the firm of nucingen-第13节

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〃Gentlemen；〃　cried　Couture；　〃let　us　have　our　laugh　out　here　to　make　up　for　all　the　times　when　we　must　listen　gravely　to　solemn　nonsense　justifying　laws　passed　on　the　spur　of　the　moment。〃

〃He　is　right；〃　said　Blondet。　〃What　times　we　live　in；　gentlemen！　When　the　fire　of　intelligence　appears　among　us；　it　is　promptly　quenched　by　haphazard　legislation。　Almost　all　our　lawgivers　come　up　from　little　parishes　where　they　studied　human　nature　through　the　medium　of　the　newspapers；　forthwith　they　shut　down　the　safety…valve；　and　when　the　machinery　blows　up　there　is　weeping　and　gnashing　of　teeth！　We　do　nothing　nowadays　but　pass　penal　laws　and　levy　taxes。　Will　you　have　the　sum　of　it　all！There　is　no　religion　left　in　the　State！〃

〃Oh；　bravo；　Blondet！〃　cried　Bixiou；　〃thou　hast　set　thy　finger　on　the　weak　spot。　Meddlesome　taxation　has　lost　us　more　victories　here　in　France　than　the　vexatious　chances　of　war。　I　once　spent　seven　years　in　the　hulks　of　a　government　department；　chained　with　bourgeois　to　my　bench。　There　was　a　clerk　in　the　office；　a　man　with　a　head　on　his　shoulders；　he　had　set　his　mind　upon　making　a　sweeping　reform　of　the　whole　fiscal　systemah；　well；　we　took　the　conceit　out　of　him　nicely。　France　might　have　been　too　prosperous；　you　know　she　might　have　amused　herself　by　conquering　Europe　again；　we　acted　in　the　interests　of　the　peace　of　nations。　I　slew　Rabourdin　with　a　caricature。〃＇*＇

＇*＇　See　Les　Employes　＇The　Government　Clerks　aka　Bureaucracy＇。

〃By　RELIGION　I　do　not　mean　cant；　I　use　the　word　in　its　wide　political　sense；〃　rejoined　Blondet。

〃Explain　your　meaning；〃　said　Finot。

〃Here　it　is；〃　returned　Blondet。　〃There　has　been　a　good　deal　said　about　affairs　at　Lyons；　about　the　Republic　cannonaded　in　the　streets；　well；　there　was　not　a　word　of　truth　in　it　all。　The　Republic　took　up　the　riots；　just　as　an　insurgent　snatches　up　a　rifle。　The　truth　is　queer　and　profound；　I　can　tell　you。　The　Lyons　trade　is　a　soulless　trade。　They　will　not　weave　a　yard　of　silk　unless　they　have　the　order　and　are　sure　of　payment。　If　orders　fall　off；　the　workmen　may　starve；　they　can　scarcely　earn　a　living；　convicts　are　better　off。　After　the　Revolution　of　July；　the　distress　reached　such　a　pitch　that　the　Lyons　weaversthe　canuts；　as　they　call　themhoisted　the　flag；　'Bread　or　Death！'　a　proclamation　of　a　kind　which　compels　the　attention　of　a　government。　It　was　really　brought　about　by　the　cost　of　living　at　Lyons；　Lyons　must　build　theatres　and　become　a　metropolis；　forsooth；　and　the　octroi　duties　accordingly　were　insanely　high。　The　Republicans　got　wind　of　this　bread　riot；　they　organized　the　canuts　in　two　camps；　and　fought　among　themselves。　Lyons　had　her　Three　Days；　but　order　was　restored；　and　the　silk　weavers　went　back　to　their　dens。　Hitherto　the　canut　had　been　honest；　the　silk　for　his　work　was　weighed　out　to　him　in　hanks；　and　he　brought　back　the　same　weight　of　woven　tissue；　now　he　made　up　his　mind　that　the　silk　merchants　were　oppressing　him；　he　put　honesty　out　at　the　door　and　rubbed　oil　on　his　fingers。　He　still　brought　back　weight　for　weight；　but　he　sold　the　silk　represented　by　the　oil；　and　the　French　silk　trade　has　suffered　from　a　plague　of　'greased　silks；'　which　might　have　ruined　Lyons　and　a　whole　branch　of　French　commerce。　The　masters　and　the　government；　instead　of　removing　the　causes　of　the　evil；　simply　drove　it　in　with　a　violent　external　application。　They　ought　to　have　sent　a　clever　man　to　Lyons；　one　of　those　men　that　are　said　to　have　no　principle；　an　Abbe　Terray；　but　they　looked　at　the　affair　from　a　military　point　of　view。　The　result　of　the　troubles　is　a　gros　de　Naples　at　forty　sous　per　yard；　the　silk　is　sold　at　this　day；　I　dare　say；　and　the　masters　no　doubt　have　hit　upon　some　new　check　upon　the　men。　This　method　of　manufacturing　without　looking　ahead　ought　never　to　have　existed　in　the　country　where　one　of　the　greatest　citizens　that　France　has　ever　known　ruined　himself　to　keep　six　thousand　weavers　in　work　without　orders。　Richard　Lenoir　fed　them；　and　the　government　was　thickheaded　enough　to　allow　him　to　suffer　from　the　fall　of　the　prices　of　textile　fabrics　brought　about　by　the　Revolution　of　1814。　Richard　Lenoir　is　the　one　case　of　a　merchant　that　deserves　a　statue。　And　yet　the　subscription　set　on　foot　for　him　has　no　subscribers；　while　the　fund　for　General　Foy's　children　reached　a　million　francs。　Lyons　has　drawn　her　own　conclusions；　she　knows　France；　she　knows　that　there　is　no　religion　left。　The　story　of　Richard　Lenoir　is　one　of　those　blunders　which　Fouche　condemned　as　worse　than　a　crime。〃

〃Suppose　that　there　is　a　tinge　of　charlatanism　in　the　way　in　which　concerns　are　put　before　the　public；〃　began　Couture；　returning　to　the　charge；　〃that　word　charlatanism　has　come　to　be　a　damaging　expression；　a　middle　term；　as　it　were；　between　right　and　wrong；　for　where；　I　ask　you；　does　charlatanism　begin？　where　does　it　end？　what　is　charlatanism？　do　me　the　kindness　of　telling　me　what　it　is　NOT。　Now　for　a　little　plain　speaking；　the　rarest　social　ingredient。　A　business　which　should　consist　in　going　out　at　night　to　look　for　goods　to　sell　in　the　day　would　obviously　be　impossible。　You　find　the　instinct　of　forestalling　the　market　in　the　very　match…seller。　How　to　forestall　the　marketthat　is　the　one　idea　of　the　so…called　honest　tradesman　of　the　Rue　Saint…　Denis；　as　of　the　most　brazen…fronted　speculator。　If　stocks　are　heavy；　sell　you　must。　If　sales　are　slow；　you　must　tickle　your　customer；　hence　the　signs　of　the　Middle　Ages；　hence　the　modern　prospectus。　I　do　not　see　a　hair's…breadth　of　difference　between　attracting　custom　and　forcing　your　goods　upon　the　consumer。　It　may　happen；　it　is　sure　to　happen；　it　often　happens；　that　a　shopkeeper　gets　hold　of　damaged　goods；　for　the　seller　always　cheats　the　buyer。　Go　and　ask　the　most　upright　folk　in　Paristhe　best　known　men　in　business；　that　isand　they　will　all　triumphantly　tell　you　of　dodges　by　which　they　passed　off　stock　which　they　knew　to　be　bad　upon　the　public。　The　well…known　firm　of　Minard　began　by　sales　of　this　kind。　In　the　Rue　Saint…Denis　they　sell　nothing　but　'greased　silk'；　it　is　all　that　they　can　do。　The　most　honest　merchants　tell　you　in　the　most　candid　way　that　'you　must　get　out　of　a　bad　bargain　as　best　you　can'a　motto　for　the　most　unscrupulous　rascality。　Blondet　has　given　you　an　account　of　the　Lyons　affair；　its　causes　and　effects；　and　I　proceed　in　my　turn　to　illustrate　my　theory　with　an　anecdote：There　was　once　a　woolen　weaver；　an　ambitious　man；　burdened　with　a　large　family　of　children　by　a　wife　too　much　beloved。　He　put　too　much　faith　in　the　Republic；　laid　in　a　stock　of　scarlet　wool；　and　manufactured　those　red…knitted　caps　that　you　may　have　noticed　on　the　heads　of　all　the　street　urchins　in　Paris。　How　this　came　about　I　am　just　going　to　tell　you。　The　Republic　was　beaten。　After　the　Saint…Merri　affair　the　caps　were　quite　unsalable。　Now；　when　a　weaver　finds　that　besides　a　wife　and　children　he　has　some　ten　thousand　red　woolen　caps　in　the　house；　and　that　no　hatter　will　take　a　single　one　of　them；　notions　begin　to　pass　through　his　head　as　fast　as　if　he　were　a　banker　racking　his　brains　to　get　rid　of　ten　million　francs'　worth　of　shares　in　some　dubious　investment。　As　for　this　Law　of　the　Faubourg；　this　Nucingen　of　caps；　do　you　know　what　he　did？　He　went　to　find　a　pothouse　dandy；　one　of　those　comic　men　that　drive　police　sergeants　to　despair　at　open…air　dancing　saloons　at　the　barriers；　him　he　engaged　to　play　the　part　of　an　American　captain　staying　at　Meurice's　and　buying　for　export　trade。　He　was　to　go　to　some　large　hatter；　who　still　had　a　cap　in　his　shop　window；　and　'inquire　for'　ten　thousand　red　woolen　caps。　The　hatter；　scenting　business　in　the　wind；　hurried　round　to　the　woolen　weaver　and　rushed　upon　the　stock。　After　that；　no　more　of　the　American　captain；　you　understand；　and　great　plenty　of　caps。　If　you　interfere　with　the　freedom　of　trade；　because　free　trade　has　its　drawbacks；　you　might　as　well　tie　the　hands　of　justice　because　a　crime　sometimes　goes　unpunished；　or　blame　the　bad　organization　of　society　because　civilization　produces　some　evils。　From　the　caps　and　the　Rue　Saint…Denis　to　joint…stock　companies　and　the　Bank　draw　your　own　conclusions。〃

〃A　crown　for　Couture！〃　said　Blondet；　twisting　a　serviette　into　a　wreath　for　his　head。　〃I　go　further　than　that；　gentlemen。　If　there　is　a　defect　in　the　working　hypothesis；　what　is　the　cause？　The　law！　the　whole　system　of　legislation。　The　blame　rests　with　the　legislature。　The　great　men　of　their　districts　are　sent　up　to　us　by　the　provinces；　crammed　with　parochial　notions　of　right　and　wrong；　and　ideas　that　are　indispensable　if　you　want　to　keep　clear　of　collisions　with　justice；　are　stupid　when　they　prevent　a　man　from　rising　to　the　height　at　which　a　maker　of　the　laws　ought　to　abide。　Legislation　may　prohibit　such　and　such　developments　of　human　passionsgambling；　lotteries；　the　Ninons　of　the　pavement；　anything　you　pleasebut　you　cannot　extirpate　the　passions　themselves　by　any　amount　of　legislation。　Abolish　them；　you　would　abolish　the　society　which　develops　them；　even　if　it　does　not　produce　them。　The　gambling　passion　lurks；　for　instance；　at　the　bottom　of　every　heart；　be　it　a　girl's　heart；　a　provincial's；　a　diplomatist's；　everybody　longs　to　have　money　without　working　for　it；　you　may　hedge　the　desire　about　with　restrictions；　but　the　gambling