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Detailed Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Part I: Foundations of Development
1 Understanding Human Development: Approaches and
Theories
What Is Lifespan Human Development?
Development Is Multidimensional
Development Is Multidirectional
Development Is Plastic
Development Is Influenced by Multiple Contexts
Developmental Science Is Multidisciplinary
Basic Issues in Lifespan Human Development
Continuities and Discontinuities in Development
Individuals Are Active in Development
Nature and Nurture Influence Development
Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development
Psychoanalytic Theories
Behaviorist and Social Learning Theories
Cognitive Theories
Sociocultural Systems Theory
Ethology and Evolutionary Developmental Theory
Research in Human Development
The Scientific Method
Methods of Data Collection
Research Designs
Developmental Research Designs
Ethical Issues in Research
Responsibilities to Participants
Responsibilities to Society
Part II: Biological Development and Health
2 Biological and Environmental Foundations and Prenatal
Development
Genetic Foundations of Development
Genetics
Patterns of Genetic Inheritance
Chromosomal and Genetic Problems
8
Genetic Disorders
Chromosomal Abnormalities
Mutation
Predicting and Detecting Genetic Disorders
Heredity and Environment
Behavioral Genetics
Gene–Environment Interactions
Epigenetic Framework
Prenatal Development
Germinal Period (First 2 Weeks After Conception)
Embryonic Period (3 to 8 Weeks After Conception)
Fetal Period (9 Weeks to Birth)
Childbirth
Infants at Risk: Low Birth Weight and Small-for-Date
Babies
Environmental Influences on Prenatal Development
Principles of Teratology
Types of Teratogens
Maternal Characteristics and Behaviors
3 Physical Development and Aging
Physical Development in Infancy and Childhood
Patterns of Growth
Growth in Infancy
Growth in Early and Middle Childhood
Biological and Contextual Influences on Growth
Physical Development in Adolescence
Growth in Adolescence
Primary and Secondary Sex Characteristics
Biological and Contextual Influences on Pubertal
Timing
Psychosocial Effects of Early and Late Puberty
Physical Changes in Adulthood
Changing Appearance
Body Shape, Muscle, and Bone
Reproductive Changes in Women
Reproductive Changes in Men
Theories of Aging
Eating and Exercise Over the Lifespan
Eating Behaviors in Infancy and Childhood
Eating Behaviors in Adolescence
Eating Behaviors in Adulthood
9
Obesity
Physical Activity and Exercise
4 Brain, Perception, and Motor Development
Brain Development
The Neuron
Experience and Brain Development
Brain Development in Infancy
Brain Development in Childhood
Brain Development in Adolescence
Brain Development in Adulthood
Motor Development
Gross Motor Development
Fine Motor Development
Biological and Contextual Determinants of Motor
Development
Motor Development as a Dynamic System
Motor Development and Aging
Sensation and Perception
Sensory and Perceptual Development
Sensory Changes in Adulthood
5 Health
Common Health Issues in Infancy and Childhood
Infectious Disease and Immunization
Childhood Injuries
Child Maltreatment
Mortality in Infancy and Childhood
Common Health Issues in Adolescence and Emerging
Adulthood
Eating Disorders
Alcohol and Substance Use and Abuse
Common Health Issues in Adulthood
Cancer
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease
Osteoporosis
Arthritis
Injuries
Dementia in Older Adulthood
Alzheimer’s Disease
Vascular Dementia
Parkinson’s Disease
10
Reversible Dementia
Part III: Cognitive Development
6 Cognitive Change: Cognitive–Developmental and
Sociocultural Approaches
Piaget’s Cognitive–Developmental Perspective: Cognition
in Infancy and Early Childhood
Processes of Development
Infancy: Sensorimotor Reasoning
Early Childhood: Preoperational Reasoning
Piaget’s Cognitive–Developmental Perspective: Cognition
in Middle Childhood and Adolescence
Middle Childhood: Concrete Operational Reasoning
Adolescence: Formal Operational Reasoning
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective
Scaffolding and Guided Participation
Zone of Proximal Development
Cultural Tools
Evaluating Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective
Cognitive Development in Adulthood
Postformal Reasoning and Reflective Judgment
Pragmatic Thought and Cognitive–Emotional
Complexity
Evaluating Cognitive–Developmental Approaches to
Adult Development
7 Cognitive Change: Information Processing Approach
The Information Processing System
Information Processing in Infancy
Attention in Infants
Memory in Infants
Infants’ Thinking
Information Processing in Childhood
Attention in Children
Working Memory and Executive Function in Children
Long-Term Memory in Children
Children’s Thinking and Metacognition
Information Processing in Adolescence
Attention, Memory, and Executive Function in
Adolescents
Thinking and Metacognition in Adolescence
Brain Development and Adolescent Cognition
Information Processing in Adulthood
11
Attention, Memory, and Processing Speed in Adults
Expertise, Problem Solving, and Wisdom
Influences on Cognitive Change in Adulthood
8 Intelligence
Psychometric Approach to Intelligence
Components of Intelligence
Measuring Intelligence
What Does IQ Predict?
New Approaches to Intelligence
Intelligence as Information Processing
Neurological Approach to Intelligence
Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Multiple Intelligences
Development of Intelligence
Infant Intelligence
Stability and Change in Intelligence in Childhood and
Adolescence
Intellectual Change in Adulthood
Group Differences in IQ
Genetics and IQ
Context and IQ
Reducing Cultural Bias in IQ Tests
Giftedness, Intellectual Disability, and Special Needs
Giftedness
Intellectual Disability
Learning Disabilities
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Special Education
9 Language Development
Foundations of Language
From Sounds to Symbols: Language Development in
Infancy
Early Preferences for Speech Sounds
Prelinguistic Communication
First Words
Learning Words: Semantic Growth
Two-Word Utterances: Emerging Syntax and
Pragmatics
Language Development Over the Lifespan
Advances in Language During Early Childhood
Language Development in School-Age Children and
12
Adolescents
Language Development During Adulthood
Perspectives on Language Development
Learning Theory and Language Development
Nativist Theory and Language Development
Interactionist Perspective on Language Development
Contextual Influences on Language Development
Infant-Directed Speech
Culture and Language Development
Poverty and Language Development
Bilingualism and Learning a Second Language
Part IV: Socioemotional Development
10 Emotional Development
Emotional Development in Infancy
Infants’ Emotional Experience
Emotion Regulation
Social Interaction and Emotional Development
Contextual Influences on Emotional Development
Emotional Development in Childhood
Emotional Understanding
Emotion Regulation
Contextual Influences on Children’s Emotional
Development
Emotional Development in Adolescence and Adulthood
Adolescent Moods
Adults’ Emotional Experience
Stress, Coping, and Hardiness
Attachment
Bowlby’s Ethological Perspective on Attachment
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
Promoting Secure Attachment in Infancy
Cultural Variations in Attachment Classifications
Attachment-Related Outcomes in Childhood and
Adolescence
Adult Attachment
Temperament
Styles of Temperament
Stability of Temperament
Context and Goodness of Fit
Cultural Differences in Temperament
11 Self, Identity, and Personality
13
Self-Concept
Self-Concept in Infancy
Children’s Self-Concept
Self-Concept in Adolescence
Adult Self-Concept
Self-Esteem
Children’s Self-Esteem
Adult Self-Esteem
Identity
Identity Status
Influences on Identity Development
Developmental Shifts in Identity
Outcomes Associated With Identity Development
Ethnic Identity
Personality
Trait Approach to Personality
Personality as Psychosocial Stages
12 Moral Development
Moral Reasoning
Children’s Understanding of Rules: Piaget’s
Perspective
Children’s Conceptions of Justice: Kohlberg’s
Cognitive Developmental Perspective
Contextual Influences on Moral Reasoning
Understanding Social Conventions
Prosocial Behavior
Development of Empathy and Prosocial Behavior
Influences on Prosocial Behavior
Moral Socialization
Self-Control
Social Learning
Discipline
Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
Development of Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
Aggression and Peer Victimization
Antisocial and Delinquent Behavior
Influences on Aggression
Religion and Spirituality
Religion and Spirituality in Childhood
Adolescent Religion and Spirituality
Religion and Spirituality in Adulthood
14
13 Gender and Sexuality
Gender Stereotypes, Gender Differences, and Gender
Development
Gender Stereotypes and Gender Role Norms
Sex Differences
Gender Development in Infancy
Gender Development in Childhood
Gender Development in Adolescence
Gender Roles in Adulthood
Influences on Gender Development
Biological Explanations
Cognitive-Developmental Explanations
Contextual Explanations
Emerging Sexuality
Childhood Sexuality
Adolescent Sexuality
Sexual Orientation
Sexuality and Sexual Activity
Sexual Activity in Adolescence
Sexual Activity in Emerging Adulthood
Sexual Activity in Adulthood
Sexuality and Sexual Activity in Late Adulthood
Part V: Contexts of Development
14 Social Relationships: Family and Peers
Social Transitions and Family Formation
Singlehood
Cohabitation
Marriage
Same-Sex Marriage
Divorce
Childbearing
Childlessness
Family Constellations
Single-Parent Families
Cohabiting Families
Same-Sex-Parented Families
Divorced and Divorcing Families
Blended Families
Parenting
Parenting Styles
Culture, Context, and Parenting
15
Parent–Child Relationships, Conflict, and Monitoring
Family Relationships in Adulthood
Parent–Adult Child Relationships
Grandparenthood
Caring for Aging Parents
Peer Relationships
Peer Relationships in Childhood
Peer Relationships in Adolescence
Peer Relationships in Adulthood
15 School, Achievement, and Work
Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Child–Centered and Academically Centered Programs
Early Childhood Education Interventions
Transition to First Grade
Grade Retention and Social Promotion
Reading and Mathematics
Secondary and Postsecondary Education
Transition to Junior High or Middle School and High
School
Contextual Influences on Adjustment at School
School Dropout
Developmental Impact of Attending College
Nontraditional College Students
The Forgotten Third
Achievement Motivation
Mastery Motivation
Achievement Attributions and Outcomes
Contextual Influences on Achievement Attributions
and Motivation
Career Development, Work, and Retirement
Career Development
Work
Retirement
Part VI: Endings
16 Death and Dying
Patterns of Mortality and Defining Death
Mortality
Defining Death
End-of-Life Issues
Conceptions of Death Across the Lifespan
Children’s Understanding of Death
16
Adolescents’ Understanding of Death
Adults’ Understanding of Death
Dying and the Experience of Death
The Dying Process
Emotional Reactions to Dying
The Experience of One’s Death
Bereavement and Grief
Grief Process
Models of Grieving
Contextual Influences on the Grief Process
Adjusting to the Death of a Loved One
Bereavement in Childhood and Adolescence
References
Glossary
Index
17
Preface
Contextual Perspective
Development does not occur in a vacuum; it is a function of dynamic
interactions among individuals, their genetic makeup, and myriad
contextual influences. We are all embedded in multiple layers of context,
including tangible and intangible circumstances that surround our
development, such as family, ethnicity, culture, neighborhood, community,
norms, values, and historical events. The contextual approach of Lifespan
Development in Context: A Topical Approach emphasizes understanding
the role of context in diversity and the many forms that diversity takes
(gender, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). The text
emphasizes how the places, sociocultural environments, and ways in
which we are raised influence who we become and how we grow and
change throughout the lifespan. This theme is infused throughout the text
and highlighted specifically in two types of boxed features: Lives in
Context and Cultural Influences on Development.
Emphasis on Application
The field of lifespan developmental science is unique because so much of
its content has immediate relevance to our daily lives. Students come to
18
the field with a variety of questions and interests: Do the first three years
shape the brain for a lifetime of experiences? Is learning more than one
language beneficial to children? Should teens work? Do people’s
personalities change over their lifetimes? Do adults go through a midlife
crisis? How common is dementia in older adulthood? Lifespan
Development in Context: A Topical Approach engages students by
exploring these and many more real-world questions. The emphasis on
application is highlighted specifically in the Applying Developmental
Science boxed feature, which examines applied topics such as the
implications of poverty for development, Project Head Start, whether
video games cause aggression, anti-bullying legislation, and the issue of
disclosing dementia diagnoses to patients.
Current Research
The lifespan course comes with the challenge of covering the growing
mass of research findings within the confines of a single semester. In
writing Lifespan Development in Context: A Topical Approach, I have
sifted through the most current research available, selecting important
findings. However, classic theory and research remain important
foundations for today’s most exciting scholarly work. I integrate cutting-
edge and classic research to present a unified story of what is currently
known in developmental psychology. One of the most rapidly growing
areas of developmental science research is in neuroscience, and this is
reflected in the Lifespan Brain Development boxed features, which apply
research on neurological development to issues such as videos that claim
to promote precocious infant learning, chronic traumatic encephalopathy
in athletes, the multidimensional “brain-based education” movement, and
the legitimacy of brain-training apps.
19
guided by my students’ responses and learning.
Organization
Lifespan Development in Context: A Topical Approach is organized into
sixteen topical chapters, within six units, that depict the wide range of
developments that occur over the lifespan. Part I, Chapter 1, introduces
lifespan theory and research design within a single chapter. I chose this
approach because, given limited class time, many instructors do not cover
stand-alone research chapters. The streamlined approach combines
comprehensive coverage of methods of data collection, research design,
developmental designs (such as sequential designs), and ethical issues in
research with full coverage of the major theories in developmental
psychology.
20
Finally, Part VI, Chapter 16, presents death and dying, including the
process of death, how children and adults understand death, and coping
with bereavement.
Pedagogy
My day-to-day experiences in the classroom have helped me to keep
college students’ interests and abilities at the forefront. Unlike many
textbook authors, I teach four classes each semester at a comprehensive
regional public university (and have done so since 1996). Fifteen years ago
I began teaching online and hybrid courses. My daily exposure to multiple
classes and many students helps keep me grounded in the ever-changing
concerns and interests of college students. I teach a diverse group of
students. Some live on campus but most commute. Most of my students
are ages 18 to 24, but my classes also include many so-called
nontraditional students over the age of 24. A growing number are veterans.
I have many opportunities to try new examples and activities. I believe that
what works in my classroom will be helpful to readers and instructors. I
use the pedagogical elements of Lifespan Development in Context: A
Topical Approach in my own classes and modify them based on my
experiences.
Critical Thinking
Thinking in Context: At the end of each main section within the chapter,
these critical thinking questions encourage readers to compare concepts,
apply theoretical perspectives, and consider applications of research
findings presented. In addition, each boxed feature concludes with critical
thinking questions that challenge students to assess and evaluate the issues
highlighted in that feature. The boxed features are as follows:
21
Lifespan Brain Development
Lives in Context
Application
Apply Your Knowledge: Each chapter closes with a case scenario, followed
by in-depth questions that require students to apply their understanding to
address a particular situation or problem.
SUPPLEMENTS
Original Video
Lifespan Development in Context is accompanied by a robust collection of
Lives in Context Video Cases that demonstrate key concepts through
real-life examples, as well as Dr. Kuther’s Chalk Talks, a series of
whiteboard-style videos carefully crafted to engage students with course
content. All videos are accessible through the interactive eBook available
to pair with the text.
For Instructors
SAGE edge is a robust online environment featuring an impressive array
of free tools and resources. At edge.sagepub.com/kuthertopical,
instructors using this book can access customizable PowerPoint slides,
along with an extensive test bank built on Bloom’s taxonomy that features
multiple-choice, true/false, essay and short answer questions for each
chapter. The instructor’s manual is mapped to learning objectives and
features lecture notes, discussion questions, chapter exercises, class
assignments and more.
For Students
At the outset of every chapter, learning objectives are paired with Digital
Resources available at edge.sagepub.com/kuthertopical and designed to
promote mastery of course material. Students are encouraged to access
articles from award-winning SAGE journals, listen to podcasts, and watch
open-access video resources. The text can also be paired with an
22
interactive eBook that offers one-click access to these study tools and to
the book’s Original Video package for a seamless learning experience.
Students can then practice with mobile-friendly eFlashcards and eQuizzes
to find out what they’ve learned.
23
Acknowledgments
This book has benefited from the support of many. I have been very
fortunate to work with an exceptionally talented and accommodating team
at SAGE. I thank Elsa Peterson for feedback and editorial suggestions,
Gail Buschman for her creativity and expertise in design and figures, and
Nathan Davidson for his keen eye for photos and figures. Sara Harris
provided invaluable support in constructing digital resources and videos,
for which I am appreciative. Thanks go to Zach Valladon for answering
my many questions and going above and beyond to help. I also thank
Olivia Weber-Stenis, Katherine Hepburn, and Diana Breti. I am indebted
to Lucy Berbeo for her insight and ability to keep the multiple parts of this
project consistently moving forward, and especially for keeping me on
track, no easy feat. My editor Lara Parra has the ineffable ability to foresee
my questions and needs, bring the right people and information together at
the right time, and exude a sense of calm that reminds me to breathe.
Thank you, Lara!
Thanks go to SAGE family and friends and the faculty and students at
California State University, Northridge, who participated in the chapter
videos, and to Peck Media for developing the animations.
24
Jerry Green, Tarrant County College
Glenna S. Gustafson, Radford University
Jonathan Hart, The College of New Jersey
Micheal Huff, College of the Canyons
Marisha L Humphries, University of Illinois at Chicago
Michiko Iwasaki, Loyola University Maryland
J. Osia Jaoko, Campbellsville University
Lakitta D. Johnson, Jackson State University
Sue A. Kelley, Lycoming College
Melanie E. Keyes, Eastern Connecticut State University
Joseph Lao, Hunter College
Gina J. Mariano, Troy University
Robert J. Martinez, Northwest Vista College
Clark E. McKinney, Southwest Tennessee Community College,
Memphis, Tennessee
Jillian Pierucci, St. Mary’s University
Colleen J. Sullivan, Worcester State University
Vanessa Volpe, Ursinus College
Erin L. Woodhead, San Jose State University
Larolyn S. Zylicz, Cape Fear Community College
25
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
aussi sûr du moins qu’on peut l’être de quelque chose dans ce
monde sublunaire, où rien n’est certain que l’incertitude.
Les choses en étaient là, lorsqu’un incident imprévu vint
déranger nos calculs.
Un soir que nous avions conduit ces dames aux Italiens, puis
soupé chez elles d’un salmis de perdreaux et de champagne frappé,
nous rentrions à l’hôtel dans notre cabriolet, heureux comme des
mendiants en goguette.
— John, me dit Cinqpoints, qui était de fort bonne humeur, quand
je serai marié, je doublerai tes gages !
Il aurait certainement pu tenir sa promesse sans se ruiner, vu
qu’il ne me les payait jamais. Mais quoi ? Ce serait quelque chose
de joli, si nous autres domestiques nous étions réduits à vivre de nos
gages ! Je ne lui témoignai pas moins ma reconnaissance par
quelques paroles bien senties. Je jurai que ce n’était pas pour les
gages que je le servais (je ne mentais pas), et que jamais, au grand
jamais, je ne quitterais de mon propre gré un si bon maître. Ces
deux discours, — celui de Cinqpoints et le mien, — étaient à peine
terminés que nous arrivions dans la cour de l’hôtel Mirabeau, qui,
comme chacun sait, se trouve à quelques pas de la place Vendôme.
Nous montâmes chez nous, moi portant un flambeau, mon maître ne
portant rien et fredonnant un air d’opéra.
J’ouvris la porte du salon. Il était déjà éclairé. Une bouteille vide
gisait à terre ; une autre à moitié pleine était debout sur la table,
auprès de laquelle on avait roulé le canapé. Sur ce canapé était
allongé un gros gentilhomme, qui fumait son cigare aussi
tranquillement que s’il se fût trouvé dans un estaminet.
Le lecteur n’ignore pas que Cinqpoints détestait le tabac. Il fut
donc très-mécontent de voir son salon transformé en tabagie, et
demanda à l’intrus, dont la fumée ne lui permettait pas de distinguer
les traits, ce qu’il faisait là.
Le fumeur se leva, et, posant son cigare sur la table, partit d’un
éclat de rire sonore et prolongé. Enfin il s’écria :
— Eh quoi ! Percy, tu ne me reconnais pas ?
On se rappellera une lettre pathétique, portant la signature du
comte de Crabs, insérée dans l’avant-dernier chapitre, et se
terminant par la demande d’un emprunt de dix mille francs. C’est
l’auteur de cette aimable épître qui fumait et riait dans notre salon.
Lord Crabs pouvait avoir soixante ans. C’était un vieillard à face
rubiconde, chauve, assez bien conservé pour son âge, malgré sa
corpulence. Il avait cet air de dignité qui n’appartient qu’aux gens
habitués à inspirer le respect, et, bien qu’il eût bu outre mesure, il ne
paraissait pas plus ivre qu’il ne convient à un personnage de son
rang.
— Comment, mon garçon, tu ne reconnais pas ton père ! répéta-
t-il en s’avançant vers son fils et en lui tendant la main.
Mon maître s’exécuta d’assez mauvaise grâce. Je vis qu’il n’était
rien moins que flatté de cette visite inespérée.
— Milord, balbutia-t-il, je ne… j’avoue vraiment… ce plaisir
inattendu… Le fait est, continua-t-il en se remettant un peu, que je
n’ai pas reconnu tout d’abord la personne qui m’honorait d’une visite
à une heure aussi tardive. Cette satanée fumée…
— Une vilaine habitude, Percy, une bien vilaine habitude !
interrompit le père en allumant un autre cigare. Une dégoûtante
manie, que tu feras bien d’éviter, mon cher enfant ! Quiconque
s’adonne à ce funeste passe-temps ruine son intelligence et peut
renoncer aux travaux sérieux ; non-seulement il détruit sa santé,
mais il offense tous les nez biens constitués. Un de nos ancêtres,
Percy, envoyait ses laquais dans les promenades publiques avec un
cigare à la bouche afin d’en dégoûter les honnêtes gens ; mais nous
dégénérons, mon ami !… A propos, vois donc les infernales feuilles
de chou que l’on débite dans ton hôtel… Ne pourrais-tu envoyer ton
domestique au café de Paris, et me faire rapporter quelques cigares
de choix ?
Milord se versa un verre de champagne et le but. Mon maître fit
la grimace ; mais il me remit une pièce de cinq francs en me disant
d’exécuter la commission. Comme je savais que le café de Paris
était déjà fermé, je mis l’argent dans ma poche et je m’installai dans
l’antichambre, d’où je pouvais entendre ce qui se passait dans le
salon.
— Sers-toi et passe-moi la bouteille, reprit lord Crabs après un
moment de silence.
Mon pauvre maître qui était le roi de toutes les sociétés qu’il
daignait honorer de sa présence, paraissait un petit garçon auprès
de monsieur son père. Il ouvrit l’armoire d’où cet aimable vieillard
avait déjà extrait deux flacons de Sillery, et revint avec une troisième
bouteille, qu’il plaça devant milord après en avoir fait sauter le
bouchon. Ce devoir rempli, il toussa, cracha, arrangea le feu, ouvrit
les fenêtres, se promena de long en large, bâilla à plusieurs
reprises, puis porta la main à son front comme pour échapper à une
subite migraine. Tous ces signes de malaise furent inutiles, milord ne
bougea pas.
— Sers-toi donc et passe la bouteille, répéta-t-il.
— Merci, milord, je ne bois ni ne fume.
— Tu as raison, mon ami, mille fois raison ! Une bonne
conscience vaut son pesant d’or ; mais parlez-moi d’un bon
estomac ! Tu n’as pas de nuits d’insomnie, toi ? Pas de maux de tête
le matin, hein ? Tu te couches tard, mais tu te lèves frais et dispos,
au point du jour, afin de reprendre tes études ?
Mon maître se tenait debout et immobile. Tel j’ai vu un
malheureux soldat attendre en silence les coups de fouet à neuf
lanières qui lui enlèvent la peau. Son digne interlocuteur,
s’échauffant à mesure qu’il parlait, buvait une gorgée de champagne
à chaque fin de phrase, sans doute pour en bien établir la
ponctuation.
— Avec tes talents et de pareils principes tu iras loin ! Sais-tu
bien, Percy, que tout Londres parle de tes exploits et de ton bonheur
insolent ? Mais on aura beau faire ton éloge, jamais on ne te rendra
justice. Tu n’es pas seulement un grand philosophe, tu as trouvé la
pierre philosophale, ce qui vaut beaucoup mieux ! Un bel
appartement, un cabriolet, de jolis chevaux, un vin délicieux… je m’y
connais… tout cela avec une pauvre petite rente dont se contenterait
à peine un bourgeois !
— Je présume que vous faites allusion à la rente que vous
m’avez si généreusement accordée ?
— Précisément, mon garçon, précisément ! répondit milord en
riant aux éclats. Parbleu, c’est là le merveilleux de l’affaire ! Avec
cette rente que tu ne reçois pas, tu trouves moyen de t’entourer de
tant de luxe ! Livre-moi ton secret, ô jeune Trismégiste ! Dis à ton
vieux père comment on accomplit de pareilles merveilles, et alors…
alors, parole d’honneur, je te servirai régulièrement ta rente, y
compris les arriérés !
— Enfin, milord, demanda Cinqpoints avec un geste
d’impatience, me ferez-vous le plaisir de m’apprendre le but de votre
visite ? Vous m’eussiez vu mourir de faim sans éprouver de trop
grands soucis ; et aujourd’hui, parce que j’ai réussi à faire mon
chemin, il vous plaît de vous montrer facétieux à mes dépens ; parce
que vous me voyez dans la prospérité, vous venez…
— Eh bien, tu ne devines pas ? interrompit de nouveau le visiteur.
Attends un peu que je remplisse mon verre… C’est étonnant comme
ces diablesses de bouteilles passent souvent devant moi quand je
bois tout seul !… Voyons, réfléchis un peu. Comment ! je viens te
retrouver dans ta prospérité, et toi, garçon d’esprit, tu es encore à te
demander quel motif m’a engagé à rechercher ton aimable société !
Fi donc, Percy, tu es moins profond philosophe que je ne croyais !
Pourquoi je suis venu ? Mais tout bonnement parce que tu es dans
la prospérité, ô mon fils ! Autrement, pourquoi diantre me serais-je
dérangé ? Ta mère ou moi avons-nous jamais pu découvrir en toi
l’ombre d’un sentiment affectueux ? Nous est-il jamais arrivé (à nous
ou à tout autre) d’apprendre que tu te sois rendu coupable d’une
action honnête ou généreuse ? Avons-nous jamais feint de t’aimer
pour les vertus que tu n’as pas ? Je suis la plus ancienne de tes
victimes, puisque j’ai payé des milliers de livres pour acquitter tes
premières dettes. C’est une faiblesse, je le sais. Heureusement te
voilà en état de la réparer, du moins en partie. Lorsque je t’ai écrit
pour négocier un emprunt, je ne m’attendais guère à une réponse
favorable. Si je t’avais annoncé ma visite, tu n’aurais pas manqué de
me brûler la politesse. Aussi, comme j’ai besoin non plus de dix,
mais de vingt-cinq mille francs, je suis arrivé sans tambour ni
trompette. Maintenant que tu sais ce qui m’amène, sers-toi et passe-
moi la bouteille.
Ce discours terminé, lord Crabs s’allongea de nouveau sur le
canapé et se remit à fumer. J’avoue que cette scène me charma
infiniment. Je fus ravi de voir ce vénérable vieillard donner sur les
doigts de son indigne rejeton, et venger ainsi l’infortuné Richard
Blewitt. Le visage de mon maître, autant que j’en pus juger à travers
le trou de la serrure, devint rouge-homard, puis blanc de perle. Enfin
il répondit en ces termes :
— Milord, je ne vous cache pas que j’avais à peu près deviné le
motif de votre aimable visite. Je n’ignore pas les nobles sentiments
qui vous animent, et je reconnais humblement que j’ai puisé toutes
les vertus que je possède dans les salutaires exemples que j’ai
reçus de vous. Lorsque vous serez moins ému, milord, vous
comprendrez tout ce qu’il y a de ridicule dans votre demande ;
malgré mes défauts, je suis du moins assez sage pour garder
l’argent que j’ai la peine de gagner.
— Fort bien, mon garçon ! répondit lord Crabs d’un ton qui
respirait la bonne humeur. A ton aise ! seulement, si tu refuses, tant
pis pour toi ! Je n’ai nulle envie de te nuire, à moins que tu ne m’y
forces. Je ne suis pas en colère, pas le moins du monde ; mais je te
préviens que tu feras bien de me prêter ces vingt-cinq mille francs…
Sinon, il t’en coûtera peut-être davantage.
— Monsieur, répliqua Cinqpoints, je serai aussi franc que vous :
je ne vous donnerais pas un sou, quand ce serait pour vous
empêcher d’être…
Ici, je crus qu’il était de mon devoir d’ouvrir la porte ; ôtant mon
chapeau, afin d’avoir l’air de rentrer, je m’avançai en disant :
— Milord, le café de Paris est fermé.
— Tant pis, tant pis ! répliqua le comte. Gardez les cinq francs
mon garçon… (C’était bien mon intention) et reconduisez-moi.
J’allais obéir, lorsque mon maître me prévint.
— Comment donc, milord, s’écria-t-il, vous laisser reconduire par
un domestique lorsque je suis là ! Non, non, mon cher père ;
l’absence ne m’a point fait oublier le respect que je vous dois.
Ils descendirent donc ensemble.
— Bonsoir, Percy, dit lord Crabs d’un ton affectueux.
— Dieu vous bénisse, milord, répondit Cinqpoints. Êtes-vous bien
couvert ?… Prenez garde, il y a encore une marche… Bonne nuit,
mon cher père.
C’est ainsi que se séparèrent ces vertueux personnages.
V
INTRIGUES
» Éliza Bobtail. »