the deputy of arcis-第10节

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mercial　campaign　of　1814　with　splendid　but　ignored　courage。　A　league　or　two　behind　where　the　army　advanced　he　bought　up　caps　and　socks　as　the　Emperor　gathered　immortal　palms　by　his　very　reverses。　The　genius　was　equal　on　both　sides；　though　exercised　in　different　spheres；　one　aimed　at　covering　heads；　the　other　at　mowing　them　down。　Obliged　to　create　some　means　of　transportation　in　order　to　save　his　tons　of　hosiery；　which　he　stored　in　a　suburb　of　Paris；　Phileas　often　put　in　requisition　horses　and　army…waggons；　as　if　the　safety　of　the　empire　were　concerned。　But　the　majesty　of　commerce　was　surely　as　precious　as　that　of　Napoleon。　The　English　merchants；　in　buying　out　the　European　markets；　certainly　got　the　better　of　the　colossus　who　threatened　their　trade。

By　the　time　the　Emperor　abdicated　at　Fontainebleau；　Phileas；　triumphant；　was　master　of　the　situation。　He　maintained；　by　clever　manoeuvring；　the　depreciation　in　cottons；　and　doubled　his　fortune　at　the　moment　when　his　luckiest　competitors　were　getting　rid　of　their　merchandise　at　a　loss　of　fifty　per　cent。　He　returned　to　Arcis　with　a　fortune　of　three　hundred　thousand　francs；　half　of　which；　invested　on　the　Grand…Livre　at　sixty；　returned　him　an　income　of　fifteen　thousand　francs　a　year。　He　employed　the　remainder　in　building；　furnishing；　and　adorning　a　handsome　house　on　the　Place　du　Pont　in　Arcis。

On　the　return　of　the　successful　hosier；　Monsieur　Grevin　was　naturally　his　confidant。　The　notary　had　an　only　daughter　to　marry；　then　twenty　years　of　age。　Grevin；　a　widower；　knew　the　fortune　of　Madame　Beauvisage；　the　mother；　and　he　believed　in　the　energy　and　capacity　of　a　young　man　bold　enough　to　have　turned　the　campaign　of　1814　to　his　profit。　Severine　Grevin　had　her　mother's　fortune　of　sixty　thousand　francs　for　her　dower。　Grevin　was　then　over　fifty；　he　feared　to　die；　and　saw　no　chance　of　marrying　his　daughter　as　he　wished　under　the　Restorationfor　her；　he　had　had　ambition。　Under　these　circumstances　he　was　shrewd　enough　to　make　Phileas　ask　her　in　marriage。

Severine　Grevin；　a　well…trained　young　lady　and　handsome；　was　considered　at　that　time　the　best　match　in　Arcis。　In　fact；　an　alliance　with　the　intimate　friend　of　the　senator　Comte　de　Gondreville；　peer　of　France；　was　certainly　a　great　honor　for　the　son　of　a　Gondreville　tenant…farmer。　The　widow　Beauvisage；　his　mother；　would　have　made　any　sacrifice　to　obtain　it；　but　on　learning　the　success　of　her　son；　she　dispensed　with　the　duty　of　giving　him　a　/dot/；a　wise　economy　which　was　imitated　by　the　notary。

Thus　was　consummated　the　union　of　the　son　of　a　farmer　formerly　so　faithful　to　the　Simeuse　family　with　the　daughter　of　its　most　cruel　enemy。　It　was；　perhaps；　the　only　application　made　of　the　famous　saying　of　Louis　XVIII。：　〃Union　and　Oblivion。〃

On　the　second　return　of　the　Bourbons；　Grevin's　father…in…law；　old　Doctor　Varlet；　died　at　the　age　of　seventy…six；　leaving　two　hundred　thousand　francs　in　gold　in　his　cellar；　besides　other　property　valued　at　an　equal　sum。　Thus　Phileas　and　his　wife　had；　outside　of　their　business；　an　assured　income　of　thirty　thousand　francs　a　year。

The　first　two　years　of　this　marriage　sufficed　to　show　Madame　Severine　and　her　father；　Monsieur　Grevin　the　absolute　silliness　of　Phileas　Beauvisage。　His　one　gleam　of　commercial　rapacity　had　seemed　to　the　notary　the　result　of　superior　powers；　the　shrewd　old　man　had　mistaken　youth　for　strength；　and　luck　for　genius　in　business。　Phileas　certainly　knew　how　to　read　and　write　and　cipher　well；　but　he　had　read　nothing。　Of　crass　ignorance；　it　was　quite　impossible　to　keep　up　even　a　slight　conversation　with　him；　he　replied　to　all　remarks　with　a　deluge　of　commonplaces　pleasantly　uttered。　As　the　son　of　a　farmer；　however；　Phileas　was　not　without　a　certain　commercial　good　sense；　and　he　was　also　kind　and　tender；　and　would　often　weep　at　a　moving　tale。　It　was　this　native　goodness　of　heart　which　made　him　respect　his　wife；　whose　superiority　had　always　caused　him　the　deepest　admiration。

Severine；　a　woman　of　ideas；　knew　all　things；　so　Phileas　believed。　And　she　knew　them　the　more　correctly　because　she　consulted　her　father　on　all　subjects。　She　was　gifted　with　great　firmness；　which　made　her　the　absolute　mistress　in　her　own　home。　As　soon　as　the　latter　result　was　attained；　the　old　notary　felt　less　regret　in　seeing　that　his　daughter's　only　domestic　happiness　lay　in　the　autocracy　which　usually　satisfies　all　women　of　her　nature。　But　what　of　the　woman　herself？　Here　follows　what　she　was　said　to　have　found　in　life。



VII

THE　BEAUVISAGE　FAMILY

During　the　reaction　of　1815；　a　Vicomte　de　Chargeboeuf　（of　the　poorer　branch　of　the　family）　was　sent　to　Arcis　as　sub…prefect　through　the　influence　of　the　Marquise　de　Cinq…Cygne；　to　whose　family　he　was　allied。　This　young　man　remained　sub…prefect　for　five　years。　The　beautiful　Madame　Beauvisage　was　not；　it　was　said；　a　stranger　to　the　reasons　that　kept　him　in　this　office　for　a　period　far　too　prolonged　for　his　own　advancement。　We　ought　to　say；　however；　that　these　remarks　were　not　justified　by　any　of　the　scandals　which　in　the　provinces　betray　those　passions　that　are　difficult　to　conceal　from　the　Argus…　eyes　of　a　little　town。　If　Severine　loved　the　Vicomte　de　Chargeboeuf　and　was　beloved　by　him；　it　was　in　all　honor　and　propriety；　said　the　friends　of　the　Grevins　and　the　Marions；　and　that　double　coterie　imposed　its　opinion　on　the　whole　arrondissement；　but　the　Marions　and　the　Grevins　had　no　influence　on　the　royalists；　and　the　royalists　regarded　the　sub…prefect　as　fortunate　in　love。

As　soon　as　the　Marquise　de　Cinq…Cygne　heard　what　was　said　in　the　chateaux　about　her　relation；　she　sent　for　him；　and　such　was　her　horror　for　all　who　were　connected；　near　or　far；　with　the　actors　in　the　judicial　drama　so　fatal　to　her　family；　that　she　strictly　enjoined　him　to　change　his　residence。　Not　only　that；　but　she　obtained　his　appointment　as　sub…prefect　of　Sancerre　with　the　promise　of　advancement　to　the　prefecture。

Some　shrewd　observers　declared　that　the　viscount　pretended　this　passion　for　the　purpose　of　being　made　prefect；　for　he　well　knew　the　hatred　felt　by　the　marquise　for　the　name　of　Grevin。　Others　remarked　on　the　coincidence　of　the　viscount's　apparitions　in　Paris　with　the　visits　made　by　Madame　Beauvisage　to　the　capital　on　frivolous　pretexts。　An　impartial　historian　would　be　puzzled　to　form　a　just　opinion　on　the　facts　of　this　matter；　which　are　buried　in　the　mysteries　of　private　life。　One　circumstance　alone　seems　to　give　color　to　the　reports。

Cecile…Renee　Beauvisage　was　born　in　1820；　just　as　Monsieur　de　Chargeboeuf　left　Arcis；　and　among　his　various　names　was　that　of　Rene。　This　name　was　given　by　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　as　godfather　of　the　child。　Had　the　mother　objected　to　the　name；　she　would　in　some　degree　have　given　color　to　the　rumor。　As　gossip　always　endeavors　to　justify　itself；　the　giving　of　this　name　was　said　to　be　a　bit　of　maliciousness　on　the　part　of　the　old　count。　Madame　Keller；　the　count's　daughter；　who　was　named　Cecile；　was　the　godmother。　As　for　the　resemblance　shown　in　the　person　of　Cecile…Renee　Beauvisage；　it　was　striking。　This　young　girl　was　like　neither　father　nor　mother；　in　course　of　time　she　had　become　the　living　image　of　the　Vicomte　de　Chargeboeuf；　whose　aristocratic　manners　she　had　also　acquired。　This　double　resemblance；　both　moral　and　physical；　was　not　observed　by　the　inhabitants　of　Arcis；　for　the　viscount　never　returned　to　that　town。

Severine　made　her　husband　happy　in　his　own　way。　He　liked　good　living　and　everything　easy　about　him；　she　supplied　him　with　the　choicest　wines；　a　table　worthy　of　a　bishop；　served　by　the　best　cook　in　the　department　but　without　the　pretensions　of　luxury；　for　she　kept　her　household　strictly　to　the　conditions　of　the　burgher　life　of　Arcis。　It　was　a　proverb　in　Arcis　that　you　must　dine　with　Madame　Beauvisage　and　spend　your　evening　with　Madame　Marion。

The　renewed　influence　in　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis　which　the　Restoration　gave　to　the　house　of　Cinq…Cygne　had　naturally　drawn　closer　the　ties　that　bound　together　the　various　families　affected　by　the　criminal　trial　relating　to　the　abduction　of　Gondreville。　＇See　〃An　Historical　Mystery。〃＇　The　Marions；　Grevins；　and　Giguets　were　all　the　more　united　because　the　triumph　of　their　political　opinions；　called　〃constitutional；〃　now　required　the　utmost　harmony。

As　a　matter　of　policy　Severine　encouraged　her　husband　to　continue　his　trade　in　hosiery；　which　any　other　man　but　himself　would　have　long　renounced；　and　she　sent　him　to　Paris；　and　about　the　country；　on　business　connected　with　it。　Up　to　the　year　1830　Phileas；　who　was　thus　enabled　to　exercise　his　bump　of　〃acquisitiveness；〃　earned　every　year　a　sum　equivalent　to　his　expenses。　The　interest　on　the　property　of　Monsieur　and　Madame　Beauvisage；　being　capitalized　for　the　last　fifteen　years　by　Grevin's　intelligent　care；　became；　by　1830；　a　round　sum　of　half　a　million　francs。　That　sum　was；　in　fact；　Cecile's　/dot/；　which　the　old　notary　then　invested　in　the　Three…per…cents　at　fifty；　producing　a　safe　income　of　thirty　thousand　a　year。

After　1830　Beauvisage　sold　his　business　in　hosiery　to　Jean　Violette；　one　of　his　agents　（grandson　of　one　of　the　chief　witnesses　for　the　prosecution　in　the　Simeuse　trial）；　the　proceeds　of　which　amounted　to　three　hundred　thousand　francs。　Monsieur