the firm of nucingen-第11节

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cle　which　took　the　shape　of　one　Cochin；　Matifat's　partner's　son；　a　young　clerk　in　the　adult　department。　M。　and　Mme。　Matifat　were　of　the　opinion　that　an　attorney's　position　'gave　some　guarantee　for　a　wife's　happiness；'　to　use　their　own　expression；　and　as　for　Desroches；　he　was　prepared　to　fall　in　with　his　mother's　views　in　case　he　could　do　no　better　for　himself。　Wherefore；　he　kept　up　his　acquaintance　with　the　druggists　in　the　Rue　du　Cherche…Midi。

〃To　put　another　kind　of　happiness　before　you；　you　should　have　a　description　of　these　shopkeepers；　male　and　female。　They　rejoiced　in　the　possession　of　a　handsome　ground　floor　and　a　strip　of　garden；　for　amusement；　they　watched　a　little　squirt　of　water；　no　bigger　than　a　cornstalk；　perpetually　rising　and　falling　upon　a　small　round　freestone　slab　in　the　middle　of　a　basin　some　six　feet　across；　they　would　rise　early　of　a　morning　to　see　if　the　plants　in　the　garden　had　grown　in　the　night；　they　had　nothing　to　do；　they　were　restless；　they　dressed　for　the　sake　of　dressing；　bored　themselves　at　the　theatre；　and　were　for　ever　going　to　and　fro　between　Paris　and　Luzarches；　where　they　had　a　country　house。　I　have　dined　there。

〃Once　they　tried　to　quiz　me；　Blondet。　I　told　them　a　long…winded　story　that　lasted　from　nine　o'clock　till　midnight；　one　tale　inside　another。　I　had　just　brought　my　twenty…ninth　personage　upon　the　scene　（the　newspapers　have　plagiarized　with　their　'continued　in　our　next'）；　when　old　Matifat；　who　as　host　still　held　out；　snored　like　the　rest；　after　blinking　for　five　minutes。　Next　day　they　all　complimented　me　upon　the　ending　of　my　tale！

〃These　tradespeople's　society　consisted　of　M。　and　Mme。　Cochin；　Mme。　Desroches；　and　a　young　Popinot；　still　in　the　drug　business；　who　used　to　bring　them　news　of　the　Rue　des　Lombards。　（You　know　him；　Finot。）　Mme。　Matifat　loved　the　arts；　she　bought　lithographs；　chromo…　lithographs；　and　colored　prints；all　the　cheapest　things　she　could　lay　her　hands　on。　The　Sieur　Matifat　amused　himself　by　looking　into　new　business　speculations；　investing　a　little　capital　now　and　again　for　the　sake　of　the　excitement。　Florine　had　cured　him　of　his　taste　for　the　Regency　style　of　thing。　One　saying　of　his　will　give　you　some　idea　of　the　depths　in　my　Matifat。　'Art　THOU　going　to　bed；　my　nieces？'　he　used　to　say　when　he　wished　them　good…night；　because　（as　he　explained）　he　was　afraid　of　hurting　their　feelings　with　the　more　formal　'you。'

〃The　daughter　was　a　girl　with　no　manner　at　all。　She　looked　rather　like　a　superior　sort　of　housemaid。　She　could　get　through　a　sonata；　she　wrote　a　pretty　English　hand；　knew　French　grammar　and　orthographya　complete　commercial　education；　in　short。　She　was　impatient　enough　to　be　married　and　leave　the　paternal　roof；　finding　it　as　dull　at　home　as　a　lieutenant　finds　the　nightwatch　at　sea；　at　the　same　time；　it　should　be　said　that　her　watch　lasted　through　the　whole　twenty…four　hours。　Desroches　or　Cochin　junior；　a　notary　or　a　lifeguardsman；　or　a　sham　English　lord；any　husband　would　have　suited　her。　As　she　so　obviously　knew　nothing　of　life；　I　took　pity　upon　her；　I　determined　to　reveal　the　great　secret　of　it。　But；　pooh！　the　Matifats　shut　their　doors　on　me。　The　bourgeois　and　I　shall　never　understand　each　other。〃

〃She　married　General　Gouraud；〃　said　Finot。

〃In　forty…eight　hours；　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord；　late　of　the　diplomatic　corps；　saw　through　the　Matifats　and　their　nefarious　designs；〃　resumed　Bixiou。　〃Rastignac　happened　to　be　chatting　with　the　frivolous　Baroness　when　Godefroid　came　in　to　give　his　report　to　Malvina。　A　word　here　and　there　reached　his　ear；　he　guessed　the　matter　on　foot；　more　particularly　from　Malvina's　look　of　satisfaction　that　it　was　as　she　had　suspected。　Then　Rastignac　actually　stopped　on　till　two　o'clock　in　the　morning。　And　yet　there　are　those　that　call　him　selfish！　Beaudenord　took　his　departure　when　the　Baroness　went　to　bed。

〃As　soon　as　Rastignac　was　left　alone　with　Malvina；　he　spoke　in　a　fatherly；　good…humored　fashion。　'Dear　child；　please　to　bear　in　mind　that　a　poor　fellow；　heavy　with　sleep；　has　been　drinking　tea　to　keep　himself　awake　till　two　o'clock　in　the　morning；　all　for　a　chance　of　saying　a　solemn　word　of　advice　to　youMARRY！　Do　not　be　too　particular；　do　not　brood　over　your　feelings；　never　mind　the　sordid　schemes　of　men　that　have　one　foot　here　and　another　in　the　Matifats'　house；　do　not　stop　to　think　at　all：　Marry！When　a　girl　marries；　it　means　that　the　man　whom　she　marries　undertakes　to　maintain　her　in　a　more　or　less　good　position　in　life；　and　at　any　rate　her　comfort　is　assured。　I　know　the　world。　Girls；　mammas；　and　grandmammas　are　all　of　them　hypocrites　when　they　fly　off　into　sentiment　over　a　question　of　marriage。　Nobody　really　thinks　of　anything　but　a　good　position。　If　a　mother　marries　her　daughter　well；　she　says　that　she　has　made　an　excellent　bargain。'　Here　Rastignac　unfolded　his　theory　of　marriage；　which　to　his　way　of　thinking　is　a　business　arrangement；　with　a　view　to　making　life　tolerable；　and　ended　up　with；　'I　do　not　ask　to　know　your　secret；　Malvina；　I　know　it　already。　Men　talk　things　over　among　themselves；　just　as　you　women　talk　after　you　leave　the　dinner…table。　This　is　all　I　have　to　say：　Marry。　If　you　do　not；　remember　that　I　begged　you　to　marry；　here；　in　this　room；　this　evening！'

〃There　was　a　certain　ring　in　Rastignac's　voice　which　compelled；　not　attention；　but　reflection。　There　was　something　startling　in　his　insistence；　something　that　went；　as　Rastignac　meant　that　it　should；　to　the　quick　of　Malvina's　intelligence。　She　thought　over　the　counsel　again　next　day；　and　vainly　asked　herself　why　it　had　been　given。〃

Couture　broke　in。　〃In　all　these　tops　that　you　have　set　spinning；　I　see　nothing　at　all　like　the　beginnings　of　Rastignac's　fortune；〃　said　he。　〃You　apparently　take　us　for　Matifats　multiplied　by　half…a…dozen　bottles　of　champagne。〃

〃We　are　just　coming　to　it；〃　returned　Bixiou。　〃You　have　followed　the　course　of　all　the　rivulets　which　make　up　that　forty　thousand　livres　a　year　which　so　many　people　envy。　By　this　time　Rastignac　held　the　threads　of　all　these　lives　in　his　hand。〃

〃Desroches；　the　Matifats；　Beaudenord；　the　d'Aldriggers；　d'Aiglemont？〃

〃Yes；　and　a　hundred　others；〃　assented　Bixiou。

〃Oh；　come　now；　how？〃　cried　Finot。　〃I　know　a　few　things；　but　I　cannot　see　a　glimpse　of　an　answer　to　this　riddle。〃

〃Blondet　has　roughly　given　you　the　account　of　Nucingen's　first　two　suspensions　of　payment；　now　for　the　third；　with　full　details。After　the　peace　of　1815；　Nucingen　grasped　an　idea　which　some　of　us　only　fully　understood　later；　to　wit；　that　capital　is　a　power　only　when　you　are　very　much　richer　than　other　people。　In　his　own　mind；　he　was　jealous　of　the　Rothschilds。　He　had　five　millions　of　francs；　he　wanted　ten。　He　knew　a　way　to　make　thirty　millions　with　ten；　while　with　five　he　could　only　make　fifteen。　So　he　made　up　his　mind　to　operate　a　third　suspension　of　payment。　About　that　time；　the　great　man　hit　on　the　idea　of　indemnifying　his　creditors　with　paper　of　purely　fictitious　value　and　keeping　their　coin。　On　the　market；　a　great　idea　of　this　sort　is　not　expressed　in　precisely　this　cut…and…dried　way。　Such　an　arrangement　consists　in　giving　a　lot　of　grown…up　children　a　small　pie　in　exchange　for　a　gold　piece；　and；　like　children　of　a　smaller　growth；　they　prefer　the　pie　to　the　gold　piece；　not　suspecting　that　they　might　have　a　couple　of　hundred　pies　for　it。〃

〃What　is　this　all　about；　Bixiou？〃　cried　Couture。　〃Nothing　more　bona　fide。　Not　a　week　passes　but　pies　are　offered　to　the　public　for　a　louis。　But　who　compels　the　public　to　take　them？　Are　they　not　perfectly　free　to　make　inquiries？〃

〃You　would　rather　have　it　made　compulsory　to　take　up　shares；　would　you？〃　asked　Blondet。

〃No；〃　said　Finot。　〃Where　would　the　talent　come　in？〃

〃Very　good　for　Finot。〃

〃Who　put　him　up　to　it？〃　asked　Couture。

〃The　fact　was；〃　continued　Bixiou；　〃that　Nucingen　had　twice　had　the　luck　to　present　the　public　（quite　unintentionally）　with　a　pie　that　turned　out　to　be　worth　more　than　the　money　he　received　for　it。　That　unlucky　good　luck　gave　him　qualms　of　conscience。　A　course　of　such　luck　is　fatal　to　a　man　in　the　long　run。　This　time　he　meant　to　make　no　mistake　of　this　sort；　he　waited　ten　years　for　an　opportunity　of　issuing　negotiable　securities　which　should　seem　on　the　face　of　it　to　be　worth　something；　while　as　a　matter　of　fact〃

〃But　if　you　look　at　banking　in　that　light；〃　broke　in　Couture；　〃no　sort　of　business　would　be　possible。　More　than　one　bona　fide　banker；　backed　up　by　a　bona　fide　government；　has　induced　the　hardest…headed　men　on　'Change　to　take　up　stock　which　is　bound　to　fall　within　a　given　time。　You　have　seen　better　than　that。　Have　you　not　seen　stock　created　with　the　concurrence　of　a　government　to　pay　the　interest　upon　older　stock；　so　as　to　keep　things　going　and　tide　over　the　difficulty？　These　operations　were　more　or　less　like　Nucingen's　settlements。〃

〃The　thing　may　look　queer　on　a　small　scale；〃　said　Blondet；　〃but　on　a　large　we　call　it　finance。　There　are　high…handed　proceedings　criminal　between　man　and　man　that　amount　to　nothing　when　spread　out　over　any　number　of　men；　much　as　a　drop　of　prussic　acid　becomes　harmless　in　a　pail　of　water。　You　take　a　man's　life；　you　are　guillotined。　But　if；　for　any　political　conviction　whatsoever；　you　take　five　hundred　lives；　poli