the lesser bourgeoisie-第8节

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landlords　only　made　him　the　more　persistent　in　going　to　see　them。　He
was　a　bachelor　and　had　various　vices；　he　therefore　concealed　his　life
carefully；　knowing　well　how　to　maintain　his　position　by　flattering　his
superiors。　The　justice　of　peace　was　much　attached　to　Dutocq。　This　man；
base　as　he　was；　managed；　in　the　end；　to　make　himself　tolerated　by　the
Thuilliers；　chiefly　by　coarse　and　cringing　adulation。　He　knew　the
facts　of　Thuillier's　whole　life；　his　relations　with　Colleville；　and；
above　all；　with　Madame　Colleville。　One　and　all　they　feared　his　tongue；
and　the　Thuilliers；　without　admitting　him　to　any　intimacy；　endured　his
visits。

The　family　which　became　the　flower　of　the　Thuillier　salon　was　that　of
a　former　ministerial　clerk；　once　an　object　of　pity　in　the　government
offices；　who；　driven　by　poverty；　left　the　public　service；　in　1827；　to
fling　himself　into　a　business　enterprise；　having；　as　he　thought；　an
idea。　Minard　（that　was　his　name）　foresaw　a　fortune　in　one　of　those
wicked　conceptions　which　reflect　such　discredit　on　French　commerce；
but　which；　in　the　year　1827；　had　not　yet　been　exposed　and　blasted　by
publicity。　Minard　bought　tea　and　mixed　it　with　tea…leaves　already
used；　also　he　adulterated　the　elements　of　chocolate　in　a　manner　which
enabled　him　to　sell　the　chocolate　itself　very　cheaply。　This　trade　in
colonial　products；　begun　in　the　quartier　Saint…Marcel；　made　a　merchant
of　Minard。　He　started　a　factory；　and　through　these　early　connections
he　was　able　to　reach　the　sources　of　raw　material。　He　then　did
honorably；　and　on　a　large　scale；　a　business　begun　in　the　first
instance　dishonorably。　He　became　a　distiller；　worked　upon　untold
quantities　of　products；　and；　by　the　year　1835；　was　considered　the
richest　merchant　in　the　region　of　the　Place　Maubert。　By　that　time　he
had　bought　a　handsome　house　in　the　rue　des　Macons…Sorbonne；　he　had
been　assistant　mayor；　and　in　1839　became　mayor　of　his　arrondissement
and　judge　in　the　Court　of　Commerce。　He　kept　a　carriage；　had　a　country…
place　near　Lagny；　his　wife　wore　diamonds　at　the　court　balls；　and　he
prided　himself　on　the　rosette　of　an　officer　of　the　Legion　of　honor　in
his　buttonhole。

Minard　and　his　wife　were　exceedingly　benevolent。　Perhaps　he　wished　to
return　in　retail　to　the　poor　the　sums　he　had　mulcted　from　the　public
by　the　wholesale。　Phellion；　Colleville；　and　Thuillier　met　their　old
comrade；　Minard；　at　election；　and　an　intimacy　followed；　all　the　closer
with　the　Thuilliers　and　Collevilles　because　Madame　Minard　seemed
enchanted　to　make　an　acquaintance　for　her　daughter　in　Celeste
Colleville。　It　was　at　a　grand　ball　given　by　the　Minards　that　Celeste
made　her　first　appearance　in　society　（being　at　that　time　sixteen　and　a
half　years　old）；　dressed　as　her　Christian　named　demanded；　which　seemed
to　be　prophetic　of　her　coming　life。　Delighted　to　be　friendly　with
Mademoiselle　Minard；　her　elder　by　four　years；　she　persuaded　her　father
and　godfather　to　cultivate　the　Minard　establishment；　with　its　gilded
salons　and　great　opulence；　where　many　political　celebrities　of　the
〃juste　milieu〃　were　wont　to　congregate；　such　as　Monsieur　Popinot；　who
became；　after　a　time；　minister　of　commerce；　Cochin；　since　made　Baron
Cochin；　a　former　employee　at　the　ministry　of　finance；　who；　having　a
large　interest　in　the　drug　business；　was　now　the　oracle　of　the　Lombard
and　Bourdonnais　quarters；　conjointly　with　Monsieur　Anselme　Popinot。
Minard's　eldest　son；　a　lawyer；　aiming　to　succeed　those　barristers　who
were　turned　down　from　the　Palais　for　political　reasons　in　1830；　was
the　genius　of　the　household；　and　his　mother；　even　more　than　his
father；　aspired　to　marry　him　well。　Zelie　Minard；　formerly　a　flower…
maker；　felt　an　ardent　passion　for　the　upper　social　spheres；　and
desired　to　enter　them　through　the　marriages　of　her　son　and　daughter；
whereas　Minard；　wiser　than　she；　and　imbued　with　the　vigor　of　the
middle　classes；　which　the　revolution　of　July　had　infiltrated　into　the
fibres　of　government；　thought　only　of　wealth　and　fortune。

He　frequented　the　Thuillier　salon　to　gain　information　as　to　Celeste's
probable　inheritance。　He　knew；　like　Dutocq　and　Phellion；　the　reports
occasioned　by　Thuillier's　former　intimacy　with　Flavie；　and　he　saw　at　a
glance　the　idolatry　of　the　Thuilliers　for　their　godchild。　Dutocq；　to
gain　admittance　to　Minard's　house；　fawned　upon　him　grossly。　When
Minard；　the　Rothschild　of　the　arrondissement；　appeared　at　the
Thuilliers'；　he　compared　him　cleverly　to　Napoleon；　finding　him　stout；
fat；　and　blooming；　having　left　him　at　the　ministry　thin；　pale；　and
puny。

〃You　looked；　in　the　division　Billardiere；〃　he　said；　〃like　Napoleon
before　the　18th　Brumaire；　and　I　behold　you　now　the　Napoleon　of　the
Empire。〃

Notwithstanding　which　flattery；　Minard　received　Dutocq　very　coldly　and
did　not　invite　him　to　his　house；　consequently；　he　made　a　mortal　enemy
of　the　former　clerk。

Monsieur　and　Madame　Phellion；　worthy　as　they　were；　could　not　keep
themselves　from　making　calculations　and　cherishing　hopes；　they　thought
that　Celeste　would　be　the　very　wife　for　their　son　the　professor；
therefore；　to　have；　as　it　were；　a　watcher　in　the　Thuillier　salon；　they
introduced　their　son…in…law；　Monsieur　Barniol；　a　man　much　respected　in
the　faubourg　Saint…Jacques；　and　also　an　old　employee　at　the　mayor's
office；　an　intimate　friend　of　theirs；　named　Laudigeois。　Thus　the
Phellions　formed　a　phalanx　of　seven　persons；　the　Collevilles　were　not
less　numerous；　so　that　on　Sundays　it　often　appeared　that　thirty
persons　were　assembled　in　the　Thuillier　salon。　Thuillier　renewed
acquaintance　with　the　Saillards；　Baudoyers；　and　Falleixs；all　persons
of　respectability　in　the　quarter　of　the　Palais…Royal；　whom　they　often
invited　to　dinner。

Madame　Colleville　was；　as　a　woman；　the　most　distinguished　member　of
this　society；　just　as　Minard　junior　and　Professor　Phellion　were
superior　among　the　men。　All　the　others；　without　ideas　or　education；
and　issuing　from　the　lower　ranks；　presented　the　types　and　the
absurdities　of　the　lesser　bourgeoisie。　Though　all　success；　especially
if　won　from　distant　sources；　seems　to　presuppose　some　genuine　merit；
Minard　was　really　an　inflated　balloon。　Expressing　himself　in　empty
phrases；　mistaking　sycophancy　for　politeness；　and　wordiness　for　wit；
he　uttered　his　commonplaces　with　a　brisk　assurance　that　passed　for
eloquence。　Certain　words　which　said　nothing　but　answered　all　things；
progress；　steam；　bitumen；　National　guard；　order；　democratic　element；
spirit　of　association；　legality；　movement；　resistance；seemed；　as
each　political　phase　developed；　to　have　been　actually　made　for　Minard；
whose　talk　was　a　paraphrase　on　the　ideas　of　his　newspaper。　Julien
Minard；　the　young　lawyer；　suffered　from　his　father　as　much　as　his
father　suffered　from　his　wife。　Zelie　had　grown　pretentious　with
wealth；　without；　at　the　same　time；　learning　to　speak　French。　She　was
now　very　fat；　and　gave　the　idea；　in　her　rich　surroundings；　of　a　cook
married　to　her　master。

Phellion；　that　type　and　model　of　the　petty　bourgeois；　exhibited　as
many　virtues　as　he　did　absurdities。　Accustomed　to　subordination　during
his　bureaucratic　life；　he　respected　all　social　superiority。　He　was
therefore　silent　before　Minard。　During　the　critical　period　of
retirement　from　office；　he　had　held　his　own　admirably；　for　the
following　reason。　Never　until　now　had　that　worthy　and　excellent　man
been　able　to　indulge　his　own　tastes。　He　loved　the　city　of　Paris；　he
was　interested　in　its　embellishment；　in　the　laying　out　of　its　streets；
he　was　capable　of　standing　for　hours　to　watch　the　demolition　of
houses。　He　might　now　have　been　observed；　stolidly　planted　on　his　legs；
his　nose　in　the　air；　watching　for　the　fall　of　a　stone　which　some　mason
was　loosening　at　the　top　of　a　wall；　and　never　moving　till　the　stone
fell；　when　it　had　fallen　he　went　away　as　happy　as　an　academician　at
the　fall　of　a　romantic　drama。　Veritable　supernumeraries　of　the　social
comedy；　Phellion；　Laudigeois；　and　their　kind；　fulfilled　the　functions
of　the　antique　chorus。　They　wept　when　weeping　was　in　order；　laughed
when　they　should　laugh；　and　sang　in　parts　the　public　joys　and　sorrows；
they　triumphed　in　their　corner　with　the　triumphs　of　Algiers；　of
Constantine；　of　Lisbon；　of　Sainte…Jean　d'Ulloa；　they　deplored　the
death　of　Napoleon　and　the　fatal　catastrophes　of　the　Saint…Merri　and
the　rue　Transnonnain；　grieving　over　celebrated　men　who　were　utterly
unknown　to　them。　Phellion　alone　presents　a　double　side：　he　divides
himself　conscientiously　between　the　reasons　of　the　opposition　and
those　of　the　government。　When　fighting　went　on　in　the　streets；
Phellion　had　the　courage　to　declare　himself　before　his　neighbors；　he
went　to　the　Place　Saint…Michel；　the　place　where　his　battalion
assembled；　he　felt　for　the　government　and　did　his　duty。　Before　and
during　the　riot；　he　supported　the　dynasty；　the　product　of　July；　but；
as　soon　as　the　political　trials　began；　he　stood　by　the　accused。　This
innocent　〃weather…cockism〃　prevails　in　his　political　opinions；　he
produces；　in　reply　to　all　arguments；　the　〃colossus　of　the　North。〃
England　is；　to　his　thinking；　as　to　that　of　the　old　〃Constitutionnel；〃
a　crone　with　two　faces；Machiavellian　Albion；　and　the　model　nation：
Machiavellian；　when　the　interests