a little tour in france-第13章

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ours　you　leave　the　valley　of　the　Loire　and　enter　that　of　the　Cher；　and　at　the　end　of　about　an　hour　you　see　the　turrets　of　the　castle　on　your　right；　among　the　trees；　down　in　the　meadows；　beside　the　quiet　little　river。　　The　station　and　the　village　are　about　ten　minutes'　walk　from　the　chateau；　and　the　village　con…　tains　a　very　tidy　inn；　where；　if　you　are　not　in　too　great　a　hurry　to　commune　with　the　shades　of　the　royal　favorite　and　the　jealous　queen；　you　will　perhaps　stop　and　order　a　dinner　to　be　ready　for　you　in　the　evening。　A　straight；　tall　avenue　leads　to　the　grounds　of　the　castle；　what　I　owe　to　exactitude　compels　me　to　add　that　it　is　crossed　by　the　railway…line。　　The　place　is　so　arranged；　however；　that　the　chateau　need　know　nothing　of　passing　trains；　…　which　pass；　indeed；　though　the　grounds　are　not　large；　at　a　very　sufficient　distance。　I　may　add　that　the　trains　throughout　this　part　of　France　have　a　noiseless；　desultory；　dawdling；　almost　stationary　quality；　which　makes　them　less　of　an　offence　than　usual。　　It　was　a　Sunday　afternoon；　and　the　light　was　yellow；　save　under　the　trees　of　the　avenue；　where；　in　spite　of　the　waning　of　September；　it　was　duskily　green。　　Three　or　four　peasants；　in　festal　attire；　were　strolling　about。　　On　a　bench　at　the　beginning　of　the　avenue；　sat　a　man　with　two　women。　　As　I　advanced　with　my　companions　he　rose；　after　a　sudden　stare；　and　approached　me　with　a　smile；　in　which　（to　be　Johnsonian　for　a　moment）　certitude　was　mitigated　by　modesty　and　eagerness　was　embellished　with　respect。　He　came　toward　me　with　a　salutation　that　I　had　seen　before；　and　I　am　happy　to　say　that　after　an　instant　I　ceased　to　be　guilty　of　the　brutality　of　not　knowing　where。　　There　was　only　one　place　in　the　world　where　people　smile　like　that；　…　only　one　place　where　the　art　of　salutation　has　that　perfect　grace。　　This　excellent　creature　used　to　crook　his　arm；　in　Venice；　when　I　stepped　into　my　gondola；　and　I　now　laid　my　hand　on　that　member　with　the　familiarity　of　glad　recognition；　for　it　was　only　surprise　that　had　kept　me　even　for　a　moment　from　accepting　the　genial　Francesco　as　an　ornament　of　the　landscape　of　Touraine。　　What　on　earth　…　the　phrase　is　the　right　one　…　was　a　Venetian　gondolier　doing　at　Chenonceaux？　　He　had　been　brought　from　Venice；　gondola　and　all；　by　the　mistress　of　the　charming　house；　to　paddle　about　on　the　Cher。　Our　meeting　was　affectionate；　though　there　was　a　kind　of　violence　in　seeing　him　so　far　from　home。　　He　was　too　well　dressed；　too　well　fed；　he　had　grown　stout；　and　his　nose　had　the　tinge　of　good　claret。　　He　re…　marked　that　the　life　of　the　household　to　which　he　had　the　honor　to　belong　was　that　of　a　_casa　regia；_　which　must　have　been　a　great　change　for　poor　Checco；　whose　habits　in　Venice　were　not　regal。　　However；　he　was　the　sympathetic　Checco　still；　and　for　five　minutes　after　I　left　him　I　thought　less　about　the　little　plea…　sure…house　by　the　Cher　than　about　the　palaces　of　the　Adriatic。

But　attention　was　not　long　in　coming　round　to　the　charming　structure　that　presently　rose　before　us。　　The　pale　yellow　front　of　the　chateau；　the　small　scale　of　which　is　at　first　a　surprise；　rises　beyond　a　consider…　able　court；　at　the　entrance　of　which　a　massive　and　detached　round　tower；　with　a　turret　on　its　brow　（a　relic　of　the　building　that　preceded　the　actual　villa）；　appears　to　keep　guard。　　This　court　is　not　enclosed　…　or　is　enclosed；　at　least；　only　by　the　gardens；　portions　of　which　are　at　present　in　a　state　of　violent　reforma…　tion。　　Therefore；　though　Chenonceaux　has　no　great　height；　its　delicate　facade　stands　up　boldly　enough。　This　facade；　one　of　the　most　finished　things　in　Tou…　raine；　consists　of　two　stories；　surmounted　by　an　attic　which；　as　so　often　in　the　buildings　of　the　French　Renaissance；　is　the　richest　part　of　the　house。　　The　high…pitched　roof　contains　three　windows　of　beautiful　design；　covered　with　embroidered　caps　and　flowering　into　crocketed　spires。　　The　window　above　the　door　is　deeply　niched；　it　opens　upon　a　balcony　made　in　the　form　of　a　double　pulpit；　…　one　of　the　most　charm…　ing　features　of　the　front。　　Chenonceaux　is　not　large；　as　I　say；　but　into　its　delicate　compass　is　packed　a　great　deal　of　history；　…　history　which　differs　from　that　of　Amboise　and　Blois　in　being　of　the　private　and　sen…　timental　kind。　　The　echoes　of　the　place；　faint　and　far　as　they　are　to…day；　are　not　political；　but　personal。　Chenonceaux　dates；　as　a　residence；　from　the　year　1515；　when　the　shrewd　Thomas　Bohier；　a　public　functionary　who　had　grown　rich　in　handling　the　finances　of　Nor…　mandy；　and　had　acquired　the　estate　from　a　family　which；　after　giving　it　many　feudal　lords；　had　fallen　into　poverty；　erected　the　present　structure　on　the　foundations　of　an　old　mill。　　The　design　is　attributed；　with　I　know　not　what　justice；　to　Pierre　Nepveu；　_alias_　Trinqueau；　the　audacious　architect　of　Chambord。　　On　the　death　of　Bohier　the　house　passed　to　his　son；　who；　however；　was　forced；　under　cruel　pressure；　to　surrender　it　to　the　crown；　in　compensation　for　a　so…called　deficit　in　the　accounts　of　the　late　superintendent　of　the　trea…　sury。　　Francis　I。　held　the　place　till　his　death；　but　Henry　II。；　on　ascending　the　throne；　presented　it　out　of　hand　to　that　mature　charmer；　the　admired　of　two　generations；　Diana　of　Poitiers。　　Diana　enjoyed　it　till　the　death　of　her　protector；　but　when　this　event　oc…　curred；　the　widow　of　the　monarch；　who　had　been　obliged　to　submit　in　silence；　for　years；　to　the　ascend…　ency　of　a　rival；　took　the　most　pardonable　of　all　the　revenges　with　which　the　name　of　Catherine　de'　Medici　is　associated；　and　turned　her　out…of…doors。　　Diana　was　not　in　want　of　refuges；　and　Catherine　went　through　the　form　of　giving　her　Chaumont　in　exchange；　but　there　was　only　one　Chenonceaux。　　Catherine　devoted　herself　to　making　the　place　more　completely　unique。　The　feature　that　renders　it　sole　of　its　kind　is　not　ap…　preciated　till　you　wander　round　to　either　side　of　the　house。　　If　a　certain　springing　lightness　is　the　charac…　teristic　of　Chenonceaux；　if　it　bears　in　every　line　the　aspect　of　a　place　of　recreation；　…　a　place　intended　for　delicate；　chosen　pleasures；　…　nothing　can　confirm　this　expression　better　than　the　strange；　unexpected　move…　ment　with　which；　from　behind；　it　carries　itself　across　the　river。　　The　earlier　building　stands　in　the　water；　it　had　inherited　the　foundations　of　the　mill　destroyed　by　Thomas　Bohier。　　The　first　step；　therefore；　had　been　taken　upon　solid　piles　of　masonry；　and　the　ingenious　Catherine　…　she　was　a　_raffinee_　…　simply　proceeded　to　take　the　others。　　She　continued　the　piles　to　the　op…　posite　bank　of　the　Cher；　and　over　them　she　threw　a　long；　straight　gallery　of　two　stories。　　This　part　of　the　chateau；　which　looks　simply　like　a　house　built　upon　a　bridge　and　occupying　its　entire　length；　is　of　course　the　great　curiosity　of　Chenonceaux。　　It　forms　on　each　floor　a　charming　corridor；　which；　within；　is　illuminated　from　either　side　by　the　flickering　river…light。　　The　architecture　of　these　galleries；　seen　from　without；　is　less　elegant　than　that　of　the　main　building；　but　the　aspect　of　the　whole　thing　is　delightful。　　I　have　spoken　of　Chenonceaux　as　a　〃villa；〃　using　the　word　ad…　visedly；　for　the　place　is　neither　a　castle　nor　a　palace。　It　is　a　very　exceptional　villa；　but　it　has　the