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Updated: June 5, 2025
Whilst every body else went on talking, and helping themselves to refreshments which the servants were handing about, Mrs. Somers continued leaning on the mantel-piece in a deep reverie, pulling her bracelet round and round upon her wrist, till she was roused by Mad. de Coulanges, who appealed for judgment upon her new method of preparing an orange.
"I am young, I am in good health." said Emilie de Coulanges; "I am not to be pitied. But my poor mamma, who has been used all her life to such luxuries! And now to have only her Emilie to wait upon her! Her Emilie, who is but an awkward femme de chambre!
My son my eldest son, I should with emphasis say, if I were speaking to Mad. de Coulanges will be here in a few days: read this letter. How happy I shall be if you find him or if you will make him such as you can entirely approve and love! You will have power over him your influence will do what his mother's never could accomplish.
Her son-in-law, M. de Grignan, wrote to her uncle, M. de Coulanges: "What calls far more for our admiration than for our regret, is the spectacle of a brave woman facing death—of which she had no doubt from the first days of her illness—with astounding firmness and submission.
Fortunately there was no necessity for quarrelling; these foreigners were well received in every company, and Emilie pleased universally; or, as Mad. de Coulanges expressed it, "Elle avoit des grands succes dans la societe." The French comtesse herself could hardly give more emphatic importance to the untranslateable word succes than Mrs. Somers annexed to it upon this occasion.
Misfortune may have deprived you of the vast possessions to which you are heiress; but do not, therefore, degrade yourself and me by forgetting your principles, and all that the representative of the house of Coulanges ought to remember. And as for myself have I no claim upon your affections, Emilie? have not I been a fond mother?" "Oh, yes!" said Emilie, melting into tears.
Since she is so much prepossessed in his favour, can she do better than marry him? and, as he is so much attached to the house of Coulanges, when he cannot have the daughter, can he do better than marry the mother? Your mother does not look too old for him, when she is well rouged; and I am sure, if she heard me say so, she would forgive me all the rest butterfly, frivolity, and all inclusive.
Her son's delaying to return home, according to her mandate, had disappointed and vexed her extremely. Every day, when the post came in, she inquired for letters with almost as much eagerness as Mad. de Coulanges. At length a letter came from Mr. Somers, to inform his impatient mother that he should certainly be in town the beginning of the ensuing week.
But as regards ancestor-worship in general, it would be incorrect; since polygamy or polygyny, and polyandry may coexist with ruder forms of ancestor-worship. The Western-Aryan societies, in the epoch studied by M. de Coulanges, were practically monogamic. The ancient Japanese society was polygynous; and polygyny persisted, after the establishment of the domestic cult.
In this connection, Fustel de Coulanges left a tradition behind him at the University of Paris. "He endeavoured," we are told, "to reduce the rules of method to very precise formulæ ...; in his view no task was more urgent than that of teaching students how to attain truth."
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