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little travels and roadside sketches-第8部分

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manufactories are at work; but within the walls everybody seems

decently idle。



We have been; of course; abroad to visit the lions。  The tower in

the Grand Place is very fine; and the bricks of which it is built

do not yield a whit in color to the best stone。  The great building

round this tower is very like the pictures of the Ducal Palace at

Venice; and there is a long market area; with columns down the

middle; from which hung shreds of rather lean…looking meat; that

would do wonders under the hands of Cattermole or Haghe。  In the

tower there is a chime of bells that keep ringing perpetually。

They not only play tunes of themselves; and every quarter of an

hour; but an individual performs selections from popular operas on

them at certain periods of the morning; afternoon; and evening。  I

have heard to…day 〃Suoni la Tromba;〃 〃Son Vergin Vezzosa;〃 from the

〃Puritani;〃 and other airs; and very badly they were played too;

for such a great monster as a tower…bell cannot be expected to

imitate Madame Grisi or even Signor Lablache。  Other churches

indulge in the same amusement; so that one may come here and live

in melody all day or night; like the young woman in Moore's 〃Lalla

Rookh。〃



In the matter of art; the chief attractions of Bruges are the

pictures of Hemling; that are to be seen in the churches; the

hospital; and the picture…gallery of the place。  There are no more

pictures of Rubens to be seen; and; indeed; in the course of a

fortnight; one has had quite enough of the great man and his

magnificent; swaggering canvases。  What a difference is here with

simple Hemling and the extraordinary creations of his pencil!  The

hospital is particularly rich in them; and the legend there is that

the painter; who had served Charles the Bold in his war against the

Swiss; and his last battle and defeat; wandered back wounded and

penniless to Bruges; and here found cure and shelter。



This hospital is a noble and curious sight。  The great hall is

almost as it was in the twelfth century; it is spanned by Saxon

arches; and lighted by a multiplicity of Gothic windows of all

sizes; it is very lofty; clean; and perfectly well ventilated; a

screen runs across the middle of the room; to divide the male from

the female patients; and we were taken to examine each ward; where

the poor people seemed happier than possibly they would have been

in health and starvation without it。  Great yellow blankets were on

the iron beds; the linen was scrupulously clean; glittering pewter…

jugs and goblets stood by the side of each patient; and they were

provided with godly books (to judge from the binding); in which

several were reading at leisure。  Honest old comfortable nuns; in

queer dresses of blue; black; white; and flannel; were bustling

through the room; attending to the wants of the sick。  I saw about

a dozen of these kind women's faces: one was youngall were

healthy and cheerful。  One came with bare blue arms and a great

pile of linen from an outhousesuch a grange as Cedric the Saxon

might have given to a guest for the night。  A couple were in a

laboratory; a tall; bright; clean room; 500 years old at least。

〃We saw you were not very religious;〃 said one of the old ladies;

with a red; wrinkled; good…humored face; 〃by your behavior

yesterday in chapel。〃  And yet we did not laugh and talk as we used

at college; but were profoundly affected by the scene that we saw

there。  It was a fete…day: a mass of Mozart was sung in the

eveningnot well sung; and yet so exquisitely tender and

melodious; that it brought tears into our eyes。  There were not

above twenty people in the church: all; save three or four; were

women in long black cloaks。  I took them for nuns at first。  They

were; however; the common people of the town; very poor indeed;

doubtless; for the priest's box that was brought round was not

added to by most of them; and their contributions were but two…cent

pieces;five of these go to a penny; but we know the value of

such; and can tell the exact worth of a poor woman's mite!  The

box…bearer did not seem at first willing to accept our donationwe

were strangers and heretics; however; I held out my hand; and he

came perforce as it were。  Indeed it had only a franc in it: but

que voulez…vous?  I had been drinking a bottle of Rhine wine that

day; and how was I to afford more?  The Rhine wine is dear in this

country; and costs four francs a bottle。



Well; the service proceeded。  Twenty poor women; two Englishmen;

four ragged beggars; cowering on the steps; and there was the

priest at the altar; in a great robe of gold and damask; two little

boys in white surplices serving him; holding his robe as he rose

and bowed; and the money…gatherer swinging his censer; and filling

the little chapel with smoke。  The music pealed with wonderful

sweetness; you could see the prim white heads of the nuns in their

gallery。  The evening light streamed down upon old statues of

saints and carved brown stalls; and lighted up the head of the

golden…haired Magdalen in a picture of the entombment of Christ。

Over the gallery; and; as it were; a kind protectress to the poor

below; stood the statue of the Virgin。







III。WATERLOO。





It is; my dear; the happy privilege of your sex in England to quit

the dinner…table after the wine…bottles have once or twice gone

round it; and you are thereby saved (though; to be sure; I can't

tell what the ladies do up stairs)you are saved two or three

hours' excessive dulness; which the men are obliged to go through。



I ask any gentleman who reads thisthe letters to my Juliana being

written with an eye to publicationto remember especially how many

times; how many hundred times; how many thousand times; in his

hearing; the battle of Waterloo has been discussed after dinner;

and to call to mind how cruelly he has been bored by the

discussion。  〃Ah; it was lucky for us that the Prussians came up!〃

says one little gentleman; looking particularly wise and ominous。

〃Hang the Prussians!〃 (or; perhaps; something stronger 〃the

Prussians!〃) says a stout old major on half…pay。  〃We beat the

French without them; sir; as beaten them we always have!  We were

thundering down the hill of Belle Alliance; sir; at the backs of

them; and the French were crying 'Sauve qui peut' long before the

Prussians ever touched them!〃  And so the battle opens; and for

many mortal hours; amid rounds of claret; rages over and over

again。



I thought to myself considering the above things; what a fine thing

it will be in after…days to say that I have been to Brussels and

never seen the field of Waterloo; indeed; that I am such a

philosopher as not to care a fig about the battlenay; to regret;

rather; that when Napoleon came back; the British Government had

not spared their men and left him alone。



But this pitch of philosophy was unattainable。  This morning; after

having seen the Park; the fashionable boulevard; the pictures; the

cafeshaving sipped; I say; the sweets of every flower that grows

in this paradise of Brussels; quite weary of the place; we mounted

on a Namur diligence; and jingled off at four miles an hour for

Waterloo。



The road is very neat and agreeable: the Forest of Soignies here

and there interposes pleasantly; to give your vehicle a shade; the

country; as usual; is vastly fertile and well cultivated。  A farmer

and the conducteur were my companions in the imperial; and could I

have understood their conversation; my dear; you should have had

certainly a report of it。  The jargon which they talked was;

indeed; most queer and puzzlingFrench; I believe; strangely

hashed up and pronounced; for here and there one could catch a few

words of it。  Now and anon; however; they condescended to speak in

the purest French they could muster; and; indeed; nothing is more

curious than to hear the French of the country。  You can't

understand why all the people insist upon speaking it so badly。  I

asked the conductor if he had been at the battle; he burst out

laughing like a philosopher; as he was; and said 〃Pas si bete。〃  I

asked the farmer whether his contributions were lighter now than in

King William's time; and lighter than those in the time of the

Emperor?  He vowed that in war…time he had not more to pay than in

time of peace (and this strange fact is vouched for by every person

of every nation); and being asked wherefore the King of Holland had

been ousted from his throne; replied at once; 〃Parceque c'etoit un

voleur:〃 for which accusation I believe there is some show of

reason; his Majesty having laid hands on much Belgian property

before the lamented outbreak which cost him his crown。  A vast deal

of laughing and roaring passed between these two worldly people and

the postilion; whom they called 〃baron;〃 and I thought no doubt

that this talk was one of the many jokes that my companions were

in the habit of making。  But not so: the postilion was an actual

baron; the bearer of an ancient name; the descendant of gallant

gentlemen。  Good heavens! what would Mrs。 Trollope say to see his

lordship here?  His father the old baron had dissipated the family

fortune; and here was this young nobleman; at about five…and…forty;

compelled to bestride a clattering Flemish stallion; and bump over

dusty pavements at the rate of five miles an hour。  But see the

beauty of high blood: with what a calm grace the man of family

accommodates himself to fortune。  Far from being cast down; his

lordship met his fate like a man: he swore and laughed the whole of

the journey; and as we changed horses; condescended to partake of

half a pint of Louvain beer; to which the farmer treated him

indeed the worthy rustic treated me to a glass too。



Much delight and instruction have I had in the course of the

journey from my guide; philosopher; and friend; the author of

〃Murray's Handbook。〃  He has gathered together; indeed; a store of
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