第7章

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,whileSchmuckeslept(forinaccordancewiththecompacthenowsatupatnightwiththepatient),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。Gaudissart(Ilikethatname),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,andneglectsherhusband(forherehasCibotfallenill),andthenhearsthatsheisabadwoman——itiscomingitrathertoostrong,itis。“

“Tooshtrong？”

“Toostrong,yes。Nevermindidlewords。Letuscometothefacts。Astothat,youowemeforthreemonthsatahundredandninetyfrancs——

thatisfivehundredseventyfrancs;thenthereistherentthatI

havepaidtwice(herearethereceipts),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。Hewarmedtowels(hefoundtowels!),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,willrecover(otherthingsbeingequal),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;Iaskmypatrons(Idonotventuretocallyoumyclients)toputthesameconfidenceinme。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。