　worth　lingering　over）　he　shuffled　about　after　me；　he　announced　the　names　of　the　pictures　before　which　I　stopped；　in　a　voice　that　reverberated　through　the　melancholy　halls；　and　seemed　to　make　the　authorship　shameful　when　it　was　obscure；　and　grotesque　when　it　pretended　to　be　great。　　Then　there　were　intervals　of　silence；　while　I　stared　absent…mindedly；　at　hap…hazard；　at　some　indis…　tinguishable　canvas；　and　the　only　sound　was　the　down…　pour　of　the　rain　on　the　skylights。　　The　museum　of　Avignon　derives　a　certain　dignity　from　its　Roman　frag…　ments。　　The　town　has　no　Roman　monuments　to　show；　in　this　respect；　beside　its　brilliant　neighbors；　Arles　and　Nimes；　it　is　a　blank。　　But　a　great　many　small　objects　have　been　found　in　its　soil；　…　pottery；　glass；　bronzes；　lamps；　vessels　and　ornaments　of　gold　and　silver。　　The　glass　is　especially　chaming；　…　small　vessels　of　the　most　delicate　shape　and　substance；　many　of　them　perfectly　preserved。　　These　diminutive；　intimate　things　bring　one　near　to　the　old　Roman　life；　they　seem　like　pearls　strung　upon　the　slender　thread　that　swings　across　the　gulf　of　time。　　A　little　glass　cup　that　Roman　lips　have　touched　says　more　to　us　than　the　great　vessel　of　an　arena。　　There　are　two　small　silver　_casseroles_；　with　chi…　selled　handles；　in　the　museum　of　Avignon；　that　struck　me　as　among　the　most　charming　survivals　of　anti…　quity。

I　did　wrong　just　above；　to　speak　of　my　attack　on　this　establishment　as　the　only　recreation　I　took　that　first　wet　day；　for　I　remember　a　terribly　moist　visit　to　the　former　palace　of　the　Popes；　which　could　have　taken　place　only　in　the　same　tempestuous　hours。　　It　is　true　that　I　scarcely　know　why　I　should　have　gone　out　to　see　the　Papal　palace　in　the　rain；　for　I　had　been　over　it　twice　before；　and　even　then　had　not　found　the　interest　of　the　place　so　complete　as　it　ought　to　be；　the　fact；　nevertheless；　remains　that　this　last　occasion　is　much　associated　with　an　umbrella；　which　was　not　superfluous　even　in　some　of　the　chambers　and　cor…　ridors　of　the　gigantic　pile。　　It　had　already　seemed　to　me　the　dreariest　of　all　historical　buildings；　and　my　final　visit　confirmed　the　impression。　　The　place　is　as　intricate　as　it　is　vast；　and　as　desolate　as　it　is　dirty。　The　imagination　has；　for　some　reason　or　other；　to　make　more　than　the　effort　usual　in　such　cases　to　re…　store　and　repeople　it。　　The　fact；　indeed；　is　simply　that　the　palace　has　been　so　incalculably　abused　and　altered。　The　alterations　have　been　so　numerous　that；　though　I　have　duly　conned　the　enumerations；　supplied　in　guide…　books；　of　the　principal　perversions；　I　do　not　pretend　to　carry　any　of　them　in　my　head。　　The　huge　bare　mass；　without　ornament；　without　grace；　despoiled　of　its　battlements　and　defaced　with　sordid　modern　windows；　covering　the　Rocher　des　Doms；　and　looking　down　over　the　Rhone　and　the　broken　bridge　of　Saint…Benazet　（which　stops　in　such　a　sketchable　manner　in　mid…　stream）；　and　across　at　the　lonely　tower　of　Philippe　le　Bel　and　the　ruined　wall　of　Villeneuve；　makes　at　a　dis…　tance；　in　spite　of　its　poverty；　a　great　figure；　the　effect　of　which　is　carried　out　by　the　tower　of　the　church　be…　side　it　（crowned　though　the　latter　be；　in　a　top…heavy　fashion；　with　an　immense　modern　image　of　the　Virgin）　and　by　the　thick；　dark　foliage　of　the　garden　laid　out　on　a　still　higher　portion　of　the　eminence。　　This　garden　recalls；　faintly　and　a　trifle　perversely；　the　grounds　of　the　Pincian　at　Rome。　　I　know　not　whether　it　is　the　shadow　of　the　Papal　name；　present　in　both　places；　combined　with　a　vague　analogy　between　the　churches；　…　which；　approached　in　each　case　by　a　flight　of　steps；　seemed　to　defend　the　precinct；　…　but　each　time　I　have　seen　the　Promenade　des　Doms　it　has　carried　my　thoughts　to　the　wider　and　loftier　terrace　from　which　you　look　away　at　the　Tiber　and　Saint　Peter's。

As　you　stand　before　the　Papal　palace；　and　espe…　cially　as　you　enter　it；　you　are　struck　with　its　being　a　very　dull　monument。　　History　enough　was　enacted　here：　the　great　schism　lasted　from　1305　to　1370；　dur…　ing　which　seven　Popes；　all　Frenchmen；　carried　on　the　court　of　Avignon　on　principles　that　have　not　com…　mended　themselves　to　the　esteem　of　posterity。　　But　history　has　been　whitewashed　away；　and　the　scandals　of　that　period　have　mingled　with　the　dust　of　dilapi…　dations　and　repairs。　　The　building　has　for　many　years　been　occupied　as　a　barrack　for　regiments　of　the　line；　and　the　main　characteristics　of　a　barrack　…　an　extreme　nudity　and　a　very　queer　smell　…　prevail　throughout　its　endless　compartments。　　Nothing　could　have　been　more　cruelly　dismal　than　the　appearance　it　presented　at　the　time　of　this　third　visit　of　mine。　　A　regiment；　changing　quarters；　had　departed　the　day　before；　and　another　was　expected　to　arrive　（from　Algeria）　on　the　morrow。　The　place　had　been　left　in　the　befouled　and　belittered　condition　which　marks　the　passage　of　the　military　after　they　have　broken　carnp；　and　it　would　offer　but　a　me…　lancholy　welcome　to　the　regiment　that　was　about　to　take　possession。　　Enormous　windows　had　been　left　carelessly　open　all　over　the　building；　and　the　rain　and　wind　were　beating　into　empty　rooms　and　passages；　making　draughts　which　purified；　perhaps；　but　which　scarcely　cheered。　　For　an　arrival；　it　was　horrible。　　A　handful　of　soldiers　had　remained　behind。　　In　one　of　the　big　vaulted　rooms　several　of　them　were　lying　on　their　wretched　beds；　in　the　dim　light；　in　the　cold；　in　the　damp；　with　the　bleak；　bare　walls　before　them；　and　their　overcoats；　spread　over　them；　pulled　up　to　their　noses。　　I　pitied　them　immensely；　though　they　may　have　felt　less　wretched　than　they　looked。　　I　thought　not　of　the　old　profligacies　and　crimes；　not　of　the　funnel…shaped　torture…chamber　（which；　after　exciting　the　shudder　of　generations；　has　been　ascertained　now；　I　believe；　to　have　been　a　mediaeval　bakehouse）；　not　of　the　tower　of　the　_glaciere_　and　the　horrors　perpetrated　here　in　the　Revolution；　but　of　the　military　burden　of　young　France。　　One　wonders　how　young　France　en…　dures　it；　and　one　is　forced　to　believe　that　the　French　conscript　has；　in　addition　to　his　notorious　good…humor；　greater　toughness　than　is　commonly　supposed　by　those　who　consider　only　the　more　relaxing　influences　of　French　civilization。　　I　hope　he　finds　occasional　com…　pensation　for　such　moments　as　I　saw　those　damp　young　peasants　passing　on　the　mattresses　of　their　hideous　barrack；　without　anything　around　to　remind　them　that　they　were　in　the　most　civilized　of　countries。　The　only　traces　of　former　splendor　now　visible　in　the　Papal　pile　are　the　walls　and　vaults　of　two　small