The Catalans. Patrick O’Brian

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СКАЧАТЬ would be a different matter; though even then, I would not say for certain.’

      ‘You say that she takes advantage of Xavier’s madness. I take it, then, that there is no inclination on her side – she does not care for him at all?’

      ‘Care for him? Why of course not, Alain: how could you ask such a simple question? Think of Xavier’s age and his appearance. He looks exactly like a dried old goat; you know he does. But of course, you never saw Francisco Cortade when he was grown up.’

      ‘The husband?’

      ‘Yes. He was no good at all, no good whatever: but, my dear Alain, he looked like what’s-his-name in the thing.’

      ‘Did he, though?’

      ‘He did indeed. And still does, of course, wherever he is. He would make three of Xavier and still leave some to spare. A big, straight young fellow, very good-looking. Rather too good-looking for my taste, all gleaming teeth and curly hair, you know. But I must admit that he was not flashy, like most of the youths here who think themselves handsome, and he did not even look too much of a lout when he was dressed in his best clothes. He was not the sort who would wear well at all: no; there was too much youthful charm altogether; but he was exactly the kind of young man who would make a silly girl’s heart turn right over. I could understand her perfectly well although I never was a romantically inclined woman and although I disapproved, I thought that forty years ago I might have felt the same. I would never have acted as she did, of course; but I might have thought about it. And besides being so good-looking, he had that helplessness that is so appealing to an affectionate nature: that is to say, he appeared to have it. He appeared an ingenuous young man, too. However … No; I am convinced that Madeleine is eating her heart out for him. But even if she were not, I cannot see her looking at Xavier with anything but a businesslike eye. After all, he is twice her age, and even my dear sister-in-law, if she were alive now, could not call him anything but a dried-up old stick.’

      ‘Sometimes one finds girls madly enamored of men as old as their fathers. It is not so rare, either. And then again, Xavier is not actually decrepit, is he? If he were thinking of marrying, re-marrying, a handsome, well-connected dowry, are you sure that you would think of him as such an old man?’

      ‘Well, perhaps not. But that really has nothing to do with the case, has it? There is no dowry or connection here.’

      ‘So she is entirely mercenary?’

      ‘Yes. Though prudent would be a better word. Prudential motives, they say, don’t they? Though if we are to be entirely just to the girl I should say that I do not think she has her heart in the affair: I think it is mainly her family pushing her on. Though no doubt she sees her advantage as clearly as anybody.’

      ‘The family. That is the Pou-naous in the arcades.’

      ‘Yes. The father has the vineyard next to ours at the Puig d’en Calbo: there is not much harm in him. It is Mimi l’Empereur who is the dangerous one. She is Madeleine’s aunt.’

      ‘I know her. Strong-minded woman.’

      ‘Yes. She always ruled that family – both the others have always been afraid of her – and she is the one who is pushing the girl on. Her motive is clear enough, of course.’

      ‘Has she some special motive?’

      ‘You cannot have forgotten that old René l’Empereur is the one who has the tobacco license? Her father-in-law.’

      ‘No no. I know him well: a very agreeable old man. He was in the East for a long time and he loves to talk about it. I must go and see him soon. A very kind old man: he gave me a cigarette when I was twelve.’

      ‘No doubt. But he is mortal, nevertheless, and since the evacuation he has been very infirm. Some day, probably quite soon, Mimi is going to want the license for herself or her husband. It is a thriving concern, and nowadays, since the war, there are so many people with claims to a tobacconist’s license–resistants, deportees, victims of atrocities, and so on, as well as the wounded men and soldiers’ widows – so many of them that Mimi will find it very difficult unless she has some real power to stand up for her. Xavier, of course, could arrange an affair of that kind in two minutes. She has courted him for years with her singing in the choir; but obviously this is a far better method of securing his interest.’

      ‘I thought the Pou-naous were Protestants.’

      ‘They are. But not Mimi: she was always a much more sensible woman than her sisters and she always preferred the church to the temple, even when she was a child. Then she quarreled with the old pasteur – something to do with the Christmas singing, I believe – and never went to the temple again. She was married in church.’

      ‘She never persuaded her sisters or Madeleine to leave the temple?’

      ‘Oh no, there was no zealous, burning conversion, you know; she was just like the other people here – displeased with one, they drift to the other, but a lukewarm drift. No, her sisters, especially Thérèse (Dominique never goes anywhere) continued to go to the temple: sometimes Madeleine would be in the church – she helped Mimi decorate the chapels sometimes – but in general she went to the temple, and she was married there.’

      ‘That’s bad.’

      ‘From the point of view of Xavier, you mean? Yes. There would have been little danger if she had been married properly: I will say this for Xavier, he is not one of your modern, lax, easy-going Catholics. And even now I do not think he would put his principles aside, mad though he is.’

      ‘No doubt you are right. But tell me, how did it all begin? That is what I have never understood from your letters.’

      ‘It began very simply. When her husband left her she was very, very unhappy. Her family would not leave her alone for a second, and she often came to see me, not so much for comfort as for refuge. I was foolish enough to encourage her to spend more and more time typing for Xavier – occupation and distraction, I thought. I say I was foolish enough to do so, and if you wish to be very modern and clever you may say that is why I resent the present situation so bitterly. I would not own this to anyone else, Alain, but I was a fool, a fool.’ She clasped her hands with exasperation. ‘I never thought for a moment – but of course I should

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