ThePresidentelefttheroom。Fraisiersawhimselfajusticeofthepeace。Hefelttransformedatthethought;hegrewstouter;hislungswerefilledwiththebreathofsuccess,thebreezeofprosperity。Hedippedintothemysteriousreservoirsofvolitionforfreshandstrongdosesofthedivineessence。Toreachsuccess,hefelt,asRemonencqhalffelt,thathewasreadyforanything,forcrimeitself,providedthatnoproofsofitremained。HehadfacedthePresidenteboldly;hehadtransmutedconjectureintoreality;hehadmadeassertionsrightandleft,alltotheendthatshemightauthorizehimtoprotectherinterestsandwinherinfluence。Ashestoodthere,herepresentedtheinfinitemiseryoftwolives,andthenolessboundlessdesiresoftwomen。HespurnedthesqualidhorrorsoftheRuedelaPerle。HesawtheglitterofathousandcrownsinfeesfromLaCibot,andfivethousandfrancsfromthePresidente。Thismeantanabodesuchasbefittedhisfutureprospects。Finally,hewasrepayingDr。Poulain。
Therearehard,ill-naturedbeings,goadedbydistressordiseaseintoactivemalignity,thatyetentertaindiametricallyopposedsentimentswithalikedegreeofvehemence。IfRichelieuwasagoodhater,hewasnolessagoodfriend。Fraisier,inhisgratitude,wouldhavelethimselfbecutintwoforPoulain。
Soabsorbedwasheinthesevisionsofacomfortableandprosperouslife,thathedidnotseethePresidentecomeinwiththeletterinherhand,andshe,lookingathim,thoughthimlessuglynowthanatfirst。Hewasabouttobeusefultoher,andassoonasatoolbelongstouswelookuponitwithothereyes。
“M。Fraisier,“saidshe,“youhaveconvincedmeofyourintelligence,andIthinkthatyoucanspeakfrankly。“
Fraisierrepliedbyaneloquentgesture。
“Verywell,“continuedthelady,“Imustaskyoutogiveacandidreplytothisquestion：Arewe,eitherofus,M。deMarvilleorI,likelytobecompromised,directlyorindirectly,byyouractioninthismatter？”
“Iwouldnothavecometoyou,madame,ifIthoughtthatsomedayI
shouldhavetoreproachmyselfforbringingsomuchasasplashofmuduponyou,forinyourpositionaspeckthesizeofapin\'sheadisseenbyalltheworld。Youforget,madame,thatImustsatisfyyouifIamtobeajusticeofthepeaceinParis。Ihavereceivedonelessonattheoutsetofmylife;itwassosharpthatIdonotcaretolaymyselfopentoasecondthrashing。Tosumitupinalastword,madame,Iwillnottakeastepinwhichyouareindirectlyinvolvedwithoutpreviouslyconsultingyou——“
“Verygood。Hereistheletter。AndnowIshallexpecttobeinformedoftheexactvalueoftheestate。“
“Thereisthewholematter,“saidFraisiershrewdly,makinghisbowtothePresidentewithasmuchgraciousnessashiscountenancecouldexhibit。
“Whataprovidence！”thoughtMme。CamusotdeMarville。“SoIamtoberich!CamusotwillbesureofhiselectionifweletloosethisFraisierupontheBolbecconstituency。Whatatool！”
“Whataprovidence！”Fraisiersaidtohimselfashedescendedthestaircase;“andwhatasharpwomanMme。Camusotis!Ishouldwantawomaninthesecircumstances。Nowtowork！”
AndhedepartedforMantestogainthegoodgracesofamanhescarcelyknew;buthecounteduponMme。Vatinelle,towhom,unfortunately,heowedallhistroubles——andsometroublesareofakindthatresembleaprotestedbillwhilethedefaulterisyetsolvent,inthattheybearinterest。
Threedaysafterwards,whileSchmuckesleptforinaccordancewiththecompacthenowsatupatnightwiththepatient,LaCibothada“tiff,“asshewaspleasedtocallit,withPons。Itwillnotbeoutofplacetocallattentiontooneparticularlydistressingsymptomoflivercomplaint。Thesuffererisalwaysmoreorlessinclinedtoimpatienceandfitsofanger;anoutburstofthiskindseemstogivereliefatthetime,muchasapatientwhilethefeverfitisuponhimfeelsthathehasboundlessstrength;butcollapsesetsinsosoonastheexcitementpassesoff,andthefullextentofmischiefsustainedbythesystemisdiscernible。Thisisespeciallythecasewhenthediseasehasbeeninducedbysomegreatshock;andtheprostrationissomuchthemoredangerousbecausethepatientiskeptuponarestricteddiet。Itisakindoffeveraffectingneitherthebloodnorthebrain,butthehumoristicmechanism,frettingthewholesystem,producingmelancholy,inwhichthepatienthateshimself;insuchacrisisanythingmaycausedangerousirritation。
Inspiteofallthatthedoctorcouldsay,LaCibothadnobeliefinthiswearandtearofthenervoussystembythehumoristic。Shewasawomanofthepeople,withoutexperienceoreducation;Dr。Poulain\'sexplanationsforherweresimply“doctor\'snotions。“Likemostofherclass,shethoughtthatsickpeoplemustbefed,andnothingshortofDr。Poulain\'sdirectorderpreventedherfromadministeringham,aniceomelette,orvanillachocolateuponthesly。
Theinfatuationoftheworkingclassesonthispointisverystrong。
Thereasonoftheirreluctancetoenterahospitalistheideathattheywillbestarvedthere。Themortalitycausedbythefoodsmuggledinbythewivesofpatientsonvisiting-dayswasatonetimesogreatthatthedoctorswereobligedtoinstituteaverystrictsearchforcontrabandprovisions。
IfLaCibotwastorealizeherprofitsatonce,amomentaryquarrelmustbeworkedupinsomeway。ShebeganbytellingPonsabouthervisittothetheatre,notomittingherpassageatarmswithMlle。
Heloisethedancer。
“Butwhydidyougo？”theinvalidaskedforthethirdtime。LaCibotoncelaunchedonastreamofwords,hewaspowerlesstostopher。
“So,then,whenIhadgivenherapieceofmymind,MademoiselleHeloisesawwhoIwasandknuckledunder,andwewerethebestoffriends——AndnowdoyouaskmewhyIwent？”sheadded,repeatingPons\'question。
Therearecertainbabblers,babblersofgeniusarethey,whosweepupinterruptions,objections,andobservationsinthiswayastheygoalong,bywayofprovisiontoswellthematteroftheirconversation,asifthatsourcewereeverinanydangerofrunningdry。
“WhyIwent？”repeatedshe。“IwenttogetyourM。Gaudissartoutofafix。Hewantssomemusicforaballet,andyouarehardlyfittoscribbleonsheetsofpaperanddoyourwork,dearie——SoI
understood,thingsbeingso,thataM。Garangeotwastobeaskedtosetthe/Mohicans/tomusic——“
“Garangeot！”roaredPonsinfury。“/Garangeot!/amanwithnotalent;
Iwouldnothavehimforfirstviolin!Heisveryclever,heisverygoodatmusicalcriticism,butastocomposing——Idoubtit!Andwhatthedevilputthenotionofgoingtothetheatreintoyourhead？”
“Howconfoundedlycontrairythemanis!Lookhere,dearie,wemustn\'tboiloverlikemilkonthefire!Howareyoutowritemusicinthestatethatyouarein?Why,youcan\'thavelookedatyourselfintheglass!Willyouhavetheglassandsee?Youarenothingbutskinandbone——youareasweakasasparrow,anddoyouthinkthatyouarefittomakeyournotes!why,youwouldnotsomuchasmakeoutmine……
AndthatremindsmethatIoughttogouptothethirdfloorlodger\'sthatowesusseventeenfrancs,forwhenthechemisthasbeenpaidweshallnothavetwentyleft——SoIhadtotellM。GaudissartIlikethatname,agoodsortheseemstobe,——aregularRogerBontempsthatwouldjustsuitme——/He/willneverhavelivercomplaint!——Well,soI
hadtotellhimhowyouwere——Lord!youarenotwell,andhehasputsomeoneelseinyourplaceforabit——“
“Someoneelseinmyplace！”criedPonsinaterriblevoice,ashesatrightupinbed。Sickpeople,generallyspeaking,andthosemostparticularlywholiewithinthesweepofthescytheofDeath,clingtotheirplaceswiththesamepassionateenergythatthebeginnerdisplaystogainastartinlife。Tohearthatsomeonehadtakenhisplacewaslikeaforetasteofdeathtothedyingman。
“Why,thedoctortoldmethatIwasgoingonaswellaspossible,“
continuedhe;“hesaidthatIshouldsoonbeaboutagainasusual。Youhavekilledme,ruinedme,murderedme！”
“Tut,tut,tut！”criedLaCibot,“thereyougo!Iamkillingyou,amI?Mercyonus!thesearetheprettythingsthatyouarealwaystellingM。Schmuckewhenmybackisturned。Ihearallthatyousay,thatIdo!Youareamonsterofingratitude。“
“ButyoudonotknowthatifIamonlyawayforanotherfortnight,theywilltellmethatIhavehadmyday,thatIamold-fashioned,outofdate,Empire,rococo,whenIgoback。Garangeotwillhavemadefriendsalloverthetheatre,highandlow。Hewilllowerthepitchtosuitsomeactressthatcannotsing,hewilllickM。Gaudissart\'sboots！”criedthesickman,whoclungtolife。“Hehasfriendsthatwillpraisehiminallthenewspapers;andwhenthingsarelikethatinsuchashop,Mme。Cibot,theycanfindholesinanybody\'scoat……Whatfienddroveyoutodoit？”
“Why!plaguetakeit,M。Schmucketalkeditoverwithmeforaweek。
Whatwouldyouhave?Youseenothingbutyourself!Youaresoselfishthatotherpeoplemaydieifyoucanonlygetbetter——WhypoorM。
Schmuckehasbeentiredoutthismonthpast!heistiedbytheleg,hecangonowhere,hecannotgivelessonsnortakehisplaceatthetheatre。Doyoureallyseenothing?Hesitsupwithyouatnight,andItakethenursingintheday。IfIweretositupatnightwithyou,asItriedtodoatfirstwhenIthoughtyouweresopoor,Ishouldhavetosleepallday。Andwhowouldseetothehouseandlookoutforsqualls!Illnessisillness,itcannotbehelped,andhereareyou——“
“ThiswasnotSchmucke\'sidea,itisquiteimpossible——“
“Thatmeansthatitwas/I/whotookitintomyheadtodoit,doesit?Doyouthinkthatwearemadeofiron?Why,ifM。Schmuckehadgivensevenoreightlessonseverydayandconductedtheorchestraeveryeveningatthetheatrefromsixo\'clocktillhalf-pastelevenatnight,hewouldhavediedintendays\'time。Poorman,hewouldgivehislifeforyou,anddoyouwanttobethedeathofhim?Bytheauthorsofmydays,Ihaveneverseenasickmantomatchyou!Whereareyoursenses?haveyouputtheminpawn?Weareallslavingourlivesoutforyou;wedoallforthebest,andyouarenotsatisfied!
Doyouwanttodriveusragingmad?Imyself,tobeginwith,amtiredoutasitis——“
LaCibotrattledonatherease;Ponswastooangrytosayaword。Hewrithedonhisbed,painfullyutteringinarticulatesounds;theblowwaskillinghim。Andatthispoint,asusual,thescoldingturnedsuddenlytotenderness。Thenursedashedatherpatient,graspedhimbythehead,madehimliedownbymainforce,anddraggedtheblanketsoverhim。
“Howanyonecangetintosuchastate！”exclaimedshe。“Afterall,itisyourillness,dearie。ThatiswhatgoodM。Poulainsays。Seenow,keepquietandbegood,mydearlittlesonny。Everybodythatcomesnearyouworshipsyou,andthedoctorhimselfcomestoseeyoutwiceaday。Whatwouldhesayifhefoundyouinsuchaway?Youputmeoutofallpatience;yououghtnottobehavelikethis。IfyouhaveMa\'amCibottonurseyou,youshouldtreatherbetter。Youshoutandyoutalk!——yououghtnottodoit,youknowthat。Talkingirritatesyou。
Andwhydoyouflyintoapassion?Thewrongisallonyourside;youarealwaysbotheringme。Lookhere,letushaveitout!IfM。SchmuckeandI,wholoveyoulikeourlife,thoughtthatweweredoingright——
well,mycherub,itwasright,youmaybesure。“
“Schmuckenevercouldhavetoldyoutogotothetheatrewithoutspeakingtomeaboutit——“
“AndmustIwakehim,poordear,whenheissleepinglikeoneoftheblest,andcallhiminasawitness？”
“No,no！”criedPons。“IfmykindandlovingSchmuckemadetheresolution,perhapsIamworsethanIthought。“Hiseyeswanderedroundtheroom,dwellingonthebeautifulthingsinitwithamelancholylookpainfultosee。
“SoImustsaygood-byetomydearpictures,toallthethingsthathavecometobelikesomanyfriendstome……andtomydivinefriendSchmucke?……Oh!canitbetrue？”
LaCibot,actingherheartlesscomedy,heldherhandkerchieftohereyes;andatthatmuteresponsethesuffererfelltodarkmusing——sosorelystrickenwashebythedoublestabdealttohealthandhisinterestsbythelossofhispostandthenearprospectofdeath,thathehadnostrengthleftforanger。Helay,ghastlyandwan,likeaconsumptivepatientafterawrestlingboutwiththeDestroyer。
“InM。Schmucke\'sinterests,yousee,youwoulddowelltosendforM。
Trognon;heisthenotaryofthequarterandaverygoodman,“saidLaCibot,seeingthathervictimwascompletelyexhausted。
“YouarealwaystalkingaboutthisTrognon——“
“Oh!heoranother,itisallonetome,foranythingyouwillleaveme。“
Shetossedherheadtosignifythatshedespisedriches。Therewassilenceintheroom。
AmomentlaterSchmuckecamein。Hehadsleptforsixhours,hungerawakenedhim,andnowhestoodatPons\'bedsidewatchinghisfriendwithoutsayingaword,forMme。Cibothadlaidafingeronherlips。
“Hush！”shewhispered。Thensheroseandwentuptoaddunderherbreath,“Heisgoingofftosleepatlast,thankHeaven!Heisascrossasareddonkey!——Whatcanyouexpect,heisstrugglingwithhisillness——“
“No,onthecontrary,Iamverypatient,“saidthevictiminawearyvoicethattoldofadreadfulexhaustion;“but,oh!Schmucke,mydearfriend,shehasbeentothetheatretoturnmeoutofmyplace。“
Therewasapause。Ponswastooweaktosaymore。LaCibottooktheopportunityandtappedherheadsignificantly。“Donotcontradicthim,“shesaidtoSchmucke;“itwouldkillhim。“
PonsgazedintoSchmucke\'shonestface。“Andshesaysthatyousenther——“hecontinued。
“Yes,“Schmuckeaffirmedheroically。“Ithadtope。Hush!——letussafeyourlife。Itisabsurdtovorkandtrainyoursdrengthgifyouhafadreasure。Getbetter;vevillsellsomeprick-a-prackundendourtayskvietlyinacornersomveres,mitkindMontameZipod。“
“Shehaspervertedyou,“moanedPons。
Mme。Cibothadtakenupherstationbehindthebedtomakesignalsunobserved。Ponsthoughtthatshehadlefttheroom。“Sheismurderingme,“headded。
“Whatisthat?Iammurderingyou,amI？”criedLaCibot,suddenlyappearing,handonhipsandeyesaflame。“Iamasfaithfulasadog,andthisisallIget!GodAlmighty!——“
Sheburstintotearsanddroppeddownintothegreatchair,atragicalmovementwhichwroughtamostdisastrousrevulsioninPons。
“Verygood,“shesaid,risingtoherfeet。Thewoman\'smalignanteyeslookedpoisonandbulletsatthetwofriends。“Verygood。NothingthatIcandoisrighthere,andIamtiredofslavingmylifeout。Youshalltakeanurse。“
PonsandSchmuckeexchangedglancesindismay。
“Oh!youmaylookateachotherlikeactors。Imeanit。IshallaskDr。Poulaintofindanurseforyou。Andnowwewillsettleaccounts。
YoushallpaymebackthemoneythatIhavespentonyou,andthatI
wouldneverhaveaskedyoufor,IthathavegonetoM。Pilleraulttoborrowanotherfivehundredfrancsofhim——“
“Iteeshisillness！”criedSchmucke——hesprangtoMme。Cibotandputanarmroundherwaist——“hafbatience。“
“Asforyou,youareanangel,Icouldkissthegroundyoutreadupon,“saidshe。“ButM。Ponsneverlikedme,healwayshatedme。
Besides,hethinksperhapsthatIwanttobementionedinhiswill——“
“Hush!youvillkillhim！”criedSchmucke。
“Good-bye,sir,“saidLaCibot,withawitheringlookatPons。“YoumaykeepwellforalltheharmIwishyou。Whenyoucanspeaktomepleasantly,whenyoucanbelievethatwhatIdoisdoneforthebest,Iwillcomebackagain。TillthenIshallstayinmyownroom。Youwerelikemyownchildtome;didanybodyeverseeachildrevoltagainstitsmother?……No,no,M。Schmucke,Idonotwanttohearmore。Iwillbringyou/your/dinnerandwaitupon/you/,butyoumusttakeanurse。AskM。Poulainaboutit。“
Andshewentout,slammingthedoorafterhersoviolentlythattheprecious,fragileobjectsintheroomtrembled。ToPonsinhistorture,therattleofchinawaslikethefinalblowdealtbytheexecutionertoavictimbrokenonthewheel。
AnhourlaterLaCibotcalledtoSchmuckethroughthedoor,tellinghimthathisdinnerwaswaitingforhiminthedining-room。Shewouldnotcrossthethreshold。PoorSchmuckewentouttoherwithahaggard,tear-stainedface。
“MeinboorBonsinvandering,“saidhe;“hesaysdatyouareeinpadvoman。Iteeshisillness,“headdedhastily,tosoftenLaCibotandexcusehisfriend。
“Oh,Ihavehadenoughofhisillness!Lookhere,heisneitherfather,norhusband,norbrother,norchildofmine。Hehastakenadisliketome;wellandgood,thatisenough!Asforyou,yousee,I
wouldfollow/you/totheendoftheworld;butwhenawomangivesherlife,herheart,andallhersavings,andneglectsherhusbandforherehasCibotfallenill,andthenhearsthatsheisabadwoman——itiscomingitrathertoostrong,itis。“
“Tooshtrong？”
“Toostrong,yes。Nevermindidlewords。Letuscometothefacts。Astothat,youowemeforthreemonthsatahundredandninetyfrancs——
thatisfivehundredseventyfrancs;thenthereistherentthatI
havepaidtwiceherearethereceipts,sixhundredmore,includingratesandthesouinthefrancfortheporter——somethingundertwelvehundredfrancsaltogether,andwiththetwothousandfrancsbesides——
withoutinterest,mindyou——thetotalamountstothreethousandonehundredandninety-twofrancs。Andrememberthatyouwillwantatleasttwothousandfrancsbeforelongforthedoctor,andthenurse,andthemedicine,andthenurse\'sboard。ThatwaswhyIborrowedathousandfrancsofM。Pillerault,“andwiththatsheheldupGaudissart\'sbank-note。
ItmayreadilybeconceivedthatSchmuckelistenedtothisreckoningwithamazement,forheknewaboutasmuchofbusinessasacatknowsofmusic。
“MontameZipod,“heexpostulated,“Bonshaflosthishead。Bardonhim,andnursehimasbefore,undpeourprofidence;Ipegitofyouonmineknees,“andhekneltbeforeLaCibotandkissedthetormentor\'shands。
LaCibotraisedSchmuckeandkissedhimontheforehead。“Listen,mylamb,“saidshe,“hereisCibotillinbed;IhavejustsentforDr。
Poulain。SoIoughttosetmyaffairsinorder。Andwhatismore,Cibotsawmecrying,andflewintosuchapassionthathewillnothavemesetfootinhereagain。Itis/he/whowantsthemoney;itishis,yousee。Wewomencandonothingwhenitcomestothat。Butifyoulethimhavehismoneybackagain——thethreethousandtwohundredfrancs——hewillbequietperhaps。Poorman,itishisall,earnedbythesweatofhisbrow,thesavingsoftwenty-sixyearsoflifetogether。Hemusthavehismoneyto-morrow;thereisnogettingroundhim——YoudonotknowCibot;whenheisangryhewouldkillaman。
Well,Imightperhapsgetleaveofhimtolookafteryoubothasbefore。Beeasy。Iwilljustlethimsayanythingthatcomesintohishead。Iwillbearitallforloveofyou,anangelasyouare。“
“No,Iameinboorman,dotlofhisfriendandvouldgifhislifetosavehim——“
“Butthemoney？”brokeinLaCibot。“MygoodM。Schmucke,letussupposethatyoupaymenothing;youwillwantthreethousandfrancs,andwherearetheytocomefrom?Uponmyword,doyouknowwhatI
shoulddoinyourplace?Ishouldnotthinktwice,Ishouldjustsellsevenoreightgood-for-nothingpicturesandputupsomeofthoseinsteadthatarestandinginyourclosetwiththeirfacestothewallforwantofroom。Onepictureoranother,whatdifferencedoesitmake？”
“Undvy？”
“Heissocunning。Itishisillness,forheisalambwhenheiswell。Heiscapableofgettingupandpryingabout;andifbyanychancehewentintothesalon,heissoweakthathecouldnotgobeyondthedoor;hewouldseethattheyareallstillthere。“
“Drue！”
“Andwhenheisquitewell,wewilltellhimaboutthesale。Andifyouwishtoconfess,throwitalluponme,saythatyouwereobligedtopayme。Come!Ihaveabroadback——“
“Icannottisposeofdingsdotarenotmine,“thegoodGermanansweredsimply。
“Verywell。Iwillsummonsyou,youandM。Pons。“
“Itvouldkillhim——“
“Takeyourchoice!Dearme,sellthepicturesandtellhimaboutitafterwards……youcanshowhimthesummons——“
“Ver\'goot。Summonsus。Dotshallpemineegscuse。Ishallshowhimderchudgment。“
Mme。Cibotwentdowntothecourt,andthatverydayatseveno\'clockshecalledtoSchmucke。SchmuckefoundhimselfconfrontedwithM。
Tabareauthebailiff,whocalleduponhimtopay。Schmuckemadeanswer,tremblingfromheadtofoot,andwasforthwithsummonedtogetherwithPons,toappearinthecountycourttohearjudgmentagainsthim。ThesightofthebailiffandabitofstampedpapercoveredwithscrawlsproducedsuchaneffectuponSchmucke,thatheheldoutnolonger。
“Selldiebictures,“hesaid,withtearsinhiseyes。
Nextmorning,atsixo\'clock,ElieMagusandRemonencqtookdownthepaintingsoftheirchoice。Tworeceiptsfortwothousandfivehundredfrancsweremadeoutincorrectform：——
“I,theundersigned,representingM。Pons,acknowledgethereceiptoftwothousandfivehundredfrancsfromM。ElieMagusforthefourpicturessoldtohim,thesaidsumbeingappropriatedtotheuseofM。
Pons。Thefirstpicture,attributedtoDurer,isaportraitofawoman;thesecond,likewiseaportrait,isoftheItalianSchool;thethird,aDutchlandscapebyBreughel;andthefourth,a/HolyFamily/
byanunknownmasteroftheFlorentineSchool。“
Remonencq\'sreceiptwaswordedinpreciselythesameway;aGreuze,aClaudeLorraine,aRubens,andaVanDyckbeingdisguisedaspicturesoftheFrenchandFlemishschools。
“Dermonnymakesmebeleefdotthechimcrackshafsomvalue,“saidSchmuckewhenthefivethousandfrancswerepaidover。
“Theyareworthsomething,“saidRemonencq。“Iwouldwillinglygiveyouahundredthousandfrancsforthelot。“
Remonencq,askedtodoatriflingservice,hungeightpicturesofthepropersizeinthesameframes,takingthemfromamongthelessvaluablepicturesinSchmucke\'sbedroom。
NosoonerwasElieMagusinpossessionofthefourgreatpicturesthanhewent,takingLaCibotwithhim,underpretenceofsettlingaccounts。Buthepleadedpoverty,hefoundfaultwiththepictures,theyneededrebacking,heofferedLaCibotthirtythousandfrancsbywayofcommission,andfinallydazzledherwiththesheetsofpaperonwhichtheBankofFranceengravesthewords“Onethousandfrancs“incapitalletters。MagusthereuponcondemnedRemonencqtopaythelikesumtoLaCibot,bylendinghimthemoneyonthesecurityofhisfourpictures,whichhetookwithhimasaguarantee。Sogloriouswerethey,thatMaguscouldnotbringhimselftopartwiththem,andnextdayheboughtthemofRemonencqforsixthousandfrancsoverandabovetheoriginalprice,andaninvoicewasdulymadeoutforthefour。
Mme。Cibot,thericherbysixty-eightthousandfrancs,oncemoresworehertwoaccomplicestoabsolutesecrecy。ThensheaskedtheJew\'sadvice。Shewantedtoinvestthemoneyinsuchawaythatnooneshouldknowofit。
“BuysharesintheOrleansRailway,“saidhe;“theyarethirtyfrancsbelowpar,youwilldoubleyourcapitalinthreeyears。Theywillgiveyouscrapsofpaper,whichyoukeepsafeinaportfolio。“
“Stayhere,M。Magus。IwillgoandfetchthemanofbusinesswhoactsforM。Pons\'family。Hewantstoknowhowmuchyouwillgivehimforthewholebagoftricksupstairs。Iwillgoforhimnow。“
“Ifonlyshewereawidow！”saidRemonencqwhenshewasgone。“Shewouldjustsuitme;shewillhaveplentyofmoneynow——“
“EspeciallyifsheputshermoneyintotheOrleansRailway;shewilldoublehercapitalintwoyears\'time。Ihaveputallmypoorlittlesavingsintoit,“addedtheJew,“formydaughter\'sportion——Come,letustakeaturnontheboulevarduntilthislawyerarrives。“
“Cibotisverybadasitis,“continuedRemonencq;“ifitshouldpleaseGodtotakehimtoHimself,Ishouldhaveafamouswifetokeepashop;Icouldsetuponalargescale——“
“Good-day,M。Fraisier,“LaCibotbeganinaningratiatingtoneassheenteredherlegaladviser\'soffice。“Why,whatisthisthatyourporterhasbeentellingme?areyougoingtomove？”
“Yes,mydearMme。Cibot。IamtakingthefirstflooraboveDr。
Poulain,andtryingtoborrowtwoorthreethousandfrancssoastofurnishtheplaceproperly;itisverynice,uponmyword,thelandlordhasjustpaperedandpaintedit。Iamacting,asItoldyou,inPresidentdeMarville\'sinterestsandyours……Iamnotasolicitornow;Imeantohavemynameenteredontherollofbarristers,andImustbewelllodged。AbarristerinPariscannothavehisnameontherollsunlesshehasdecentfurnitureandbooksandthelike。Iamadoctoroflaw,Ihavekeptmyterms,andhavepowerfulinterestalready……Well,howarewegettingon？”
“Perhapsyouwouldacceptmysavings,“saidLaCibot。“Ihaveputtheminasavingsbank。Ihavenotmuch,onlythreethousandfrancs,thefruitsoftwenty-fiveyearsofstintingandscraping。Youmightgivemeabillofexchange,asRemonencqsays;forIamignorantmyself,I
onlyknowwhattheytellme。“
“No。Itisagainsttherulesoftheguildforabarrister/avocat/
toputhisnametoabill。Iwillgiveyouareceipt,bearinginterestatfivepercentperannum,ontheunderstandingthatifImakeanincomeoftwelvehundredfrancsforyououtofoldPons\'estateyouwillcancelit。“
LaCibot,caughtinthetrap,utterednotaword。
“Silencegivesconsent,“Fraisiercontinued。“Letmehaveitto-morrowmorning。“
“Oh!Iamquitewillingtopayfeesinadvance,“saidLaCibot;“itisonewayofmakingsureofmymoney。“
Fraisiernodded。“Howareyougettingon？”herepeated。“IsawPoulainyesterday;youarehurryingyourinvalidalong,itseems……Onemorescenesuchasyesterday\'s,andgall-stoneswillform。Begentlewithhim,mydearMme。Cibot,donotlayupremorseforyourself。Lifeisnottoolong。“
“Justletmealonewithyourremorse!Areyougoingtotalkabouttheguillotineagain?M。Ponsisacontrairyoldthing。Youdon\'tknowhim。Itishethatbothersme。Thereisnotamorecross-grainedmanalive;hisrelationsareintherightofit,heissly,revengeful,andcontrairy……M。Magushascome,asItoldyou,andiswaitingtoseeyou。“
“Right!Iwillbethereassoonasyou。Yourincomedependsuponthepricethecollectionwillfetch。Ifitbringsineighthundredthousandfrancs,youshallhavefifteenhundredfrancsayear。Itisafortune。“
“Verywell。Iwilltellthemtovaluethethingsontheirconsciences。“
Anhourlater,Ponswasfastasleep。Thedoctorhadorderedasoothingdraught,whichSchmuckeadministered,allunconsciousthatLaCibothaddoubledthedose。Fraisier,Remonencq,andMagus,threegallows-
birds,wereexaminingtheseventeenhundreddifferentobjectswhichformedtheoldmusician\'scollectiononebyone。
Schmuckehadgonetobed。Thethreekites,drawnbythescentofacorpse,weremastersofthefield。
“Makenonoise,“saidLaCibotwheneverMaguswentintoecstasiesorexplainedthevalueofsomeworkofarttoRemonencq。Thedyingmansleptonintheneighboringroom,whilegreedinfourdifferentformsappraisedthetreasuresthathemustleavebehind,andwaitedimpatientlyforhimtodie——asighttowringtheheart。
Threehourswentbybeforetheyhadfinishedthesalon。
“Onanaverage,“saidthegrimyoldJew,“everythinghereisworthathousandfrancs。“
“Seventeenhundredthousandfrancs！”exclaimedFraisierinbewilderment。
“Nottome,“Magusansweredpromptly,andhiseyesgrewdull。“Iwouldnotgivemorethanahundredthousandfrancsmyselfforthecollection。Youcannottellhowlongyoumaykeepathingonhand……Therearemasterpiecesthatwaittenyearsforabuyer,andmeanwhilethepurchasemoneyisdoubledbycompoundinterest。Still,I
shouldpaycash。“
“Thereisstainedglassintheotherroom,aswellasenamelsandminiaturesandgoldandsilversnuff-boxes,“putinRemonencq。
“Cantheybeseen？”inquiredFraisier。
“I\'llseeifheissoundasleep,“repliedLaCibot。Shemadeasign,andthethreebirdsofpreycamein。
“Therearemasterpiecesyonder！”saidMagus,indicatingthesalon,everybristleofhiswhitebeardtwitchingashespoke。“Buttherichesarehere!Andwhatriches!Kingshavenothingmoregloriousinroyaltreasuries。“
Remonencq\'seyeslighteduptilltheyglowedlikecarbuncles,atthesightofthegoldsnuff-boxes。Fraisier,coolandcalmasaserpent,orsomesnake-creaturewiththepowerofrisingerect,stoodwithhisviperheadstretchedout,insuchanattitudeasapainterwouldchooseforMephistopheles。Thethreecovetousbeings,thirstingforgoldasdevilsthirstforthedewofheaven,lookedsimultaneously,asitchanced,attheownerofallthiswealth。SomenightmaretroubledPons;hestirred,andsuddenly,undertheinfluenceofthosediabolicalglances,heopenedhiseyeswithashrillcry。
“Thieves!……Theretheyare!……Help!Murder!Help！”
Thenightmarewasevidentlystilluponhim,forhesatupinbed,staringbeforehimwithblank,wide-openeyes,andhadnotthepowertomove。
ElieMagusandRemonencqmadeforthedoor,butawordgluedthemtothespot。
“/Magus/here!……Iambetrayed！”
Instinctivelythesickmanhadknownthathisbelovedpictureswereindanger,athoughtthattouchedhimatleastascloselyasanydreadforhimself,andheawoke。Fraisiermeanwhiledidnotstir。
“Mme。Cibot!whoisthatgentleman？”criedPons,shiveringatthesight。
“Goodnessme!howcouldIputhimoutofthedoor？”sheinquired,withawinkandgestureforFraisier\'sbenefit。“Thisgentlemancamejustaminuteago,fromyourfamily。“
FraisiercouldnotconcealhisadmirationforLaCibot。
“Yes,sir,“hesaid,“IhavecomeonbehalfofMme。laPresidentedeMarville,herhusband,andherdaughter,toexpresstheirregret。Theylearnedquitebyaccidentthatyouareill,andtheywouldliketonurseyouthemselves。TheywantyoutogotoMarvilleandgetwellthere。Mme。laVicomtessePopinot,thelittleCecilethatyoulovesomuch,willbeyournurse。Shetookyourpartwithhermother。SheconvincedMme。deMarvillethatshehadmadeamistake。“
“Somynext-of-kinhavesentyoutome,havethey？”Ponsexclaimedindignantly,“andsentthebestjudgeandexpertinallPariswithyoutoshowyoutheway?Oh!anicecommission！”hecried,burstingintowildlaughter。“Youhavecometovaluemypicturesandcuriosities,mysnuff-boxesandminiatures!……Makeyourvaluation。Youhaveamantherewhounderstandseverything,andmore——hecanbuyeverything,forheisamillionairetentimesover……Mydearrelativeswillnothavelongtowait,“headded,withbitterirony,“theyhavechokedthelastbreathoutofme……Ah!Mme。Cibot,yousaidyouwereamothertome,andyoubringdealersintothehouse,andmycompetitorandtheCamusots,whileIamasleep!……Getout,allofyou!——“
Theunhappymanwasbesidehimselfwithangerandfear;herosefromthebedandstoodupright,agaunt,wastedfigure。
“Takemyarm,sir,“saidLaCibot,rushingtotherescue,lestPonsshouldfall。“Praycalmyourself,thegentlemenaregone。“
“Iwanttoseethesalon……“saidthedeath-strickenman。LaCibotmadeasigntothethreeravenstotakeflight。ThenshecaughtupPonsasifhehadbeenafeather,andputhiminbedagain,inspiteofhiscries。Whenshesawthathewasquitehelplessandexhausted,shewenttoshutthedooronthestaircase。ThethreewhohaddonePonstodeathwerestillonthelanding;LaCibottoldthemtowait。
SheheardFraisiersaytoMagus：
“Letmehaveitinwriting,andsignit,bothofyou。UndertaketopayninehundredthousandfrancsincashforM。Pons\'collection,andwewillseeaboutputtingyouinthewayofmakingahandsomeprofit。“
WiththathesaidsomethingtoLaCibotinavoicesolowthattheotherscouldnotcatchit,andwentdownafterthetwodealerstotheporter\'sroom。
“Havetheygone,Mme。Cibot？”askedtheunhappyPons,whenshecamebackagain。
“Gone?……who？”askedshe。
“Thosemen。“
“Whatmen?There,now,youhaveseenmen,“saidshe。“Youhavejusthadaravingfit;ifithadn\'tbeenformeyouwouldhavegoneoutthewindow,andnowyouarestilltalkingofmenintheroom。Isitalwaystobelikethis？”
“What!wastherenotagentlemanherejustnow,sayingthatmyrelativeshadsenthim？”
“Willyoustillstandmeout？”saidshe。“Uponmyword,doyouknowwhereyououghttobesent?——TotheasylumatCharenton。Youseemen——“
“ElieMagus,Remonencq,and——“
“Oh!asforRemonencq,youmayhaveseen/him/,forhecameuptotellmethatmypoorCibotissobadthatImustclearoutofthisandcomedown。MyCibotcomesfirst,yousee。Whenmyhusbandisill,Icanthinkofnobodyelse。Trytokeepquietandsleepforacoupleofhours;IhavesentforDr。Poulain,andIwillcomeupwithhim……
Takeadrinkandbegood——“
“Thenwastherenooneintheroomjustnow,whenIwaked?……“
“Noone,“saidshe。“YoumusthaveseenM。Remonencqinoneofyourlooking-glasses。“
“Youareright,Mme。Cibot,“saidPons,meekasalamb。
“Well,nowyouaresensibleagain……Good-bye,mycherub;keepquiet,Ishallbebackagaininaminute。“
WhenPonsheardtheouterdoorcloseuponher,hesummonedupallhisremainingstrengthtorise。
“Theyarecheatingme,“hemutteredtohimself,“theyarerobbingme!
Schmuckeisachildthatwouldletthemtiehimupinasack。“
Theterriblescenehadseemedsoreal,itcouldnotbeadream,hethought;adesiretothrowlightuponthepuzzleexcitedhim;hemanagedtoreachthedoor,openeditaftermanyefforts,andstoodonthethresholdofhissalon。Theretheywere——hisdearpictures,hisstatues,hisFlorentinebronzes,hisporcelain;thesightofthemrevivedhim。Theoldcollectorwalkedinhisdressing-gownalongthenarrowspacesbetweenthecredence-tablesandthesideboardsthatlinedthewall;hisfeetbare,hisheadonfire。Hisfirstglanceofownershiptoldhimthateverythingwasthere;heturnedtogobacktobedagain,whenhenoticedthataGreuzeportraitlookedoutoftheframethathadheldSebastiandelPiombo\'s/Templar/。Suspicionflashedacrosshisbrain,makinghisdarkthoughtsapparenttohim,asaflashoflightningmarkstheoutlinesofthecloud-barsonastormysky。Helookedroundfortheeightcapitalpicturesofthecollection;
eachoneofthemwasreplacedbyanother。Adarkfilmsuddenlyoverspreadhiseyes;hisstrengthfailedhim;hefellfaintinguponthepolishedfloor。
Soheavywastheswoon,thatfortwohourshelayashefell,tillSchmuckeawokeandwenttoseehisfriend,andfoundhimlyingunconsciousinthesalon。WithendlesspainsSchmuckeraisedthehalf-
deadbodyandlaiditonthebed;butwhenhecametoquestionthedeath-strickenman,andsawthelookinthedulleyesandheardthevague,inarticulatewords,thegoodGerman,sofarfromlosinghishead,rosetotheveryheroismoffriendship。Manandchildashewas,withthepressureofdespaircametheinspirationofamother\'stenderness,awoman\'slove。Hewarmedtowelshefoundtowels!,hewrappedthemaboutPons\'hands,helaidthemoverthepitofthestomach;hetookthecold,moistforeheadinhishands,hesummonedbacklifewithamightofwillworthyofApolloniusofTyana,layingkissesonhisfriend\'seyelidslikesomeMarybendingoverthedeadChrist,ina/pieta/carvedinbas-reliefbysomegreatItaliansculptor。Thedivineeffort,theoutpouringofonelifeintoanother,theworkofmotherandoflover,wascrownedwithsuccess。InhalfanhourthewarmthrevivedPons;hebecamehimselfagain,thehuesoflifereturnedtohiseyes,suspendedfacultiesgraduallyresumedtheirplayundertheinfluenceofartificialheat;Schmuckegavehimbalm-
waterwithalittlewineinit;thespiritoflifespreadthroughthebody;intelligencelighteduptheforeheadsoshortawhileagoinsensibleasastone;andPonsknewthathehadbeenbroughtbacktolife,bywhatsacreddevotion,whatmightoffriendship!
“Butforyou,Ishoulddie,“hesaid,andashespokehefeltthegoodGerman\'stearsfallingonhisface。Schmuckewaslaughingandcryingatonce。
PoorSchmucke!hehadwaitedforthosewordswithafrenzyofhopeascostlyasthefrenzyofdespair;andnowhisstrengthutterlyfailedhim,hecollapsedlikearentballoon。Itwashisturntofall;hesankintotheeasy-chair,claspedhishands,andthankedGodinferventprayer。Forhimamiraclehadjustbeenwrought。Heputnobeliefintheefficacyoftheprayerofhisdeeds;themiraclehadbeenwroughtbyGodindirectanswertohiscry。Andyetthatmiraclewasanaturaleffect,suchasmedicalscienceoftenrecords。
Asickman,surroundedbythosewholovehim,nursedbythosewhowishearnestlythatheshouldlive,willrecoverotherthingsbeingequal,whenanotherpatienttendedbyhirelingswilldie。Doctorsdeclinetoseeunconsciousmagnetisminthisphenomenon;forthemitistheresultofintelligentnursing,ofexactobediencetotheirorders;butmanyamotherknowsthevirtueofsuchardentprojectionofstrong,unceasingprayer。
“MygoodSchmucke——“
“Saynodings;Ishallhearyoumitmeinheart……rest,rest！”saidSchmucke,smilingathim。
“Poorfriend,noblecreature,childofGod,livinginGod!……Theonebeingthathaslovedme……“Thewordscameoutwithpausesbetweenthem;therewasanewnote,asomethingneverheardbefore,inPons\'voice。Allthesoul,sosoontotakeflight,foundutteranceinthewordsthatfilledSchmuckewithhappinessalmostlikealover\'srapture。
“Yes,yes。Ishallbeshtrongasalion。Ishallvorkfortwo！”
“Listen,mygood,myfaithful,adorablefriend。Letmespeak,Ihavenotmuchtimeleft。Iamadeadman。Icannotrecoverfromtheserepeatedshocks。“
Schmuckewascryinglikeachild。
“Justlisten,“continuedPons,“andcryafterwards。AsaChristian,youmustsubmit。Ihavebeenrobbed。ItisLaCibot\'sdoing……I
oughttoopenyoureyesbeforeIgo;youknownothingoflife……
Somebodyhastakenawayeightofthepictures,andtheywereworthagreatdealofmoney。“
“Vorgifme——Isolddem。“
“/You/soldthem？”
“Yes,I,“saidpoorSchmucke。“Deysummonedustodercourt——“
“/Summoned?/……Whosummonedus？”
“Wait,“saidSchmucke。Hewentforthebitofstamped-paperleftbythebailiff,andgaveittoPons。Ponsreadthescrawlthroughwithcloseattention,thenheletthepaperdropandlayquitesilentforawhile。Acloseobserveroftheworkofmen\'shands,unheedfulsofaroftheworkingsofthebrain,PonsfinallycountedoutthethreadsoftheplotwovenabouthimbyLaCibot。Theartist\'sfire,theintellectthatwontheRomanscholarship——allhisyouthcamebacktohimforalittle。
“MygoodSchmucke,“hesaidatlast,“youmustdoasItellyou,andobeylikeasoldier。Listen!godownstairsintothelodgeandtellthatabominablewomanthatIshouldliketoseethepersonsenttomebymycousinthePresident;andthatunlesshecomes,IshallleavemycollectiontotheMusee。Saythatawillisinquestion。“
Schmuckewentonhiserrand;butatthefirstword,LaCibotansweredbyasmile。
“MygoodM。Schmucke,ourdearinvalidhashadadeliriousfit;hethoughtthatthereweremenintheroom。Onmyword,asanhonestwoman,noonehascomefromthefamily。“
Schmuckewentbackwithhisanswer,whichherepeatedwordforword。
“Sheiscleverer,moreastuteandcunningandwily,thanIthought,“
saidPonswithasmile。“Shelieseveninherroom。Imagineit!ThismorningshebroughtaJewhere,ElieMagusbyname,andRemonencq,andathirdwhomIdonotknow,moreterrificthantheothertwoputtogether。ShemeanttomakeavaluationwhileIwasasleep;Ihappenedtowake,andsawthemallthree,estimatingtheworthofmysnuff-
boxes。Thestrangersaid,indeed,thattheCamusotshadsenthimhere;
Ispoketohim……ThatshamelesswomanstoodmeoutthatIwasdreaming!……MygoodSchmucke,itwasnotadream。Iheardthemanperfectlyplainly;hespoketome……Thetwodealerstookfrightandmadeforthedoor……IthoughtthatLaCibotwouldcontradictherself——theexperimentfailed……Iwilllayanothersnare,andtrapthewretchedwoman……PoorSchmucke,youthinkthatLaCibotisanangel;andforthismonthpastshehasbeenkillingmebyinchestogainhercovetousends。Iwouldnotbelievethatawomanwhoservedusfaithfullyforyearscouldbesowicked。Thatdoubthasbeenmyruin……Howmuchdidtheeightpicturesfetch？”
“Vifetausendvrancs。“
“Goodheavens!theywereworthtwentytimesasmuch！”criedPons;“thegemsofthecollection!Ihavenottimenowtoinstituteproceedings;
andifIdid,youwouldfigureincourtasthedupeofthoserascals……Alawsuitwouldbethedeathofyou。Youdonotknowwhatjusticemeans——acourtofjusticeisasinkofiniquity……Atthesightofsuchhorrors,asoullikeyourswouldgiveway。Andbesides,youwillhaveenough。Thepicturescostmefortythousandfrancs。I
havehadthemforthirty-sixyears……Oh,wehavebeenrobbedwithsurprisingdexterity。Iamonthebrinkofthegrave,Icarefornothingnowbutthee——forthee,thebestsoulunderthesun……
“Iwillnothaveyouplundered;allthatIhaveisyours。Soyoumusttrustnobody,Schmucke,youthathaveneversuspectedanyoneinyourlife。IknowGodwatchesoveryou,butHemayforgetforonemoment,andyouwillbeseizedlikeavesselamongpirates……LaCibotisamonster!Sheiskillingme;andyouthinkheranangel!Youshallseewhatsheis。Goandaskhertogiveyouthenameofanotary,andIwillshowyouherwithherhandinthebag。“
SchmuckelistenedasifPonsproclaimedanapocalypse。CouldsodepravedacreatureasLaCibotexist?IfPonswasright,itseemedtoimplythattherewasnoGodintheworld。HewentrightdownagaintoMme。Cibot。
“MeinboorvriendBonsfeelsoill,“hesaid,“dathevishtomakehisvill。Goundpringeinnodary。“
Thiswassaidinthehearingofseveralpersons,forCibot\'slifewasdespairedof。Remonencqandhissister,twowomenfromneighboringporters\'lodges,twoorthreeservants,andthelodgerfromthefirstflooronthesidenextthestreet,wereallstandingoutsideinthegateway。
“Oh!youcanjustfetchanotaryyourself,andhaveyourwillmadeasyouplease,“criedLaCibot,withtearsinhereyes。“MypoorCibotisdying,anditisnotimetoleavehim。IwouldgiveallthePonsesintheworldtosaveCibot,thathasnevergivenmeanounceofunhappinessinthesethirtyyearssinceweweremarried。“
Andinshewent,leavingSchmuckeinconfusion。
“IsM。Ponsreallyseriouslyill,sir？”askedthefirst-floorlodger,oneJolivard,aclerkintheregistrar\'sofficeatthePalaisdeJustice。
“Henearlydiedchustnow,“saidSchmucke,withdeepsorrowinhisvoice。
“M。TrognonlivesnearbyintheRueSaint-Louis,“saidM。Jolivard,“heisthenotaryofthequarter。“
“Wouldyoulikemetogoforhim？”askedRemonencq。
“Ishouldpeferyglad,“saidSchmucke;“forgifMontameZipodcannotpemitminevriend,Ishallnotvishtoleafhimindershtateheisin——“
“Mme。Cibottoldusthathewasgoingoutofhismind,“resumedJolivard。
“Bons!outoffhismind！”criedSchmucke,terror-strickenbytheidea。
“Nefervashesoclearinderhead……datischustderreasonvyI
amanxiousforhim。“
Thelittlegroupofpersonslistenedtotheconversationwithaverynaturalcuriosity,whichstampedthesceneupontheirmemories。
SchmuckedidnotknowFraisier,andcouldnotnotehissataniccountenanceandglitteringeyes。ButtwowordswhisperedbyFraisierinLaCibot\'searhadpromptedadaringpieceofacting,somewhatbeyondLaCibot\'srange,itmaybe,thoughsheplayedherpartthroughoutinamasterlystyle。Tomakeothersbelievethatthedyingmanwasoutofhismind——itwastheverycorner-stoneoftheedificerearedbythepettylawyer。Themorning\'sincidenthaddoneFraisiergoodservice;butforhim,LaCibotinhertroublemighthavefallenintothesnareinnocentlyspreadbySchmucke,whenheaskedhertosendbackthepersonsentbythefamily。
RemonencqsawDr。Poulaincomingtowardsthem,andaskednobetterthantovanish。ThefactwasthatforthelasttendaystheAuvergnathadbeenplayingProvidenceinamannersingularlydispleasingtoJustice,whichclaimsthemonopolyofthatpart。Hehadmadeuphismindtoridhimselfatallcostsoftheoneobstacleinhiswaytohappiness,andhappinessforhimmeantcapitaltrebledandmarriagewiththeirresistiblycharmingportress。Hehadwatchedthelittletailordrinkinghisherb-tea,andathoughtstruckhim。Hewouldconverttheailmentintomortalsickness;hisstockofoldmetalssuppliedhimwiththemeans。
Onemorningasheleanedagainstthedoor-post,smokinghispipeanddreamingofthatfineshopontheBoulevarddelaMadeleinewhereMme。
Cibot,gorgeouslyarrayed,shouldsomedaysitenthroned,hiseyesfelluponacopperdisc,aboutthesizeofafive-francpiece,coveredthicklywithverdigris。TheeconomicalideaofusingCibot\'smedicinetocleanthediscimmediatelyoccurredtohim。Hefastenedthethinginabitoftwine,andcameovereverymorningtoinquirefortidingsofhisfriendthetailor,timinghisvisitduringLaCibot\'svisittohergentlemenupstairs。Hedroppedthediscintothetumbler,allowedittosteeptherewhilehetalked,anddrewitoutagainbythestringwhenhewentaway。
Thetraceoftarnishedcopper,commonlycalledverdigris,poisonedthewholesomedraught;aminutedoseadministeredbystealthdidincalculablemischief。Beholdtheresultsofthiscriminalhomoeopathy!OnthethirddaypoorCibot\'shaircameout,histeethwereloosenedintheirsockets,hiswholesystemwasderangedbyascarcelyperceptibletraceofpoison。Dr。Poulainrackedhisbrains。
Hewasenoughofamanofsciencetoseethatsomedestructiveagentwasatwork。Heprivatelycarriedoffthedecoction,analyzedithimself,butfoundnothing。ItsochancedthatRemonencqhadtakenfrightandomittedtodipthediscinthetumblerthatday。
ThenDr。Poulainfellbackonhimselfandscienceandgotoutofthedifficultywithatheory。Asedentarylifeinadamproom;acrampedpositionbeforethebarredwindow——theseconditionshadvitiatedthebloodintheabsenceofproperexercise,especiallyasthepatientcontinuallybreathedanatmospheresaturatedwiththefetidexhalationsofthegutter。TheRuedeNormandieisoneoftheold-
fashionedstreetsthatslopetowardsthemiddle;themunicipalauthoritiesofParisasyethavelaidonnowatersupplytoflushthecentralkennelwhichdrainsthehousesoneitherside,andasaresultastreamoffilthyoozemeandersamongthecobblestones,filtersintothesoil,andproducesthemudpeculiartothecity。LaCibotcameandwent;butherhusband,ahard-workingman,satdayindayoutlikeafakironthetableinthewindow,tillhisknee-jointswerestiffened,thebloodstagnatedinhisbody,andhislegsgrewsothinandcrookedthathealmostlosttheuseofthem。Thedeepcoppertintoftheman\'scomplexionnaturallysuggestedthathehadbeenoutofhealthforaverylongtime。Thewife\'sgoodhealthandthehusband\'sillnessseemedtothedoctortobesatisfactorilyaccountedforbythistheory。
“ThenwhatisthematterwithmypoorCibot？”askedtheportress。
“MydearMme。Cibot,heisdyingoftheporter\'sdisease,“saidthedoctor。“Incurablevitiationofthebloodisevidentfromthegeneralanaemiccondition。“
Noonehadanythingtogainbyacrimesoobjectless。Dr。Poulain\'sfirstsuspicionswereeffacedbythisthought。WhocouldhaveanypossibleinterestinCibot\'sdeath?Hiswife?——thedoctorsawhertastetheherb-teaasshesweetenedit。Crimeswhichescapesocialvengeancearemanyenough,andasaruletheyareofthisorder——towit,murderscommittedwithoutanystartlingsignofviolence,withoutbloodshed,bruises,marksofstrangling,withoutanybunglingofthebusiness,inshort;ifthereseemstobenomotiveforthecrime,itmostlikelygoesunpunished,especiallyifthedeathoccursamongthepoorerclasses。Murderisalmostalwaysdenouncedbyitsadvancedguards,byhatredorgreedwellknowntothoseunderwhoseeyesthewholematterhaspassed。ButinthecaseoftheCibots,noonesavethedoctorhadanyinterestindiscoveringtheactualcauseofdeath。
Thelittlecopper-facedtailor\'swifeadoredherhusband;hehadnomoneyandnoenemies;LaCibot\'sfortuneandthemarine-storedealer\'smotiveswerealikehiddenintheshade。Poulainknewtheportressandherwayofthinkingperfectlywell;hethoughthercapableoftormentingPons,buthesawthatshehadneithermotiveenoughnorwitenoughformurder;andbesides——everytimethedoctorcameandshegaveherhusbandadraught,shetookaspoonfulherself。Poulainhimself,theonlypersonwhomighthavethrownlightonthematter,inclinedtobelievethatthiswasoneoftheunaccountablefreaksofdisease,oneoftheastonishingexceptionswhichmakemedicinesoperilousaprofession。Andintruth,thelittletailor\'sunwholesomelifeandunsanitarysurroundingshadunfortunatelybroughthimtosuchapassthatthetraceofcopper-poisoningwaslikethelaststraw。
Gossipsandneighborstookituponthemselvestoexplainthesuddendeath,andnosuspicionofblamelighteduponRemonencq。
“Oh!thislongtimepastIhavesaidthatM。Cibotwasnotwell,“
criedone。
“Heworkedtoohard,hedid,“saidanother;“heheatedhisblood。“
“Hewouldnotlistentome,“putinaneighbor;“IadvisedhimtowalkoutofaSundayandkeepSaintMonday;twodaysintheweekisnottoomuchforamusement。“
Inshort,thegossipofthequarter,thetell-talevoicetowhichJustice,inthepersonofthecommissaryofpolice,thekingofthepoorerclasses,lendsanattentiveear——gossipexplainedthelittletailor\'sdemiseinaperfectlysatisfactorymanner。YetM。Poulain\'spensiveairanduneasyeyesembarrassedRemonencqnotalittle,andatsightofthedoctorheofferedeagerlytogoinsearchofM。Trognon,Fraisier\'sacquaintance。FraisierturnedtoLaCibottosayinalowvoice,“Ishallcomebackagainassoonasthewillismade。Inspiteofyoursorrow,youmustlookforsqualls。“Thenheslippedawaylikeashadowandmethisfriendthedoctor。
“Ah,Poulain！”heexclaimed,“itisallright。Wearesafe!Iwilltellyouaboutitto-night。Lookoutapostthatwillsuityou,youshallhaveit!Formyownpart,Iamajusticeofthepeace。Tabareauwillnotrefusemenowforason-in-law。Andasforyou,IwillundertakethatyoushallmarryMlle。Vitel,granddaughterofourjusticeofthepeace。“
FraisierleftPoulainreducedtodumbbewildermentbythesewildwords;bouncedlikeaballintotheboulevard,hailedanomnibus,andwassetdowntenminuteslaterbythemoderncoachatthecorneroftheRuedeChoiseul。Bythistimeitwasnearlyfouro\'clock。FraisierfeltquitesureofawordinprivatewiththePresidente,forofficialsseldomleavethePalaisdeJusticebeforefiveo\'clock。
Mme。deMarville\'sreceptionofhimassuredFraisierthatM。LeboeufhadkepthispromisemadetoMme。VatinelleandspokenfavorablyofthesometimeattorneyatMantes。Amelie\'smannerwasalmostcaressing。
SomighttheDuchessedeMontpensierhavetreatedJacquesClement。Thepettyattorneywasaknifetoherhand。ButwhenFraisierproducedthejoint-lettersignedbyElieMagusandRemonencqofferingthesumofninehundredthousandfrancsincashforPons\'collection,thenthePresidentelookedathermanofbusinessandthegleamofthemoneyflashedfromhereyes。Thatrippleofgreedreachedtheattorney。
“M。lePresidentleftamessagewithme,“shesaid;“hehopesthatyouwilldinewithusto-morrow。Itwillbeafamilyparty。M。Godeschal,Desroches\'successorandmyattorney,willcometomeetyou,andBerthier,ournotary,andmydaughterandson-in-law。Afterdinner,youandIandthenotaryandattorneywillhavethelittleconsultationforwhichyouask,andIwillgiveyoufullpowers。Thetwogentlemenwilldoasyourequireandactuponyourinspiration;
andseethat/everything/goeswell。YoushallhaveapowerofattorneyfromM。deMarvilleassoonasyouwantit。“
“Ishallwantitonthedayofthedecease。“
“Itshallbeinreadiness。“
“Mme。laPresidente,ifIaskforapowerofattorney,andwouldpreferthatyourattorney\'snameshouldnotappearIwishitlessinmyowninterestthaninyours……WhenIgivemyself,itiswithoutreserve。Andinreturn,madame,Iaskthesamefidelity;IaskmypatronsIdonotventuretocallyoumyclientstoputthesameconfidenceinme。YoumaythinkthatinactingthusIamtryingtofastenuponthisaffair——no,no,madame;theremaybereprehensiblethingsdone;withaninheritanceinviewoneisdraggedon……
especiallywithninehundredthousandfrancsinthebalance。Well,now,youcouldnotdisavowamanlikeMaitreGodeschal,honestyitself,butyoucanthrowalltheblameonthebackofamiserablepettifogginglawyer——“
Mme。CamusotdeMarvillelookedadmiringlyatFraisier。
“Yououghttogoveryhigh,“saidshe,“orsinkverylow。Inyourplace,insteadofaskingtohidemyselfawayasajusticeofthepeace,Iwouldaimatthecrownattorney\'sappointment——at,say,Mantes!——andmakeagreatcareerformyself。“
“Letmehavemyway,madame。ThepostofjusticeofthepeaceisanamblingpadforM。Vitel;formeitshallbeawar-horse。“
AndinthiswaythePresidenteproceededtoafinalconfidence。
“Youseemtobesocompletelydevotedtoourinterests,“shebegan,“thatIwilltellyouaboutthedifficultiesofourpositionandourhopes。ThePresident\'sgreatdesire,eversinceamatchwasprojectedbetweenhisdaughterandanadventurerwhorecentlystartedabank,——
thePresident\'swish,Isay,hasbeentoroundouttheMarvilleestatewithsomegrazingland,atthattimeinthemarket。Wedispossessedourselvesoffineproperty,asyouknow,tosettleituponourdaughter;butIwishverymuch,mydaughterbeinganonlychild,tobuyallthatremainsofthegrassland。Parthasbeensoldalready。
TheestatebelongstoanEnglishmanwhoisreturningtoEnglandafteratwentyyears\'residenceinFrance。Hebuiltthemostcharmingcottageinadelightfulsituation,betweenMarvilleParkandthemeadowswhichoncewerepartoftheMarvillelands;heboughtupcovers,copse,andgardensatfancypricestomakethegroundsaboutthecottage。Thehouseanditssurroundingsmakeafeatureofthelandscape,anditliesclosetomydaughter\'sparkpalings。Thewhole,landandhouse,shouldbeboughtforsevenhundredthousandfrancs,forthenetrevenueisabouttwentythousandfrancs……ButifMr。
Wadmanfindsoutthat/we/thinkofbuyingit,heissuretoaddanothertwoorthreehundredthousandfrancstotheprice;forhewilllosemoneyifthehousecountsfornothing,asitusuallydoeswhenyoubuylandinthecountry——“
“Why,madame,“Fraisierbrokein,“inmyopinionyoucanbesosurethattheinheritanceisyoursthatIwilloffertoactthepartofpurchaserforyou。Iwillundertakethatyoushallhavethelandatthebestpossibleprice,andhaveawrittenengagementmadeoutunderprivateseal,likeacontracttodelivergoods……IwillgototheEnglishmaninthecharacterofbuyer。Iunderstandthatsortofthing;
itwasmyspecialtyatMantes。Vatinelledoubledthevalueofhispractice,whileIworkedinhisname。“
“HenceyourconnectionwithlittleMadameVatinelle。Hemustbeverywelloff——“
“ButMme。Vatinellehasexpensivetastes……Sobeeasy,madame——I
willserveyouuptheEnglishmandonetoaturn——“
“Ifyoucanmanagethatyouwillhaveeternalclaimstomygratitude。
Good-day,mydearM。Fraisier。Tillto-morrow——“
Fraisierwent。Hispartingbowwasadegreelesscringingthanonthefirstoccasion。
“Iamtodineto-morrowwithPresidentdeMarville！”hesaidtohimself。“Comenow,Ihavethesefolkinmypower。Only,tobeabsolutemaster,IoughttobetheGerman\'slegaladviserinthepersonofTabareau,thejustice\'sclerk。Tabareauwillnothavemenowforhisdaughter,hisonlydaughter,buthewillgivehertomewhenI
amajusticeofthepeace。Ishallbeeligible。Mlle。Tabareau,thattall,consumptivegirlwiththeredhair,hasahouseinthePlaceRoyaleinrightofhermother。Atherfather\'sdeathsheissuretocomeinforsixthousandfrancs,youmustnotlooktoohardattheplank。“
AshewentbacktotheRuedeNormandiebywayoftheboulevards,hedreamedouthisgoldendream,hegavehimselfuptothehappinessofthethoughtthatheshouldneverknowwantagain。HewouldmarryhisfriendPoulaintoMlle。Vitel,thedaughterofthejusticeofthepeace;together,heandhisfriendthedoctorwouldreignlikekingsinthequarter;hewouldcarryalltheelections——municipal,military,orpolitical。Theboulevardsseemshortif,whileyoupaceafoot,youmountyourambitiononthesteedoffancyinthisway。
SchmuckemeanwhilewentbacktohisfriendPonswiththenewsthatCibotwasdying,andRemonencqgoneinsearchofM。Trognon,thenotary。Ponswasstruckbythename。IthadcomeupagainandagaininLaCibot\'sinterminabletalk,andLaCibotalwaysrecommendedhimashonestyincarnate。AndwiththataluminousideaoccurredtoPons,inwhommistrusthadgrownparamountsincethemorning,anideawhichcompletedhisplanforoutwittingLaCibotandunmaskinghercompletelyforthetoo-credulousSchmucke。
SomanyunexpectedthingshadhappenedthatdaythatpoorSchmuckewasquitebewildered。Ponstookhisfriend\'shand。
“Theremustbeagooddealofconfusioninthehouse,Schmucke;iftheporterisatdeath\'sdoor,wearealmostfreeforaminuteortwo;
thatistosay,therewillbenospies——forwearewatched,youmaybesureofthat。Goout,takeacab,gotothetheatre,andtellMlle。
HeloiseBrisetoutthatIshouldliketoseeherbeforeIdie。Askhertocomehereto-nightwhensheleavesthetheatre。ThengotoyourfriendsBrunnerandSchwabandbegthemtocometo-morrowmorningatnineo\'clocktoinquireafterme;letthemcomeupasiftheywerejustpassingbyandcalledintoseeme。“
Theoldartistfeltthathewasdying,andthiswastheschemethatheforged。HemeantSchmucketobehisuniversallegatee。ToprotectSchmuckefromanypossiblelegalquibbles,heproposedtodictatehiswilltoanotaryinthepresenceofwitnesses,lesthissanityshouldbecalledinquestionandtheCamusotsshouldattemptuponthatpretexttodisputethewill。AtthenameofTrognonhecaughtaglimpseofmachinationsofsomekind;perhapsaflawpurposelyinserted,orpremeditatedtreacheryonLaCibot\'spart。Hewouldpreventthis。Trognonshoulddictateaholographwillwhichshouldbesignedanddepositedinasealedenvelopeinadrawer。ThenSchmucke,hiddeninoneofthecabinetsinhisalcove,shouldseeLaCibotsearchforthewill,findit,opentheenvelope,readitthrough,andsealitagain。Nextmorning,atnineo\'clock,hewouldcancelthewillandmakeanewoneinthepresenceoftwonotaries,everythingindueformandorder。LaCibothadtreatedhimasamadmanandavisionary;
hesawwhatthismeant——hesawthePresidente\'shateandgreed,herrevengeinLaCibot\'sbehavior。Inthesleeplesshoursandlonelydaysofthelasttwomonths,thepoormanhadsiftedtheeventsofhispastlife。