The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac (freenovel24 TXT) 📖

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for your testimony, that madame here declares that she did not possess

twenty-five thousand francs and could not therefore have placed them

in my hands. Now, as the notary Dupuis, in whose hands I fancied I had

placed them, left Paris this morning for Brussels carrying with him

the money of all his clients, I have no account with madame, by her

own showing, and the absconding of the notary--"

 

"Has the notary Dupuis absconded?" screamed Madame Lambert, driven by

this dreadful news entirely out of her usual tones of dulcet sweetness

and Christian resignation. "Ah, the villain! it was only this morning

that he was taking the sacrament at Saint-Jacques du Haut-Pas."

 

"To pray for a safe journey, probably," said la Peyrade.

 

"Monsieur talks lightly enough," continued Madame Lambert, "though

that brigand has carried off my savings. But I gave them to monsieur,

and monsieur is answerable to me for them; he is the only one I know

in this transaction."

 

"Hey?" said la Peyrade to Thuillier, pointing to Madame Lambert, whose

whole demeanor had something of the mother-wolf suddenly bereft of her

cubs; "is that nature? tell me! Do you think now that madame and I are

playing a comedy for your benefit?"

 

"I am thunderstruck at Cerizet's audacity," said Thuillier. "I am

overwhelmed with my own stupidity; there is nothing for me to do but

to submit myself entirely to your discretion."

 

"Madame," said la Peyrade, gaily, "excuse me for thus frightening you;

the notary Dupuis is still a very saintly man, and quite incapable of

doing an injury to his clients. As for monsieur here, it was necessary

that I should prove to him that you had really placed that money in my

hands; he is, however, another myself, and your secret, though known

to him, is as safe as it is with me."

 

"Oh, very good, monsieur!" said Madame Lambert. "I suppose these

gentlemen have no further need of me?"

 

"No, my dear madame, and I beg you to pardon me for the little terror

I was compelled to occasion you."

 

Madame Lambert turned to leave the room with all the appearance of

respectful humility, but when she reached the door, she retraced her

steps, and coming close to la Peyrade said, in her smoothest tones:--

 

"When does monsieur expect to be able to refund me that money?"

 

"But I told you," said la Peyrade, stiffly, "that notaries never

return on demand the money placed in their hands."

 

"Does monsieur think that if I went to see Monsieur Dupuis himself and

asked him--"

 

"I think," said la Peyrade, interrupting her, "that you would do a

most ridiculous thing. He received the money from me in my own name,

as you requested, and he knows only me in the matter."

 

"Then monsieur will be so kind, will he not, as to get back that money

for me as soon as possible? I am sure I would not wish to press

monsieur, but in two or three months from now I may want it; I have

heard of a little property it would suit me to buy."

 

"Very good, Madame Lambert," said la Peyrade, with well-concealed

irritation, "it shall be done as you wish; and in less time, perhaps,

than you have stated I shall hope to return your money to you."

 

"That won't inconvenience monsieur, I trust," said the woman; "he told

me that at the first indiscretion I committed--"

 

"Yes, yes, that is all understood," said la Peyrade, interrupting her.

 

"Then I have the honor to be the very humble servant of these

gentlemen," said Madame Lambert, now departing definitively.

 

"You see, my friend, the trouble you have got me into," said la

Peyrade to Thuillier as soon as they were alone, "and to what I am

exposed by my kindness in satisfying your diseased mind. That debt was

dormant; it was in a chronic state; and you have waked it up and made

it acute. The woman brought me the money and insisted on my keeping

it, at a good rate of interest. I refused at first; then I agreed to

place it in Dupuis's hands, explaining to her that it couldn't be

withdrawn at once; but subsequently, when Dutocq pressed me, I

decided, after all, to keep it myself."

 

"I am dreadfully sorry, dear friend, for my silly credulity. But don't

be uneasy about the exactions of that woman; we will manage to arrange

all that, even if I have to make you an advance upon Celeste's 'dot.'"

 

"My excellent friend," said la Peyrade, "it is absolutely necessary

that we should talk over our private arrangements; to tell you the

truth, I have no fancy for being hauled up every morning and

questioned as to my conduct. Just now, while waiting for that woman, I

drew up a little agreement, which you and I will discuss and sign, if

you please, before the first number of the paper is issued."

 

"But," said Thuillier, "our deed of partnership seems to me to

settle--"

 

"--that by a paltry forfeit of five thousand francs, as stated in

Article 14," interrupted Theodose, "you can put me, when you choose,

out of doors. No, I thank you! After my experience to-day, I want some

better security than that."

 

At this moment Cerizet with a lively and all-conquering air, entered

the room.

 

"My masters!" he exclaimed, "I've brought the money; and we can now

sign the bond."

 

Then, remarking that his news was received with extreme coldness, he

added:--

 

"Well? what is it?"

 

"It is this," replied Thuillier: "I refuse to be associated with

double-face men and calumniators. We have no need of you or your

money; and I request you not to honor these precincts any longer with

your presence."

 

"Dear! dear! dear!" said Cerizet; "so papa Thuillier has let the wool

be pulled over his eyes again!"

 

"Leave the room!" said Thuillier; "you have nothing more to do here."

 

"Hey, my boy!" said Cerizet, turning to la Peyrade, "so you've twisted

the old bourgeois round your finger again? Well, well, no matter! I

think you are making a mistake not to go and see du Portail, and I

shall tell him--"

 

"Leave this house!" cried Thuillier, in a threatening tone.

 

"Please remember, my dear monsieur, that I never asked you to employ

me; I was well enough off before you sent for me, and I shall be

after. But I'll give you a piece of advice: don't pay the twenty-five

thousand francs out of your own pocket, for that's hanging to your

nose."

 

So saying, Cerizet put his thirty-three thousand francs in banknotes

back into his wallet, took his hat from the table, carefully smoothed

the nap with his forearm and departed.

 

Thuillier had been led by Cerizet into what proved to be a most

disastrous campaign. Now become the humble servant of la Peyrade, he

was forced to accept his conditions, which were as follows: five

hundred francs a month for la Peyrade's services in general; his

editorship of the paper to be paid at the rate of fifty francs a

column,--which was simply enormous, considering the small size of the

sheet; a binding pledge to continue the publication of the paper for

six months, under pain of the forfeiture of fifteen thousand francs;

an absolute omnipotence in the duties of editor-in-chief,--that is to

say, the sovereign right of inserting, controlling, and rejecting all

articles without being called to explain the reasons of his actions,

--such were the stipulations of a treaty in duplicate made openly, "in

good faith," between the contracting parties. _But_, in virtue of

another and secret agreement, Thuillier gave security for the payment

of the twenty-five thousand francs for which la Peyrade was

accountable to Madame Lambert, binding the said Sieur de la Peyrade,

in case the payment were required before his marriage with Celeste

Colleville could take place, to acknowledge the receipt of said sum

advanced upon the dowry.

 

Matters being thus arranged and accepted by the candidate, who saw no

chance of election if he lost la Peyrade, Thuillier was seized with a

happy thought. He went to the Cirque-Olympique, where he remembered to

have seen in the ticket-office a former employee in his office at the

ministry of Finance,--a man named Fleury; to whom he proposed the post

of manager. Fleury, being an old soldier, a good shot, and a skilful

fencer, would certainly make himself an object of respect in a

newspaper office. The working-staff of the paper being thus

reconstituted, with the exception of a few co-editors or reporters to

be added later, but whom la Peyrade, thanks to the facility of his

pen, was able for the present to do without, the first number of the

new paper was launched upon the world.

 

Thuillier now recommenced the explorations about Paris which we

saw him make on the publication of his pamphlet. Entering all

reading-rooms and cafes, he asked for the "Echo de la Bievre," and

when informed, alas, very frequently, that the paper was unknown in

this or that establishment, "It is incredible!" he would exclaim,

"that a house which respects itself does not take such a widely

known paper."

 

On that, he departed disdainfully, not observing that in many places,

where this ancient trick of commercial travellers was well understood,

they were laughing behind his back.

 

The evening of the day when the inauguration number containing the

"profession of faith" appeared, Brigitte's salon, although the day was

not Sunday, was filled with visitors. Reconciled to la Peyrade, whom

her brother had brought home to dinner, the old maid went so far as to

tell him that, without flattery, she thought his leading article was a

famous HIT. For that matter, all the guests as they arrived, reported

that the public seemed enchanted with the first number of the new

journal.

 

The public! everybody knows what that is. To every man who launches a

bit of writing into the world, the public consists of five or six

intimates who cannot, without offending the author, avoid knowing

something more or less of his lucubrations.

 

"As for me!" cried Colleville, "I can truthfully declare that it is

the first political article I ever read that didn't send me to sleep."

 

"It is certain," said Phellion, "that the leading article seems to me

to be stamped with vigor joined to an atticism which we may seek in

vain in the columns of the other public prints."

 

"Yes," said Dutocq, "the matter is very well presented; and besides,

there's a turn of phrase, a clever diction, that doesn't belong to

everybody. However, we must wait and see how it keeps on. I fancy that

to-morrow the 'Echo de la Bievre' will be strongly attacked by the

other papers."

 

"Parbleu!" cried Thuillier, "that's what we are hoping for; and if the

government would only do us the favor to seize us--"

 

"No, thank you," said Fleury, whom Thuillier had also brought home to

dinner, "I don't want to enter upon those functions at first."

 

"Seized!" said Dutocq, "oh, you won't be seized; but I think the

ministerial journals will fire a broadside at you."

 

The next day Thuillier was at the office as early as eight o'clock, in

order to be the first to receive that formidable salvo. After looking

through every morning paper he was forced to admit that there was no

more mention of the "Echo de la Bievre" than if it didn't exist. When

la Peyrade arrived he found his unhappy friend in a state of

consternation.

 

"Does that surprise you?" said the Provencal, tranquilly. "I let you

enjoy yesterday your hopes of a hot engagement with the press; but I

knew myself that in all probability there wouldn't be the slightest

mention of us in to-day's papers. Against every paper which makes its

debut with some distinction, there's always a two weeks', sometimes a

two months' conspiracy of silence."

 

"Conspiracy of silence!" echoed Thuillier, with admiration.

 

He did not know what it meant, but the words had a grandeur and a

_something_ that appealed to his imagination. After la Peyrade had

explained to him that by "conspiracy of silence" was meant the

agreement of existing journals to make no mention of new-comers lest

such notice should serve to advertise them, Thuillier's mind was

hardly better satisfied than it had been by the pompous flow of the

words. The bourgeois is born so; words are coins which he takes and

passes without question. For a word, he will excite himself or calm

down, insult or applaud. With a word, he can be brought to make a

revolution and overturn a government of his own choice.

 

The paper, however, was only a means; the object was Thuillier's

election. This was insinuated rather than stated in the first numbers.

But one morning, in the columns of the "Echo," appeared a letter from

several electors thanking their delegate to the municipal council for

the firm and frankly liberal attitude in which he had taken on all

questions of local interests. "This firmness," said the letter, "had

brought down upon him the persecution of the government, which, towed

at the heels of foreigners, had sacrificed Poland and