the night watch by rembrandt
The Jewel Casket
The Kitchen Maid
laughing ladies and fine lords; and in jewels and silks and powder and splendour and elegantly spurning figures and handsomely disdainful faces of both sexes, the mender of roads bathed himself, so much to his temporary intoxication, that he cried Long live the King, Long live the Queen, Long live everybody and everything! as if he had never heard of ubiquitous Jacques in his time. Then, there were gardens, courtyards, terraces, fountains, green banks, more King and Queen, more Bull's Eye, more lords and ladies, more Long live they all! until he absolutely wept with sentiment. During the whole of this scene, which lasted some three hours, he had plenty of shouting and weeping and sentimental company, and throughout Defarge held him by the collar, as if to restrain him from flying at the objects of his brief devotion and tearing them to pieces. ¡¡¡¡"Bravo!" said Defarge, clapping him on the back when it was over, like a patron; "you are a good boy!" ¡¡¡¡The mender of roads was now coming to himself, and was mistrustful of having made a mistake in his late demonstrations; but no. ¡¡¡¡"You are the fellow we want," said Defarge, in his ear; "you make these fools believe that it will last for ever. Then, they are the more insolent, and it is the nearer ended." ¡¡¡¡"Hey!" cried the mender of roads, reflectively; "that's true." ¡¡¡¡"These fools know nothing. while they despise your breath, and would stop it for ever and ever, in you or in a hundred like you rather than in one of their own horses or dogs, they only know what your breath tells them. Let it deceive them, then, a little longer; it cannot deceive them too much." ¡¡¡¡Madame Defarge looked superciliously at the client, and nodded in confirmation. ¡¡¡¡"As to you," said she, "you would shout and shed tears for anything, if it made a show and a noise. Say! Would you not?" ¡¡¡¡"Truly, madame, I think so. For the moment." ¡¡¡¡"If you were shown a great heap of dolls, and were set upon them to pluck them to pieces and despoil them for your own advantage, you would pick out the richest and gayest. Say! Would you not?"
Friday, November 23, 2007
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the night watch by rembrandt
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