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第22节

the two brothers-第22节

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ribbon of an officer of the Legion of honor; which met with difficulty

over a gastronomic stomach in keeping with a mouth that stretched from

ear to ear; and a pair of powerful shoulders。 The torso was supported

by a spindling pair of legs; while the rubicund tints on the cheek…

bones bore testimony to a rollicking life。 The lower part of the

cheeks; which were deeply wrinkled; overhung a coat…collar of velvet

the worse for wear。 Among other adornments; the ex…dragoon wore

enormous gold rings in his ears。



〃What a 'noceur'!〃 thought Joseph; using a popular expression; meaning

a 〃loose fish;〃 which had lately passed into the ateliers。



〃Madame;〃 said Finot's uncle and cashier; 〃your son is in so

unfortunate a position that his friends find it absolutely necessary

to ask you to share the somewhat heavy expense which he is to them。 He

can no longer do his work at the office; and Mademoiselle Florentine;

of the Porte…Saint…Martin; has taken him to lodge with her; in a

miserable attic in the rue de Vendome。 Philippe is dying; and if you

and his brother are not able to pay for the doctor and medicines; we

shall be obliged; for the sake of curing him; to have him taken to the

hospital of the Capuchins。 For three hundred francs we would keep him

where he is。 But he must have a nurse; for at night; when Mademoiselle

Florentine is at the theatre; he persists in going out; and takes

things that are irritating and injurious to his malady and its

treatment。 As we are fond of him; this makes us really very unhappy。

The poor fellow has pledged the pension of his cross for the next

three years; he is temporarily displaced from his office; and he has

literally nothing。 He will kill himself; madame; unless we can put him

into the private asylum of Doctor Dubois。 It is a decent hospital;

where they will take him for ten francs a day。 Florentine and I will

pay half; if you will pay the rest; it won't be for more than two

months。〃



〃Monsieur; it is difficult for a mother not to be eternally grateful

to you for your kindness to her son;〃 replied Agathe; 〃but this son is

banished from my heart; and as for money; I have none。 Not to be a

burden on my son whom you see here; who works day and night and

deserves all the love his mother can give him; I am the assistant in a

lottery…officeat my age!〃



〃And you; young man;〃 said the old dragoon to Joseph; 〃can't you do as

much for your brother as a poor dancer at the Porte…Saint…Martin and

an old soldier?〃



〃Look here!〃 said Joseph; out of patience; 〃do you want me to tell you

in artist language what I think of your visit? Well; you have come to

swindle us on false pretences。〃



〃To…morrow your brother shall go to the hospital。〃



〃And he will do very well there;〃 answered Joseph。 〃If I were in like

case; I should go there too。〃



Giroudeau withdrew; much disappointed; and also really mortified at

being obliged to send to a hospital a man who had carried the

Emperor's orders at the battle of Montereau。 Three months later; at

the end of July; as Agathe one morning was crossing the Pont Neuf to

avoid paying a sou at the Pont des Arts; she saw; coming along by the

shops of the Quai de l'Ecole; a man bearing all the signs of second…

class poverty; who; she thought; resembled Philippe。 In Paris; there

are three distinct classes of poverty。 First; the poverty of the man

who preserves appearances; and to whom a future still belongs; this is

the poverty of young men; artists; men of the world; momentarily

unfortunate。 The outward signs of their distress are not visible;

except under the microscope of a close observer。 These persons are the

equestrian order of poverty; they continue to drive about in

cabriolets。 In the second order we find old men who have become

indifferent to everything; and; in June; put the cross of the Legion

of honor on alpaca overcoats; that is the poverty of small incomes;

of old clerks; who live at Sainte…Perine and care no longer about

their outward man。 Then comes; in the third place; poverty in rags;

the poverty of the people; the poverty that is poetic; which Callot;

Hogarth; Murillo; Charlet; Raffet; Gavarni; Meissonier; Art itself

adores and cultivates; especially during the carnival。 The man in whom

poor Agathe thought she recognized her son was astride the last two

classes of poverty。 She saw the ragged neck…cloth; the scurfy hat; the

broken and patched boots; the threadbare coat; whose buttons had shed

their mould; leaving the empty shrivelled pod dangling in congruity

with the torn pockets and the dirty collar。 Scraps of flue were in the

creases of the coat; which showed plainly the dust that filled it。 The

man drew from the pockets of his seam…rent iron…gray trousers a pair

of hands as black as those of a mechanic。 A knitted woollen waistcoat;

discolored by use; showed below the sleeves of his coat; and above the

trousers; and no doubt served instead of a shirt。 Philippe wore a

green silk shade with a wire edge over his eyes; his head; which was

nearly bald; the tints of his skin; and his sunken face too plainly

revealed that he was just leaving the terrible Hopital du Midi。 His

blue overcoat; whitened at the seams; was still decorated with the

ribbon of his cross; and the passers…by looked at the hero; doubtless

some victim of the government; with curiosity and commiseration; the

rosette attracted notice; and the fiercest 〃ultra〃 was jealous for the

honor of the Legion。 In those days; however much the government

endeavored to bring the Order into disrepute by bestowing its cross

right and left; there were not fifty…three thousand persons decorated。



Agathe trembled through her whole being。 If it were impossible to love

this son any longer; she could still suffer for him。 Quivering with

this last expression of motherhood; she wept as she saw the brilliant

staff officer of the Emperor turn to enter tobacconist's and pause on

the threshold; he had felt in his pocket and found nothing。 Agathe

left the bridge; crossed the quai rapidly; took out her purse; thrust

it into Philippe's hand; and fled away as if she had committed a

crime。 After that; she ate nothing for two days; before her was the

horrible vision of her son dying of hunger in the streets of Paris。



〃When he has spent all the money in my purse; who will give him any?〃

she thought。 〃Giroudeau did not deceive us; Philippe is just out of

that hospital。〃



She no longer saw the assassin of her poor aunt; the scourge of the

family; the domestic thief; the gambler; the drunkard; the low liver

of a bad life; she saw only the man recovering from illness; yet

doomed to die of starvation; the smoker deprived of his tobacco。 At

forty…seven years of age she grew to look like a woman of seventy。 Her

eyes were dimmed with tears and prayers。 Yet it was not the last grief

this son was to bring upon her; her worst apprehensions were destined

to be realized。 A conspiracy of officers was discovered at the heart

of the army; and articles from the 〃Moniteur〃 giving details of the

arrests were hawked about the streets。



In the depths of her cage in the lottery…office of the rue Vivienne;

Agathe heard the name of Philippe Bridau。 She fainted; and the

manager; understanding her trouble and the necessity of taking certain

steps; gave her leave of absence for two weeks。



〃Ah! my friend;〃 she said to Joseph; as she went to bed that night;

〃it is our severity which drove him to it。〃



〃I'll go and see Desroches;〃 answered Joseph。



While the artist was confiding his brother's affairs to the younger

Desroches;who by this time had the reputation of being one of the

keenest and most astute lawyers in Paris; and who; moreover; did

sundry services for personages of distinction; among others for des

Lupeaulx; then secretary of a ministry;Giroudeau called upon the

widow。 This time; Agathe believed him。



〃Madame;〃 he said; 〃if you can produce twelve thousand francs your son

will be set at liberty for want of proof。 It is necessary to buy the

silence of two witnesses。〃



〃I will get the money;〃 said the poor mother; without knowing how or

where。



Inspired by this danger; she wrote to her godmother; old Madame

Hochon; begging her to ask Jean…Jacques Rouget to send her the twelve

thousand francs and save his nephew Philippe。 If Rouget refused; she

entreated Madame Hochon to lend them to her; promising to return them

in two years。 By return of courier; she received the following

letter:



  My dear girl: Though your brother has an income of not less than

  forty thousand francs a year; without counting the sums he has

  laid by for the last seventeen years; and which Monsieur Hochon

  estimates at more than six hundred thousand francs; he will not

  give one penny to nephews whom he has never seen。 As for me; you

  know I cannot dispose of a farthing while my husband lives。 Hochon

  is the greatest miser in Issoudun。

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