第七章 寄 信 U 之谜
隔离、疏远、自命不凡、独立、热爱自然、缺乏日常的物质活动、自我反省、贞洁的内心冲突、对一切造物的仁慈痴迷——这些因素造就了马吕斯，使他具备了那种被称为激情的情感。他对父亲的崇拜逐渐变成了一种宗教，和所有宗教一样，它退居到灵魂深处。前方需要某种东西来填补。爱情降临了。
整整一个月过去了，马吕斯每天都去卢森堡公园。一到时间，任何事都拦不住他。“他在值班，”古费拉克说。马吕斯生活在狂喜之中。毫无疑问，那个年轻姑娘确实在看他。
他终于壮起胆子，走近了那条长凳。不过，他不再从它前面走过，这是出于恋人们共有的胆怯本能和谨慎本能。他认为最好别“引起那父亲的注意”。他以一种深谋远虑的手段，在树后和雕像底座间选择立足点，以便尽可能多地被姑娘看见，尽可能少地被老先生看见。有时，他会在某个列奥尼达斯或斯巴达克斯雕像的阴影里一动不动地站上半小时，手里拿着一本书，眼睛却轻轻抬起，寻找那美丽的姑娘；而她呢，也把迷人的侧影转向他，带着一抹淡淡的微笑。她一边用世上最自然、最平静的语气与那位白发老人交谈，一边却把处女般炽热的目光投向马吕斯。这是古老而经久不衰的把戏，夏娃在创世第一天就懂，而每个女人从生命的第一天起也都会懂！嘴巴回答一个，目光却回应另一个。
勒布朗先生想必终于察觉到了什么，因为每当马吕斯到来时，他常常站起来开始走动。他放弃了他们惯常的座位，改坐在靠近小径另一端的斗士雕像旁的长凳上，仿佛想看看马吕斯是否还会跟到那里去。马吕斯没有明白，犯下了这个错误。“父亲”开始变得不准时，不再每天带“女儿”来了。有时他独自前来。马吕斯便不再逗留。又是一个错误。
马吕斯没有留意这些征兆。他从胆怯阶段，经过自然而必然的发展，进入了盲目阶段。他的爱情在增长。他每晚都梦到她。然后，一桩意想不到的幸福降临到他身上，犹如火上浇油，使他眼前更加黑暗。一天黄昏，他在“勒布朗先生和他女儿”刚刚离开的长凳上，发现了一块手帕，一块极其朴素的手帕，没有刺绣，却洁白而精致，在他闻来似乎散发出难以形容的香味。他欣喜若狂地抓住了它。这块手帕上绣着字母“U.F.”。马吕斯对这个美丽的女孩一无所知——她的姓氏、名字和住址都不知道。这两个字母是他得到的第一件和她有关的东西，可爱的首字母，他立刻以此为基础搭起了自己的想象之塔。U 显然是名字的首字母。“于絮尔！”他想，“多么美妙的名字！”他亲吻手帕，闻着它，白天把它贴在心上和胸口，夜晚则把它放在嘴唇下，枕着它入睡。
“我觉得她整个灵魂都在里面！”他喊道。
这块手帕其实是那位老先生从口袋里掉落的。
找到这件宝物后的日子里，马吕斯在卢森堡公园里就只会做一件事：亲吻手帕并把它贴在心上。美丽的姑娘对此全然不解，用难以察觉的迹象向他表示困惑。
“啊，羞怯！”马吕斯说。
Isolation, detachment, from everything, pride, independence, the taste
of nature, the absence of daily and material activity, the life within
himself, the secret conflicts of chastity, a benevolent ecstasy towards
all creation, had prepared Marius for this possession which is called
passion. His worship of his father had gradually become a religion,
and, like all religions, it had retreated to the depths of his soul.
Something was required in the foreground. Love came.
A full month elapsed, during which Marius went every day to the
Luxembourg. When the hour arrived, nothing could hold him back.—“He is
on duty,” said Courfeyrac. Marius lived in a state of delight. It is
certain that the young girl did look at him.
He had finally grown bold, and approached the bench. Still, he did not
pass in front of it any more, in obedience to the instinct of timidity
and to the instinct of prudence common to lovers. He considered it
better not to attract “the attention of the father.” He combined his
stations behind the trees and the pedestals of the statues with a
profound diplomacy, so that he might be seen as much as possible by the
young girl and as little as possible by the old gentleman. Sometimes,
he remained motionless by the half-hour together in the shade of a
Leonidas or a Spartacus, holding in his hand a book, above which his
eyes, gently raised, sought the beautiful girl, and she, on her side,
turned her charming profile towards him with a vague smile. While
conversing in the most natural and tranquil manner in the world with
the white-haired man, she bent upon Marius all the reveries of a
virginal and passionate eye. Ancient and time-honored manœuvre which
Eve understood from the very first day of the world, and which every
woman understands from the very first day of her life! her mouth
replied to one, and her glance replied to another.
It must be supposed, that M. Leblanc finally noticed something, for
often, when Marius arrived, he rose and began to walk about. He had
abandoned their accustomed place and had adopted the bench by the
Gladiator, near the other end of the walk, as though with the object of
seeing whether Marius would pursue them thither. Marius did not
understand, and committed this error. “The father” began to grow
inexact, and no longer brought “his daughter” every day. Sometimes, he
came alone. Then Marius did not stay. Another blunder.
Marius paid no heed to these symptoms. From the phase of timidity, he
had passed, by a natural and fatal progress, to the phase of blindness.
His love increased. He dreamed of it every night. And then, an
unexpected bliss had happened to him, oil on the fire, a redoubling of
the shadows over his eyes. One evening, at dusk, he had found, on the
bench which “M. Leblanc and his daughter” had just quitted, a
handkerchief, a very simple handkerchief, without embroidery, but
white, and fine, and which seemed to him to exhale ineffable perfume.
He seized it with rapture. This handkerchief was marked with the
letters U. F. Marius knew nothing about this beautiful child,—neither
her family name, her Christian name nor her abode; these two letters
were the first thing of her that he had gained possession of, adorable
initials, upon which he immediately began to construct his scaffolding.
U was evidently the Christian name. “Ursule!” he thought, “what a
delicious name!” He kissed the handkerchief, drank it in, placed it on
his heart, on his flesh, during the day, and at night, laid it beneath
his lips that he might fall asleep on it.
“I feel that her whole soul lies within it!” he exclaimed.
This handkerchief belonged to the old gentleman, who had simply let it
fall from his pocket.
In the days which followed the finding of this treasure, he only
displayed himself at the Luxembourg in the act of kissing the
handkerchief and laying it on his heart. The beautiful child understood
nothing of all this, and signified it to him by imperceptible signs.
“O modesty!” said Marius.
