Topinard\'sapartmentconsistedofakitchenandtwobedrooms。Thefirstwasanurserywithtwolittledealbedsteadsandacradleinit,thesecondwasthebedroom,andthekitchendiddutyasadining-room。
Above,reachedbyashortladder,knownamongbuildersasa“trap-
ladder,“therewasakindofgarret,sixfeethigh,withasash-windowletintotheroof。Thisroom,givenasaservants\'bedroom,raisedtheTopinards\'establishmentfrommere“rooms“tothedignityofatenement,andtherenttoacorrespondingsumoffourhundredfrancs。
Anarchedlobby,lightedfromthekitchenbyasmallroundwindow,diddutyasanante-chamber,andfilledthespacebetweenthebedroom,thekitchen,andhousedoors——threedoorsinall。Theroomswerepavedwithbricks,andhungwithahideouswall-paperatthreepenceapiece;
thechimneypiecesthatadornedthemwereofthekindcalled/capucines/——ashelfsetonacoupleofbracketspaintedtoresemblewood。Hereinthesethreeroomsdweltfivehumanbeings,threeofthemchildren。Anyone,therefore,canimaginehowthewallswerecoveredwithscoresandscratchessofarasaninfantarmcanreach。
Richpeoplecanscarcelyrealizetheextremesimplicityofapoorman\'skitchen。ADutchoven,akettle,agridiron,asaucepan,twoorthreedumpycooking-pots,andafrying-pan——thatwasall。Allthecrockeryintheplace,whiteandbrownearthenwaretogether,wasnotworthmorethantwelvefrancs。Dinnerwasservedonthekitchentable,which,withacoupleofchairsandacoupleofstools,completedthefurniture。Thestockoffuelwaskeptunderthestovewithafunnel-
shapedchimney,andinacornerstoodthewash-tubinwhichthefamilylinenlay,oftensteepingover-nightinsoapsuds。Thenurseryceilingwascoveredwithclothes-lines,thewallswerevariegatedwiththeatricalplacardsandwood-cutsfromnewspapersoradvertisements。
Evidentlytheeldestboy,theowneroftheschool-booksstackedinacorner,wasleftinchargewhilehisparentswereabsentatthetheatre。InmanyaFrenchworkingman\'sfamily,sosoonasachildreachestheageofsixorseven,itplaysthepartofmothertoyoungersistersandbrothers。
Fromthisbareoutline,itmaybeimaginedthattheTopinards,tousethehackneyedformula,were“poorbuthonest。“Topinardhimselfwasvergingonforty;Mme。Topinard,onceleaderofachorus——mistress,too,itwassaid,ofGaudissart\'spredecessor,wascertainlythirtyyearsold。Lolottehadbeenafinewomaninherday;butthemisfortunesofthepreviousmanagementhadtolduponhertosuchanextent,thatithadseemedtohertobebothadvisableandnecessarytocontractastage-marriagewithTopinard。Shedidnotdoubtbutthat,assoonastheycouldmusterthesumofahundredandfiftyfrancs,herTopinardwouldperformhisvowsagreeablytothecivillaw,wereitonlytolegitimizethethreechildren,whomheworshiped。
Meantime,Mme。Topinardsewedforthetheatrewardrobeinthemorning;
andwithprodigiouseffort,thebravecouplemadeninehundredfrancsperannumbetweenthem。
“Onemoreflight！”Topinardhadtwicerepeatedsincetheyreachedthethirdfloor。Schmucke,engulfedinhissorrow,didnotsomuchasknowwhetherhewasgoinguporcomingdown。
InanotherminuteTopinardhadopenedthedoor;butbeforeheappearedinhiswhiteworkman\'sblouseMme。Topinard\'svoicerangfromthekitchen：
“There,there!children,bequiet!herecomespapa！”
Butthechildren,nodoubt,didastheypleasedwithpapa,fortheoldestmemberofthefamily,sittingastrideabroomstick,continuedtocommandachargeofcavalryareminiscenceoftheCirque-
Olympique,thesecondblewatintrumpet,whilethethirddiditsbesttokeepupwiththemainbodyofthearmy。Theirmotherwasatworkonatheatricalcostume。
“Bequiet!orIshallslapyou！”shoutedTopinardinaformidablevoice;theninanasideforSchmucke\'sbenefit——“Alwayshavetosaythat!——Here,littleone,“hecontinued,addressinghisLolotte,“thisisM。Schmucke,poorM。Pons\'friend。Hedoesnotknowwheretogo,andhewouldliketolivewithus。Itoldhimthatwewerenotveryspick-and-spanuphere,thatwelivedonthesixthfloor,andhadonlythegarrettoofferhim;butitwasnouse,hewouldcome——“
Schmuckehadtakenthechairwhichthewomanbroughthim,andthechildren,strickenwithsuddenshyness,hadgatheredtogethertogivethestrangerthatmute,earnest,sosoon-finishedscrutinycharacteristicofchildhood。Forachild,likeadog,iswonttojudgebyinstinctratherthanreason。Schmuckelookedup;hiseyesrestedonthatcharminglittlepicture;hesawtheperformeronthetintrumpet,alittlefive-year-oldmaidenwithwonderfulgoldenhair。
“ShelookslikeeinliddleGermangirl,“saidSchmucke,holdingouthisarmstothechild。
“Monsieurwillnotbeverycomfortablehere,“saidMme。Topinard。“I
wouldproposethatheshouldhaveourroomatonce,butIamobligedtohavethechildrennearme。“
Sheopenedthedoorasshespoke,andbadeSchmuckecomein。Suchsplendorastheirabodepossessedwasallconcentratedhere。Bluecottoncurtainswithawhitefringehungfromthemahoganybedstead,andadornedthewindow;thechestofdrawers,bureau,andchairs,thoughallmadeofmahogany,wereneatlykept。Theclockandcandlesticksonthechimneypiecewereevidentlythegiftofthebankruptmanager,whoseportrait,atrulyfrightfulperformanceofPierreGrassou\'s,lookeddownuponthechestofdrawers。Thechildrentriedtopeepinattheforbiddenglories。
“Monsieurmightbecomfortableinhere,“saidtheirmother。
“No,no,“Schmuckereplied。“Eh!Ihafnotver\'longtolif,Ionlyvantacornertodiein。“
Thedoorwasclosed,andthethreewentuptothegarret。“Disisderdingforme,“Schmuckecriedatonce。“PeforeIlifdmidBons,Ivasneferbetterlodged。“
“Verywell。Atruckle-bed,acoupleofmattresses,abolster,apillow,acoupleofchairs,andatable——thatisallthatyouneedtobuy。Thatwillnotruinyou——itmaycostahundredandfiftyfrancs,withthecrockerywareandstripofcarpetforthebedside。“
Everythingwassettled——savethemoney,whichwasnotforthcoming。
Schmuckesawthathisnewfriendswereverypoor,andrecollectingthatthetheatrewasonlyafewstepsaway,itnaturallyoccurredtohimtoapplytothemanagerforhissalary。Hewentatonce,andfoundGaudissartinhisoffice。Gaudissartreceivedhiminthesomewhatstifflypolitemannerwhichhereservedforprofessionals。Schmucke\'sdemandforamonth\'ssalarytookhimbysurprise,butoninquiryhefoundthatitwasdue。
“Oh,confoundit,mygoodman,aGermancanalwayscount,evenifhehastearsinhiseyes……IthoughtthatyouwouldhavetakenthethousandfrancsthatIsentyouintoaccount,asafinalyear\'ssalary,andthatwewerequits。“
“Wehafreceifednodings,“saidSchmucke;“undgifIkommtoyou,iteesbecauseIamindershtreet,undhafnoteinbenny。Howdidyousendusderbonus？”
“Byyourportress。“
“ByMontameZipod！”exclaimedSchmucke。“ShekilledBons,sherobbedhim,shesoldhim——shetriedtopurnhisvill——sheisapadcreature,amonster！”
“But,mygoodman,howcomeyoutobeoutinthestreetwithoutaroofoveryourheadorapennyinyourpocket,whenyouarethesoleheir?
Thatdoesnotnecessarilyfollow,asthesayingis。“
“Theyhafputmeoutatderdoor。Iamavoreigner,Iknownodingsofdielaws。“
“Poorman！”thoughtGaudissart,foreseeingtheprobableendoftheunequalcontest——“Listen,“hebegan,“doyouknowwhatyououghttodointhisbusiness？”
“Ihafeinmannofpizness！”
“Verygood,cometotermsatoncewiththenext-of-kin;makethempayyoualumpsumofmoneydownandanannuity,andyoucanliveinpeace——“
“Iasknodingmore。“
“Verywell。Letmearrangeitforyou,“saidGaudissart。Fraisierhadtoldhimthewholestoryonlyyesterday,andhethoughtthathesawhiswaytomakinginterestoutofthecasewiththeyoungVicomtessePopinotandhermother。Hewouldfinishadirtypieceofwork,andsomedayhewouldbeaprivycouncillor,atleast;orsohetoldhimself。
“Igifyoufullpowers。“
“Well。Letmesee。Now,tobeginwith,“saidGaudissart,Napoleonoftheboulevardtheatres,“tobeginwith,hereareahundredcrowns——“
hetookfifteenlouisfromhispurseandhandedthemtoSchmucke。
“Thatisyours,onaccountofsixmonths\'salary。Ifyouleavethetheatre,youcanrepaymethemoney。Nowforyourbudget。Whatareyouryearlyexpenses?Howmuchdoyouwanttobecomfortable?Come,now,schemeoutalifeforaSardanapalus——“
“Ionlyneedtwosuitsofclothes,vonfordervinter,vonfordersommer。“
“Threehundredfrancs,“saidGaudissart。
“Shoes。Vourbairs。“
“Sixtyfrancs。“
“Shtockings——“
“Adozenpairs——thirty-sixfrancs。“
“Halfatozzenshirts。“
“Sixcalicoshirts,twenty-fourfrancs;asmanylinenshirts,forty-
eightfrancs;letussayseventy-two。Thatmakesfourhundredandsixty-eightfrancsaltogether——Sayfivehundred,includingcravatsandpocket-handkerchiefs;ahundredfrancsforthelaundress——sixhundred。Andnow,howmuchforyourboard——threefrancsaday？”
“No,iteestoomuch。“
“Afterall,youwanthats;thatbringsittofifteenhundred。Fivehundredmoreforrent;thatmakestwothousand。IfIcangettwothousandfrancsperannumforyou,areyouwilling?……Goodsecurities。“
“Undmeintobacco。“
“Twothousandfourhundred,then……Oh!PapaSchmucke,doyoucallthattobacco?Verywell,thetobaccoshallbegivenin——Sothatistwothousandfourhundredfrancsperannum。“
“Dateesnotall!Ishouldlikesommonny。“
“Pin-money!——Justso。Oh,theseGermans!Andcallshimselfaninnocent,theoldRobertMacaire！”thoughtGaudissart。Aloudhesaid,“Howmuchdoyouwant?Butthismustbethelast。“
“Iteestobayazacreddebt。“
“Adebt！”saidGaudissarttohimself。Whatasharkitis!Heisworsethananeldestson。Hewillinventabillortwonext!Wemustcutthisshort。ThisFraisiercannottakelargeviews——Whatdebtisthis,mygoodman?Speakout。“
“DerevasbutvonmanndothafmournedBonsmitme……Hehafatearliddlegirlmitwunderschoneshaar;itvasasifIsawmeinboorDeutschlanddotIshouldneferhafleft……BarisisnoblacefordieGermans;deylaughatdem“withalittlenodashespoke,andtheairofamanwhoknowssomethingoflifeinthisworldbelow。
“Heisoffhishead,“Gaudissartsaidtohimself。Andasuddenpangofpityforthispoorinnocentbeforehimbroughtateartothemanager\'seyes。
“Ah!youunderstand,mennesirledirecteur!Ver\'goot。DatmannmitdieliddletaughterisDobinard,vattidiesderorchestraandlightsdielamps。Bonsvasferyfondofhim,undhelpedhim。Hevasderonlyvondataccombaniedmeinonlyfriendtodiechurchundtodiegrafe……Ivantdreetausendvrancsforhim,unddreetausendfordieliddlevon——“
“Poorfellow！”saidGaudissarttohimself。
Rough,self-mademanthoughhewas,hefelttouchedbythisnoblenessofnature,byagratitudeforameretrifle,astheworldviewsit;
thoughfortheeyesofthisdivineinnocencethetrifle,likeBossuet\'scupofwater,wasworthmorethanthevictoriesofgreatcaptains。BeneathallGaudissart\'svanity,beneaththefiercedesiretosucceedinlifeatallcosts,torisetothesociallevelofhisoldfriendPopinot,therelayawarmheartandakindlynature。
WhereforehecanceledhistoohastyjudgmentsandwentovertoSchmucke\'sside。
“Youshallhaveitall!ButIwilldobetterstill,mydearSchmucke。
Topinardisagoodsort——“
“Yes。Ihafchustpeentoseehiminhisboorhome,vereheeeshappymithischildren——“
“Iwillgivehimthecashier\'splace。OldBaudrandisgoingtoleave。“
“Ah!Gottplessyou！”criedSchmucke。
“Verywell,mygood,kindfellow,meetmeatBerthier\'sofficeaboutfouro\'clockthisafternoon。Everythingshallbeready,andyoushallbesecuredfromwantfortherestofyourdays。Youshalldrawyoursixthousandfrancs,andyoushallhavethesamesalarywithGarangeotthatyouusedtohavewithPons。“
“No,“Schmuckeanswered。“Ishallnotlif……Ihafnoheartforanydings;IfeelthatIamattacked——“
“Poorlamb！”GaudissartmutteredtohimselfastheGermantookhisleave。“But,afterall,onelivesonmutton;and,asthesublimeBerangersays,\'Poorsheep!youweremadetobeshorn,\'“andhehummedthepoliticalsquibbywayofgivingventtohisfeelings。Thenherangfortheoffice-boy。
“Callmycarriage,“hesaid。
“RuedeHanovre,“hetoldthecoachman。
Themanofambitionsbythistimehadreappeared;hesawthewaytotheCouncilofStatelyingstraightbeforehim。
AndSchmucke?HewasbusybuyingflowersandcakesforTopinard\'schildren,andwenthomealmostjoyously。
“Iamgifingdiebresents……“hesaid,andhesmiled。Itwasthefirstsmileforthreemonths,butanyonewhohadseenSchmucke\'sfacewouldhaveshudderedtoseeitthere。
“Butdereiseincondition——“
“Itistookindofyou,sir,“saidthemother。
“Deliddlegirlshallgifmeakissandputdieflowersinherhair,likedieliddleGermanmaidens——“
“Olga,child,dojustasthegentlemanwishes,“saidthemother,assuminganairofdiscipline。
“DonotscoldmeinliddleGermangirl,“imploredSchmucke。ItseemedtohimthatthelittleonewashisdearGermany。Topinardcamein。
“Threeportersarebringingupthewholebagoftricks,“hesaid。
“Oh!Herearetwohundredvrancstobayforeferydings……“saidSchmucke。“But,meinfriend,yourMontameDobinardisver\'nice;youshallmarryher,isitnotso?Ishallgifyoutausendcrowns,anddieliddlevoneshallhaftausendcrownsforhertoury,andyoushallinfestitinhername……Undyouarenottopeeinzuperanymore——youaretopedecashieratdeteatre——“
“/I/?——insteadofoldBaudrand？”
“Yes。“
“Whotoldyouso？”
“MennesirGautissart！”
“Oh!itisenoughtosendonewildwithjoy!……Eh!Isay,Rosalie,whatarumpustherewillbeatthetheatre!Butitisnotpossible——“
“Ourbenefactormustnotliveinagarret——“
“Pshaw!fordiefewtaysdatIhaftolifiteesferykomfortable,“
saidSchmucke。“Goot-pye;Iamgoingtoderzemetery,toseevatdeyhafdonmitBons,undtoordersomflowersforhisgrafe。“
Mme。CamusotdeMarvillewasconsumedbytheliveliestapprehensions。
AtacouncilheldwithFraisier,Berthier,andGodeschal,thetwolast-namedauthoritiesgaveitastheiropinionthatitwashopelesstodisputeawilldrawnupbytwonotariesinthepresenceoftwowitnesses,sopreciselywastheinstrumentwordedbyLeopoldHannequin。HonestGodeschalsaidthatevenifSchmucke\'sownlegaladvisershouldsucceedindeceivinghim,hewouldfindoutthetruthatlast,ifitwereonlyfromsomeofficiousbarrister,thegentlemenoftherobebeingwonttoperformsuchactsofgenerosityanddisinterestednessbywayofself-advertisement。AndthetwoofficialstooktheirleaveofthePresidentewithapartingcautionagainstFraisier,concerningwhomtheyhadnaturallymadeinquiries。
AtthatverymomentFraisier,straightfromtheaffixingofthesealsintheRuedeNormandie,waswaitingforaninterviewwithMme。deMarville。BerthierandGodeschalhadsuggestedthatheshouldbeshownintothestudy;thewholeaffairwastoodirtyforthePresidenttolookintotousetheirownexpression,andtheywishedtogiveMme。
deMarvilletheiropinioninFraisier\'sabsence。
“Well,madame,wherearethesegentlemen？”askedFraisier,admittedtoaudience。
“Theyaregone。Theyadvisemetogiveup,“saidMme。deMarville。
“Giveup！”repeatedFraisier,suppressedfuryinhisvoice。“Giveup!……Listentothis,madame：——
“\'Attherequestof\'……andsoforthIwillomittheformalities……\'WhereastherehasbeendepositedinthehandsofM。lePresidentoftheCourtofFirstInstance,awilldrawnupbyMaitresLeopoldHannequinandAlexandreCrottat,notariesofParis,andinthepresenceoftwowitnesses,theSieursBrunnerandSchwab,aliensdomiciledatParis,andbythesaidwilltheSieurPons,deceased,hasbequeathedhispropertytooneSieurSchmucke,aGerman,totheprejudiceofhisnaturalheirs：
“\'Whereastheapplicantundertakestoprovethatthesaidwillwasobtainedunderundueinfluenceandbyunlawfulmeans;andpersonsofcreditarepreparedtoshowthatitwasthetestator\'sintentiontoleavehisfortunetoMlle。Cecile,daughteroftheaforesaidSieurdeMarville,andtheapplicantcanshowthatthesaidwillwasextortedfromthetestator\'sweakness,hebeingunaccountableforhisactionsatthetime：
“\'WhereasastheSieurSchmucke,toobtainawillinhisfavor,sequestratedthetestator,andpreventedthefamilyfromapproachingthedeceasedduringhislastillness;andhissubsequentnotoriousingratitudewasofanaturetoscandalizethehouseandresidentsinthequarterwhochancedtowitnessitwhenattendingthefuneraloftheporteratthetestator\'splaceofabode：
“\'Whereasasstillmoreseriouscharges,ofwhichapplicantiscollectingproofs,willbeformallymadebeforetheirworshipsthejudges：
“\'I,theundersignedRegistraroftheCourt,etc。,etc。,onbehalfoftheaforesaid,etc。,havesummonedtheSieurSchmucke,pleading,etc。,toappearbeforetheirworshipsthejudgesofthefirstchamberoftheTribunal,andtobepresentwhenapplicationismadethatthewillreceivedbyMaitresHannequinandCrottat,beingevidentlyobtainedbyundueinfluence,shallberegardedasnullandvoidinlaw;andI,theundersigned,onbehalfoftheaforesaid,etc。,havelikewisegivennoticeofprotest,shouldtheSieurSchmuckeasuniversallegateemakeapplicationforanordertobeputintopossessionoftheestate,seeingthattheapplicantopposessuchorder,andmakesobjectionbyhisapplicationbearingdateofto-day,ofwhichacopyhasbeendulydepositedwiththeSieurSchmucke,costsbeingchargedto……etc。,etc。\'
“Iknowtheman,Mme。lePresidente。Hewillcometotermsassoonashereadsthislittlelove-letter。Hewilltakeourterms。Areyougoingtogivethethousandcrownsperannum？”
“Certainly。IonlywishIwerepayingthefirstinstallmentnow。“
“Itwillbedoneinthreedays。Thesummonswillcomedownuponhimwhileheisstupefiedwithgrief,forthepoorsoulregretsPonsandistakingthedeathtoheart。“
“Cantheapplicationbewithdrawn？”inquiredthelady。
“Certainly,madame。Youcanwithdrawitatanytime。“
“Verywell,monsieur,letitbeso……goon!Yes,thepurchaseoflandthatyouhavearrangedformeisworththetrouble;and,besides,IhavemanagedVitel\'sbusiness——heistoretire,andyoumustpayVitel\'ssixtythousandfrancsoutofPons\'property。So,yousee,youmustsucceed。“
“HaveyouVitel\'sresignation？”
“Yes,monsieur。M。VitelhasputhimselfinM。deMarville\'shands。“
“Verygood,madame。IhavealreadysavedyousixtythousandfrancswhichIexpectedtogivetothatvilecreatureMme。Cibot。ButIstillrequirethetobacconist\'slicenseforthewomanSauvage,andanappointmenttothevacantplaceofhead-physicianattheQuinze-VingtsformyfriendPoulain。“
“Agreed——itisallarranged。“
“Verywell。Thereisnomoretobesaid。Everyoneisforyouinthisbusiness,evenGaudissart,themanagerofthetheatre。Iwenttolookhimupyesterday,andheundertooktocrushtheworkmanwhoseemedlikelytogiveustrouble。“
“Oh,IknowM。GaudissartisdevotedtothePopinots。“
Fraisierwentout。Unluckily,hemissedGaudissart,andthefatalsummonswasservedforthwith。
IfallcovetousmindswillsympathizewiththePresidente,allhonestfolkwillturninabhorrencefromherjoywhenGaudissartcametwentyminuteslatertoreporthisconversationwithpoorSchmucke。Shegaveherfullapproval;shewasobligedbeyondallexpressionforthethoughtfulwayinwhichthemanagerrelievedherofanyremainingscruplesbyobservationswhichseemedtohertobeverysensibleandjust。
“IthoughtasIcame,Mme。laPresidente,thatthepoordevilwouldnotknowwhattodowiththemoney。\'Tisapatriarchallysimplenature。Heisachild,heisaGerman,heoughttobestuffedandputinaglasscaselikeawaxenimage。Whichistosaythat,inmyopinion,heisquitepuzzledenoughalreadywithhisincomeoftwothousandfivehundredfrancs,andhereyouareprovokinghimintoextravagance——“
“Itisverygenerousofhimtowishtoenrichthepoorfellowwhoregretsthelossofourcousin,“pronouncedthePresidente。“Formyownpart,IamsorryforthelittlesquabblethatestrangedM。Ponsandme。Ifhehadcomebackagain,allwouldhavebeenforgiven。Ifyouonlyknewhowmyhusbandmisseshim!M。deMarvillereceivednonoticeofthedeath,andwasindespair;familyclaimsaresacredforhim,hewouldhavegonetotheserviceandtheinterment,andImyselfwouldhavebeenatthemass——“
“Verywell,fairlady,“saidGaudissart。“Besogoodastohavethedocumentsdrawnup,andatfouro\'clockIwillbringthisGermantoyou。PleaseremembermetoyourcharmingdaughtertheVicomtesse,andaskhertotellmyillustriousfriendthegreatstatesman,hergoodandexcellentfather-in-law,howdeeplyIamdevotedtohimandhis,andaskhimtocontinuehisvaluedfavors。Iowemylifetohisunclethejudge,andmysuccessinlifetohim;andIshouldwishtobeboundtobothyouandyourdaughterbythehighesteemwhichlinksuswithpersonsofrankandinfluence。Iwishtoleavethetheatreandbecomeaseriousperson。“
“Asyouarealready,monsieur！”saidthePresidente。
“Adorable！”returnedGaudissart,kissingthelady\'sshriveledfingers。
Atfouro\'clockthatafternoonseveralpeopleweregatheredtogetheratBerthier\'soffice;Fraisier,arch-concocterofthewholescheme,Tabareau,appearingonbehalfofSchmucke,andSchmuckehimself。
Gaudissarthadcomewithhim。FraisierhadbeencarefultospreadoutthemoneyonBerthier\'sdesk,andsodazzledwasSchmuckebythesightofthesixthousand-francbank-notesforwhichhehadasked,andsixhundredfrancsforthefirstquarter\'sallowance,thathepaidnoheedwhatsoevertothereadingofthedocument。Poorman,hewasscarcelyinfullpossessionofhisfaculties,shakenastheyhadalreadybeenbysomanyshocks。Gaudissarthadsnatchedhimuponhisreturnfromthecemetery,wherehehadbeentalkingwithPons,promisingtojoinhimsoon——verysoon。SoSchmuckedidnotlistentothepreambleinwhichitwassetforththatMaitreTabareau,bailiff,wasactingashisproxy,andthatthePresidente,intheinterestsofherdaughter,wastakinglegalproceedingsagainsthim。Altogether,inthatpreambletheGermanplayedasorrypart,butheputhisnametothedocument,andtherebyadmittedthetruthofFraisier\'sabominableallegations;
andsojoyouswasheoverreceivingthemoneyfortheTopinards,sogladtobestowwealthaccordingtohislittleideasupontheonecreaturewholovedPons,thatheheardnotawordoflawsuitnorcompromise。
Butinthemiddleofthereadingaclerkcameintotheprivateofficetospeaktohisemployer。“Thereisamanhere,sir,whowishestospeaktoM。Schmucke,“saidhe。
ThenotarylookedatFraisier,and,takinghiscuefromhim,shruggedhisshoulders。
“Neverdisturbuswhenwearesigningdocuments。Justaskhisname——isitamanoragentleman?Isheacreditor？”
Theclerkwentandreturned。“HeinsiststhathemustspeaktoM。
Schmucke。“
“Hisname？”
“HisnameisTopinard,hesays。“
“Iwillgoouttohim。Signwithoutdisturbingyourself,“saidGaudissart,addressingSchmucke。“Makeanendofit;Iwillfindoutwhathewantswithus。“
GaudissartunderstoodFraisier;bothscenteddanger。
“Whyareyouhere？”Gaudissartbegan。“Soyouhavenomindtobecashieratthetheatre?Discretionisacashier\'sfirstrecommendation。“
“Sir——“
“Justmindyourownbusiness;youwillneverbeanythingifyoumeddleinotherpeople\'saffairs。“
“Sir,Icannoteatbreadifeverymouthfulofitistostickinmythroat……MonsieurSchmucke!——M。Schmucke！”heshoutedaloud。
SchmuckecameoutatthesoundofTopinard\'svoice。Hehadjustsigned。Heheldthemoneyinhishand。
“TheeseesfordieliddleGermanmaidenundforyou,“hesaid。
“Oh!mydearM。Schmucke,youhavegivenawayyourwealthtoinhumanwretches,topeoplewhoaretryingtotakeawayyourgoodname。Itookthispapertoagoodman,anattorneywhoknowsthisFraisier,andhesaysthatyououghttopunishsuchwickedness;yououghttoletthemsummonyouandleavethemtogetoutofit——Readthis,“andSchmucke\'simprudentfriendheldoutthesummonsdeliveredintheCiteBordin。
Standinginthenotary\'sgateway,Schmuckereadthedocument,sawtheimputationsmadeagainsthim,and,allignorantashewasoftheamenitiesofthelaw,theblowwasdeadly。Thelittlegrainofsandstoppedhisheart\'sbeating。Topinardcaughthiminhisarms,hailedapassingcab,andputthepoorGermanintoit。Hewassufferingfromcongestionofthebrain;hiseyesweredim,hisheadwasthrobbing,buthehadenoughstrengthlefttoputthemoneyintoTopinard\'shands。
Schmuckeralliedfromthefirstattack,butheneverrecoveredconsciousness,andrefusedtoeat。Tendaysafterwardshediedwithoutacomplaint;tothelasthehadnotspokenaword。Mme。Topinardnursedhim,andTopinardlaidhimbyPons\'side。Itwasanobscurefuneral;TopinardwastheonlymournerwhofollowedthesonofGermanytohislastresting-place。
Fraisier,nowajusticeofthepeace,isveryintimatewiththePresident\'sfamily,andmuchvaluedbythePresidente。Shecouldnotthinkofallowinghimtomarry“thatgirlofTabareau\'s,“andpromisedinfinitelybetterthingsfortheclevermantowhomsheconsiderssheowesnotmerelythepasture-landandtheEnglishcottageatMarville,butalsothePresident\'sseatintheChamberofDeputies,forM。lePresidentwasreturnedatthegeneralelectionin1846。
Everyone,nodoubt,wishestoknowwhatbecameoftheheroineofastoryonlytooveraciousinitsdetails;achroniclewhich,takenwithitstwinsistertheprecedingvolume,/LaCousineBette/,provesthatCharacterisagreatsocialforce。You,Oamateurs,connoisseurs,anddealers,willguessatoncethatPons\'collectionisnowinquestion。
WhereforeitwillsufficeifwearepresentduringaconversationthattookplaceonlyafewdaysagoinCountPopinot\'shouse。Hewasshowinghissplendidcollectiontosomevisitors。
“M。leComte,youpossesstreasuresindeed,“remarkedadistinguishedforeigner。
“Oh!astopictures,nobodycanhopetorivalanobscurecollector,oneElieMagus,aJew,anoldmonomaniac,theprinceofpicture-
lovers,“theCountrepliedmodestly。“AndwhenIsaynobody,IdonotspeakofParisonly,butofallEurope。WhentheoldCroesusdies,Franceoughttosparesevenoreightmillionsoffrancstobuythegallery。Forcuriosities,mycollectionisgoodenoughtobetalkedabout——“
“Buthow,busyasyouare,andwithafortunesohonestlyearnedinthefirstinstanceinbusiness——“
“Inthedrugbusiness,“brokeinPopinot;“youaskhowIcancontinuetointerestmyselfinthingsthatareadruginthemarket——“
“No,“returnedtheforeignvisitor,“no,buthowdoyoufindtimetocollect?Thecuriositiesdonotcometofindyou。“
“Myfather-in-lawownedthenucleusofthecollection,“saidtheyoungVicomtess;“helovedtheartsandbeautifulwork,butmostofhistreasurescametohimthroughme。“
“Throughyou,madame?——Soyoung!andyethaveyousuchvicesasthis？”
askedaRussianprince。
Russiansarebynatureimitative;imitativeindeedtosuchanextentthatthediseasesofcivilizationbreakoutamongtheminepidemics。
Thebric-a-bracmaniahadappearedinanacuteforminSt。Petersburg,andtheRussianscausedsuchariseofpricesinthe“artline,“asRemonencqwouldsay,thatcollectionbecameimpossible。TheprincewhospokehadcometoParissolelytobuybric-a-brac。
“Thetreasurescametome,prince,onthedeathofacousin。Hewasveryfondofme,“addedtheVicomtessePopinot,“andhehadspentsomefortyoddyearssince1805inpickingupthesemasterpieceseverywhere,butmoreespeciallyinItaly——“
“Andwhatwashisname？”inquiredtheEnglishlord。
“Pons,“saidPresidentCamusot。
“Acharmingmanhewas,“pipedthePresidenteinherthin,flutetones,“veryclever,veryeccentric,andyetverygood-hearted。ThisfanthatyouadmireoncebelongedtoMme。dePompadour;hegaveittomeonemorningwithaprettyspeechwhichyoumustpermitmenottorepeat,“andsheglancedatherdaughter。
“Mme。laVicomtesse,tellustheprettyspeech,“beggedtheRussianprince。
“Thespeechwasasprettyasthefan,“returnedtheVicomtesse,whobroughtoutthestereotypedremarkonalloccasions。“Hetoldmymotherthatitwasquitetimethatitshouldpassfromthehandsofviceintothoseofvirtue。“
TheEnglishlordlookedatMme。CamusotdeMarvillewithanairofdoubtnotalittlegratifyingtosowitheredawoman。
“Heusedtodineatourhousetwoorthreetimesaweek,“shesaid;
“hewassofondofus!Wecouldappreciatehim,andartistslikethesocietyofthosewhorelishtheirwit。Myhusbandwas,besides,hisonesurvivingrelative。Sowhen,quiteunexpectedly,M。deMarvillecameintotheproperty,M。leComtepreferredtotakeoverthewholecollectiontosaveitfromasalebyauction;andweourselvesmuchpreferredtodisposeofitinthatway,foritwouldhavebeensopainfultoustoseethebeautifulthings,inwhichourdearcousinwassomuchinterested,allscatteredabroad。ElieMagusvaluedthem,andinthatwayIbecamepossessedofthecottagethatyourunclebuilt,andIhopeyouwilldousthehonorofcomingtoseeusthere。“
Gaudissart\'stheatrepassedintootherhandsayearago,butM。
Topinardisstillthecashier。M。Topinard,however,hasgrowngloomyandmisanthropic;hesayslittle。Peoplethinkthathehassomethingonhisconscience。WagsatthetheatresuggestthathisgloomdatesfromhismarriagewithLolotte。HonestTopinardstartswheneverhehearsFraisier\'snamementioned。SomepeoplemaythinkitstrangethattheonenatureworthyofPonsandSchmuckeshouldbefoundonthethirdfloorbeneaththestageofaboulevardtheatre。
Mme。Remonencq,muchimpressedwithMme。Fontaine\'sprediction,declinestoretiretothecountry。SheisstilllivinginhersplendidshopontheBoulevarddelaMadeleine,butsheisawidownowforthesecondtime。Remonencq,infact,bythetermsofthemarriagecontract,settledthepropertyuponthesurvivor,andleftalittleglassofvitriolaboutforhiswifetodrinkbymistake;buthiswife,withtheverybestintentions,puttheglasselsewhere,andRemonencqswallowedthedraughthimself。Therascal\'sappropriateendvindicatesProvidence,aswellasthechroniclerofmanners,whoissometimesaccusedofneglectonthishead,perhapsbecauseProvidencehasbeensooverworkedbyplaywrightsoflate。
Pardonthetranscriber\'serrors。
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