He carefully
removed from her knowledge books, pictures, music, all those creations
of art which awaken thought. Aided by his mother he interested
Gabrielle in manual exercises. Tapestry, sewing, lace-making, the
culture of flowers, household cares, the storage of fruits, in short,
the most material occupations of life, were the food given to the mind
of this charming creature. Beauvouloir brought her beautiful
spinning-wheels, finely-carved chests, rich carpets, pottery of Bernard
de Palissy, tables, prie-dieus, chairs beautifully wrought and covered
with precious stuffs, embroidered line and jewels. With an instinct
given by paternity, the old man always chose his presents among the
works of that fantastic order called arabesque, which, speaking
neither to the soul nor the senses, addresses the mind only by its
creations of pure fantasy.
Thus--singular to say!--the life which the hatred of a father had
imposed on Etienne d'Herouville, paternal love had induced Beauvouloir
to impose on Gabrielle. In both these children the soul was killing
the body; and without an absolute solitude, ordained by cruelty for
one and procured by science for the other, each was likely to succumb,
--he to terror, she beneath the weight of a too keen emotion of love.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125