Flowers, Swords and France

While her brother was busy running around, Miss Fran de Treville took her carriage as usual and came to the studio of the famous and prestigious painter Carl Durenberg to start her painting study today.

As you can see from the name, this painter is German.

The most common occupations for Germans in this era who came to Paris were musicians and painters - compared to the murderers and robbers in military uniforms who came and went decades later, they were certainly better than ever.

Among these German painters in Paris, Mr. Durenberg was the most outstanding one. After years of struggle, he had become famous in the Paris art world and was respected by people for his upright character. Over time, his studio became the best place for ladies from the upper class to learn painting.

And the standard for accepting students was also very strict. If you were just rich, you would never be able to become his disciple.

All the young ladies who had learned painting from the master were recognized as women who could evaluate the paintings in the museum and paint excellent portraits. In a word, they were women with real appreciation and could increase their value.

For those girls who just wanted to become artists or become famous but had no talent or had not received the most basic technical training, the society at that time was not tolerant enough to provide talent shows to satisfy their wishes.

There were large glass windows on the side of the studio for easy lighting, but at this time, most of them were blocked by dark velvet curtains because the summer sun was too strong; on the walls, there were frames without canvases or canvases without frames, and the walls and floors were dyed with various colors by various pigments; plaster statues, various instruments, and even armor were piled everywhere, making the atmosphere here quite like the backstage of an opera house.

Now the master has not come yet, and the female students are practicing their own paintings as usual. The girls each have their own beauty and manners, and their clothes are also different. The sunlight shines into the studio through the velvet, forming various contrasts and strong light and dark effects.

For any visitor who enters the studio for the first time, this scene itself is worth painting a picture.

However, if the visitor has the opportunity to stay here for a long time and can deeply experience the fiery undercurrent hidden in the seemingly gorgeous studio, he will probably be surprised.

Yes, there is no essential difference between the studio in the 19th century and the classroom in the 21st century, and there is no essential difference between girls from wealthy families and girls from ordinary families. The female students found their own circles and partners according to their own set of rules, and also defined opponents and enemies. Until the end, these small circles confronted each other and excluded each other-this is both an instinct for the girls and a way to have fun.

In the studio, the status and wealth of the ancestors should be forgotten the most. However, here, the status and wealth of the ancestors became the ultimate basis for the girls to define their camps and circles.

The girls were divided into two distinct groups, divided into two sides, separated by a distance that seemed short but seemed insurmountable for a lifetime.

On one side were the daughters of the new bourgeoisie, such as bankers, notaries or merchants, all of whom were rich. They were talking happily, and their faces were very lively.

On the other side were the young ladies from the old aristocratic families, whose expressions were much more serious, and their conversations were relatively simple, and there were no excessive expressions. From time to time, they cast all kinds of sharp and hidden (but just felt by the other party!) contemptuous eyes at the other group.

The current situation and future of the two ruling classes in France can be reflected so vividly in a studio.

These young ladies, all of them have elegant manners and charming movements, but their eyes lack straightforwardness. Strict education has long made politeness an instinct, but childishness has also been slowly worn away by this - the innocence of children has been getting farther and farther away from them.

Of course, due to their age, society has not yet completely assimilated them, so they can occasionally show a truly holy smile and reveal their childlike innocence - as for how long this quality can be preserved, only God knows.

Fran did not participate in the struggle between the noble party and the bank party. As usual, she chose to run to her corner and quietly continue to paint the painting that she did not finish yesterday - a warship in a storm, the captain stood on the bow, commanding the crew to fight against the wind and waves while observing the distant scene with a telescope.

She forgot the whispers beside her and indulged in the passion of creation. When she finished the last stroke and outlined the dark clouds in the storm, she breathed a long sigh of relief like those dedicated artists.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" A low exclamation sounded in her ears.

"Huh?" She turned her head in surprise, and her long golden hair swung with it.

Matilda de Dillion was looking at herself. She was wearing a long dress with lace embroidery and holding her golden lorgnette in her left hand.

She was one of the leaders of the aristocratic party in the studio, because her grandfather, Count Dillion, was now the keeper of the seal of His Majesty the King.

Her eyes were dark and moist, her hair was light brown, and her eyes were long and narrow. Her face looked very serious and she didn't talk much. She was two years older than Fran and was already seventeen years old this year.

[The French Chancellor of the Seal was initially the minister responsible for keeping the national seal for the king, and later evolved into an important official position. Those who hold this position are usually close attendants and staff officers of the king. 】

She turned her face closer and carefully looked at the painting Fran had just completed. "The composition is very good and the colors are used very well. It is a rare good work - Miss Treville, you have just completed a masterpiece. You are indeed Mr. Durenberg's most admired student..."

"Thank you, you're very grateful." Fran's face turned red.

"No need to be modest, I praise you from the bottom of my heart." Although she was praising you, Matilda's face was still very serious. "I'm not going out of my way to please you."

Fran lowered her head, but she was wondering why the other party came to find her.

"You must be wondering why I came to you suddenly." A faint smile appeared on Matilda's lips.

"Yes." Fran replied in a low voice, "Not many people usually come to talk to me."

"You are the most beautiful among us. This is enough for some people to hate you for fifty years." Matilda still had that vague smile on her face, "Not to mention your grandpa..."

"Then why did you come to me today! Aren't you worried about being angered by some people?" Fran interrupted her when she heard the other party talking about her grandfather, almost forgetting to suppress her voice.

After a moment she slightly regretted her gaffe.

What will she do to me? Will she continue to mock her, or will she invite her friends to bully her? What to do?

The first and most important lesson a girl must learn when entering high society is to hide her hatred. Fran remembered what her brother had said.

My brother's words always make sense.

However, Matilda's reaction was far beyond Fran's expectation. She just curled her lips slightly, showed a helpless smile, and then shook her head gently. "Well, I'm not here to talk about positions today, it's just a sideshow for our fathers and grandfathers - we have ours."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Fran looked at the other party doubtfully.

"You miss Mary very much, right?" Matilda looked at Fran, "Don't deny it in a hurry, dear lady, I can see that you regard her as a good friend, and you miss her very much during this time. ”

Fran lowered her head slightly. "Yes, I miss her."

"Very good, we finally agreed on one thing." Matilda nodded, "She is probably the person with the best personality among us. She is so respectful and kind to everyone. I am very happy. I like her. But fate caused her to suffer such a disaster..."

Fran still lowered her head.

"Of course, sighs can't save anyone, action can." Matilda continued with an amazing calmness, "I decided to bring her back, and I believe you will want to do the same."

Fran raised her head and looked at Matilda in surprise.

With an elegant movement, Matilda gently raised her long-handled glasses with her left hand, placed them in front of her eyes, and then stared at Fran through the frame.

"Surprisingly, I am not as inhumane as I seem." She paused for a moment, and then continued, "A century ago, our ancestors had no other choice but to obey orders and go into the monastery to live their whole lives. There is no other choice. However, a century later, we will always be much better than our ancestors - at least the education of the new era allows us to have a mind besides God..."

"I want to thank you on Mary's behalf!" Fran was a little excited to find an ally.

Then Fran told Matilda what she had asked her brother to do.

"I really saw you right." Matilda showed a happy smile - a real smile. "However, your brother alone may not be able to impress Marquis Leolan and accomplish this matter..."

"He will definitely be able to do it." Fran interrupted the other party again.

"Well, I hope so." Matilda nodded, obviously Fran's determination made her heart feel relieved a lot, "I believe him, a person with a surname like de Treville, You know what you should do and what you can do. However, if you need my help in this matter, please tell me directly and I will definitely do it.”

Fran also nodded.

Seeing that her plan went so smoothly, even a girl like Matilda, who had always been indifferent to emotions and anger, couldn't help but feel a little happy. In order to divert these unnecessary excitements, she continued to hold her long-handled glasses, He took a closer look at the painting Fran had just finished.

"What a masterpiece!" She sighed again, then turned to look at Fran, "With all due respect, is the captain in this painting a famous figure in history? Or is it a fictional image in your mind?"

Fran's answer this time was extremely brief.

"My brother."