Looks veiling misty souls

Looks veiling misty souls (Les regards voilant les existences brumeuses)

1895. La condition féminine à la fin du XIXème siècle. Une femme brillante dont la fortune familiale a été dispersée en Géorgie par les autorités impériales russes en 1886 et qui décide de venir en Angleterre pour travailler dans un milieu plutôt réservé aux hommes: la justice. Dans un office notarial, une femme? Impensable! Pourtant elle va briser en quelques sortes symboliquement le droit coutumier de la Common Law en travaillant dans l'office. Oui, mais à quel prix? Celui de la vérité?

On suggère dans cette histoire que la femme doit se soumettre pour réussir, être forcée d'user de son intelligence et de tout ce qu'elle peut notamment son apparence. Vraiment?

Et si finalement elle renonçait à cette idée que l'amour et les relations entre hommes et femmes soient réduites à de l'hypocrisie envers et avec soi, les autres et à la prostitution de soi-même face aux exigences de l'autre...?

1895. At the end of the XIXth century, the woman's condition. A brilliant woman who lost her title and whose name has been dishonoured in Georgia, by the Imperial Russian authorities in 1886. A woman who decides to go to England. A woman who wants to work on a masculine underworld: a law firm. A woman in a notarial office? Unthinkable! Nevertheless, symbolically, she will break the Common Law's customary right in a certain way, in working on the study. Yes, but at any price? The true's one?

In this story, submission it's suggested to women -if they didn't do it yet thanks to the society's pressure. In order to succeed, they should force themselves to use their own persuasive intelligence and all they can use; of course their appearance and their virtue. Really?

And if she finally renounced to the love's, women and men relashionship's ideas which are reduced to hypocrisis towards oneself and with oneself, the others and to oneself's prostitution in front of others' demands...?

First extract:

" He was climbing the stairs two by two, with eagerness.

Then, he entered in the notarial office with a large smiley, this peaceful smiley which expressed the relief to be back in own land, in England.

Stubbornly he seized on the handle, opened the consulting room's door and he exclaimed with a juvenil enthusiasm :

- Good morning Monsieur De Foline !

He looked at his right. In a corner, he noticed that Mr. De Foline was consciously occupied. The bald-headed man was sitting at his desk and he was writing. A young woman who was analizing documents with a frinicky eye, was stood up near to him. She was nearly thirty in observing and judging her face. He found her charming but no more – so to speak and as the saying goes : suitable- because her carmine crinoline was too dazzling for a young woman from her condition, a lower middle-class. Her natural beauty, delicacy was squashed, she was drowned on satin's purifyed fineness.

However, Henry-Matthew Holling lasted stunned by her presence : De Foline wasn't used to take women in his office, above all in his room -for work, because the tasteless old man hated female compagny.

She suggested something to the solicitor.

- Good mornin' Mr. Holling, De Foline answered with a monotonous voice, still wraping up in his work.

She timidly looked at Henry with a cold and mefiant gaze. Her eyes were bright ; he noted it.

- Gloria please, wait outside. Go to Mr. Goldhermer's room: door number six, at the first, and give it to him, he has to sign me this papers for Mr. Della Longa, De Foline ordered.

She hailed him.

- I'll ask him, see you later, she added with a formal tone and an assured voice.

De Foline didn't notify this act of politeness and didn't cast a glance at her, actually he grimaced, considering his piece of paper. She took the power of attorney and the others official documents, without either protest or disturb him again.

The young man was observing her with an abstracted interest ; he was consumed by curiosity : a woman working on an office ?

She left them.

- Goodbye sir, she sighed to the young man when she was passing near to Holling.

- Goodbye Madam, Henry answered with a barely unconsidered amability, still looking at her.

- Mademoiselle, she corrected him.

This unsuspected repartee astonished the english barrister.

She closed the door in omitting to deem at them by courtesy. Henry interrogated his associate with an intrigued look and a sprightly smiley.

After a moment of silence, he carried on the conversation :

- Is she feminist ? he dared to ask absentmindedly.

His associate didn't know, so he shook his head, eminently perplexed.

- Holling, why this question ? That's preposterous and improper ! He rose up in understanding his words.

Henry reassured him with thoughlessness and detachment :

- Oh ! Nothing... - his face became a little gloomy- She'd just insisted on her Mademoiselle... -lightness came to him again- So, why did you bring this young woman here Mr. De Foline ?

- Oh ! the old man lets out – his visage was blasé-, she asked her tutor, a foreign woman maybe french -you know women have strange ideas and ideals-... she asked to be secretary, -more than a secretary, a woman of buissness. She wanted to work, so, I took her in pure charities. I wasn't convince by the idea...

His partner found the idea very entertaining and cheeky but, it made him a little giddy.

- It's refreshing and pleasant, that's generous for her, declared Henry to the decrepit man, in sitting at his desk.

He began his work with a cheered up haste.

- Not only, outdid the solicitor in regaining a controled and detached joviality -he approached-, she is kind and quite intelligent !

He had a malicious glance and a mischievous smiley. He moved away in enthusing with more exuberance :

- I hope you will see it soon Mr. Holling, she is here since two months -the date of your departure from France with our customers- and will be here until few months, I hope that she will capable to manage a buissness ! By the way -except on that point- her name is Gloria Théodorine Aura Gisela De Montpessan, as she said me. Quite delicious ! A french woman. But she prefers when people call her Théodorine, that sounds better french than Gloria, I've found it -Gloria- ridiculous and pompous !

The second following, he calmly plunged again in his work. Henry constated that she had fired the old man of ecstasy ; his heart was blazing.

Day after day Henry understood to know her and to appreciate the compagny of a young lady like her. Even if sometimes he called her Gloria, he tried to name her in the manner which she delighted. In true words, it was to flatter her by gallantry, in order to have her compliments, amenities, consents. Henry did it by usual civility. But, he hid a weakness : his will to call her Aura, because, in real, he estimated this one as the jolliest name of hers.

She was discreet of character but in rubbing shoulders with Henry, the young man discovered a human being apearing to him with a vivacious, sincere, assured and merry look, who spoke well. He seemed to consider the young lady as a partner and willingly he accepted to discuss with her; Gloria understanding was alluring ; it appealed, interested the young barrister :

- Theodorine, you're more than a woman ! he said once, totally disconcerned and amazed. You're a spirit self-consciousness!

His senses were stired by a glare.

She had simply laughed, touched by the flattery.

She wasn't every day at the office, not all the day when she was there and Henry found the time very long, a sort of idle listlessness came to him.

Henry could account for how she was sweet, pleasant, good-natured and plenty of a carefree and audacious mind. Her intelligence and knowledges were upsetting ! Her understanding was really intuitive and just.

She animated his curiosity and her dazzling character charmed the young man's sense of attention.

Between each other a real affection was rising. They joked with complicity and spoke without embarrassment, with confidence. Moreover, he acquired the bold ease to call her Aura.

Even if there was this profund -strong- connivance, it wasn't an honest relationship, it was superficial because some modesty was settled in Gloria and a thoughtless inconsciousness was still here, between them.

Nevertheless, sometimes, she could be a little hard with him and rude when he was too annoying and sure of himself. She was cold and rigid at these moments because she knew what she wanted about life. She knew how to affirm herself in front of men.

They told their life, they exchanged about their daily troubles with lightness, in a serious way linged with a artless cheerfulness.

Both, they were suited to each other. "

(...)

Written by: Fanny