Petty Troubles of Married Life, Second Part
PETTY TROUBLES OF MARRIED LIFE PART SECOND BY HONORE DE BALZAC PREFACE If, reader, you have grasped the intent of this book,--and infinite honor is done you by the supposition: the profoundest author does not always comprehend, I may say never comprehends, the different meanings of his book, nor its bearing, nor the good nor the harm it may do--if, then, you have bestowed some attention upon these little scenes of married life, you have perhaps noticed their color-- "What color?" some grocer will doubtless ask; "books are bound in
indigo-sheets, and a tremendous storm of water was falling. The birds
looked out from their nests, and saw some monkeys, shivering and starved
with the cold, standing under a tree. 'Twit! twit! you Monkeys,' they
began to chirrup. 'Listen to us!--
'With beaks we built these nests, of fibres scattered;
You that have hands and feet, build, or be spattered.'
On hearing that the Monkeys were by no means pleased. 'Ho! ho!' said
they, 'the Birds in their snug nests are jeering at us; wait till the
rain is over,' Accordingly, so soon as the weather mended, the Monkeys
climbed into the tree, and broke all the birds' eggs and demolished
every nest. I ought to have known better,' concluded the Crane, 'than to
have wasted my suggestions on King Jewel-plume's creatures.'
'But what did they say?' asked Silver-sides.
'They said, Rajah,' answered the Crane, 'who made that Swan of thine a
King?'
'And what was your reply?' asked Silver-sides.
'I demanded,' replied the Crane, 'who made a King of that Peacock of
theirs. Thereupon they were ready to kill me for rage; but I displayed
my very best valor. Is it not written--
PETTY TROUBLES OF MARRIED LIFE PART SECOND BY HONORE DE BALZAC PREFACE If, reader, you have grasped the intent of this book,--and infinite honor is done you by the supposition: the profoundest author does not always comprehend, I may say never comprehends, the different meanings of his book, nor its bearing, nor the good nor the harm it may do--if, then, you have bestowed some attention upon these little scenes of married life, you have perhaps noticed their color-- "What color?" some grocer will doubtless ask; "books are bound in