THE
PARISIANS
By
Edward
Bulwer
,
Lord
Lytton
INTRODUCTORY
CHAPTER
.
They
who
chance
to
have
read
the
“
Coming
Race
”
may
perhaps
remember
that
I
,
the
adventurous
discoverer
of
the
land
without
a
sun
,
concluded
the
sketch
of
my
adventures
by
a
brief
reference
to
the
malady
which
,
though
giving
no
perceptible
notice
of
its
encroachments
,
might
,
in
the
opinion
of
my
medical
attendant
,
prove
suddenly
fatal
.
I
had
brought
my
little
book
to
this
somewhat
melancholy
close
a
few
years
before
the
date
of
its
publication
,
and
in
the
meanwhile
I
was
induced
to
transfer
my
residence
to
Paris
,
in
order
to
place
myself
under
the
care
of
an
English
physician
,
renowned
for
his
successful
treatment
of
complaints
analogous
to
my
own
.
I
was
the
more
readily
persuaded
to
undertake
this
journey
,
—
partly
because
I
enjoyed
a
familiar
acquaintance
with
the
eminent
physician
referred
to
,
who
had
commenced
his
career
and
founded
his
reputation
in
the
United
States
;
partly
because
I
had
become
a
solitary
man
,
the
ties
of
home
broken
,
and
dear
friends
of
mine
were
domiciled
in
Paris
,
with
whom
I
should
be
sure
of
tender
sympathy
and
cheerful
companionship
.
I
had
reason
to
be
thankful
for
this
change
of
residence
:
the
skill
of
Dr.
C______
soon
restored
me
to
health
.
Brought
much
into
contact
with
various
circles
of
Parisian
society
,
I
became
acquainted
with
the
persons
and
a
witness
of
the
events
that
form
the
substance
of
the
tale
I
am
about
to
submit
to
the
public
,
which
has
treated
my
former
book
with
so
generous
an
indulgence
.
Sensitively
tenacious
of
that
character
for
strict
and
unalloyed
veracity
which
,
I
flatter
myself
,
my
account
of
the
abodes
and
manners
of
the
Vril-ya
has
established
,
I
could
have
wished
to
preserve
the
following
narrative
no
less
jealously
guarded
than
its
predecessor
from
the
vagaries
of
fancy
.
But
Truth
undisguised
,
never
welcome
in
any
civilized
community
above
ground
,
is
exposed
at
this
time
to
especial
dangers
in
Paris
;
and
my
life
would
not
be
worth
an
hour’s
purchase
if
I
exhibited
her
‘in
puris
naturalibus’
to
the
eyes
of
a
people
wholly
unfamiliarized
to
a
spectacle
so
indecorous
.
That
care
for
one’s
personal
safety
which
is
the
first
duty
of
thoughtful
man
compels
me
therefore
to
reconcile
the
appearance
of
‘la
Verite’
to
the
‘bienseances’
of
the
polished
society
in
which
‘la
Liberte’
admits
no
opinion
not
dressed
after
the
last
fashion
.
Attired
as
fiction
,
Truth
may
be
peacefully
received
;
and
,
despite
the
necessity
thus
imposed
by
prudence
,
I
indulge
the
modest
hope
that
I
do
not
in
these
pages
unfaithfully
represent
certain
prominent
types
of
the
brilliant
population
which
has
invented
so
many
varieties
of
Koom-Posh
;
[
Koom-Posh
,
Glek-Nas
.
For
the
derivation
of
these
terms
and
their
metaphorical
signification
,
I
must
refer
the
reader
to
the
“
Coming
Race
,
”
chapter
xii
.
,
on
the
language
of
the
Vril-ya
.
To
those
who
have
not
read
or
have
forgotten
that
historical
composition
,
it
may
be
convenient
to
state
briefly
that
Koom-Posh
with
the
Vril-ya
is
the
name
for
the
government
of
the
many
,
or
the
ascendency
of
the
most
ignorant
or
hollow
,
and
may
be
loosely
rendered
Hollow-Bosh
.
When
Koom-Posh
degenerates
from
popular
ignorance
into
the
popular
ferocity
which
precedes
its
decease
,
the
name
for
that
state
of
things
is
Glek-Nas
;
namely
,
the
universal
strife-rot
.
]
and
even
when
it
appears
hopelessly
lost
in
the
slough
of
a
Glek-Nas
,
re-emerges
fresh
and
lively
as
if
from
an
invigorating
plunge
into
the
Fountain
of
Youth
.
O
Paris
,
‘foyer
des
idees
,
et
oeil
du
monde
!
’
—
animated
contrast
to
the
serene
tranquillity
of
the
Vril-ya
,
which
,
nevertheless
,
thy
noisiest
philosophers
ever
pretend
to
make
the
goal
of
their
desires
:
of
all
communities
on
which
shines
the
sun
and
descend
the
rains
of
heaven
,
fertilizing
alike
wisdom
and
folly
,
virtue
and
vice
;
in
every
city
men
have
yet
built
on
this
earth
,
—
mayest
thou
,
O
Paris
,
be
the
last
to
brave
the
wands
of
the
Coming
Race
and
be
reduced
into
cinders
for
the
sake
of
the
common
good
!
TISH
.
PARIS
,
August
28
,
1872.
BOOK
I
.
CHAPTER
I
.
It
was
a
bright
day
in
the
early
spring
of
1869.
All
Paris
seemed
to
have
turned
out
to
enjoy
itself
.
The
Tuileries
,
the
Champs
Elysees
,
the
Bois
de
Boulogne
,
swarmed
with
idlers
.
A
stranger
might
have
wondered
where
Toil
was
at
work
,
and
in
what
nook
Poverty
lurked
concealed
.
A
millionaire
from
the
London
Exchange
,
as
he
looked
round
on
the
magasins
,
the
equipages
,
the
dresses
of
the
women
;
as
he
inquired
the
prices
in
the
shops
and
the
rent
of
apartments
,
—
might
have
asked
himself
,
in
envious
wonder
,
How
on
earth
do
those
gay
Parisians
live
?
What
is
their
fortune
?
Where
does
it
come
from
?
As
the
day
declined
,
many
of
the
scattered
loungers
crowded
into
the
Boulevards
;
the
cafes
and
restaurants
began
to
light
up
.
About
this
time
a
young
man
,
who
might
be
some
five
or
six
and
twenty
,
was
walking
along
the
Boulevard
des
Italiens
,
heeding
little
the
throng
through
which
he
glided
his
solitary
way
:
there
was
that
in
his
aspect
and
bearing
which
caught
attention
.
He
looked
a
somebody
;
but
though
unmistakably
a
Frenchman
,
not
a
Parisian
.
His
dress
was
not
in
the
prevailing
mode
:
to
a
practised
eye
it
betrayed
the
taste
and
the
cut
of
a
provincial
tailor
.
His
gait
was
not
that
of
the
Parisian
,
—
less
lounging
,
more
stately
;
and
,
unlike
the
Parisian
,
he
seemed
indifferent
to
the
gaze
of
others
.
Nevertheless
there
was
about
him
that
air
of
dignity
or
distinction
which
those
who
are
reared
from
their
cradle
in
the
pride
of
birth
acquire
so
unconsciously
that
it
seems
hereditary
and
inborn
.
It
must
also
be
confessed
that
the
young
man
himself
was
endowed
with
a
considerable
share
of
that
nobility
which
Nature
capriciously
distributes
among
her
favourites
with
little
respect
for
their
pedigree
and
blazon
,
the
nobility
of
form
and
face
.
He
was
tall
and
well
shaped
,
with
graceful
length
of
limb
and
fall
of
shoulders
;
his
face
was
handsome
,
of
the
purest
type
of
French
masculine
beauty
,
—
the
nose
inclined
to
be
aquiline
,
and
delicately
thin
,
with
finely-cut
open
nostrils
;
the
complexion
clear
,
—
the
eyes
large
,
of
a
light
hazel
,
with
dark
lashes
,
—
the
hair
of
a
chestnut
brown
,
with
no
tint
of
auburn
,
—
the
beard
and
mustache
a
shade
darker
,
clipped
short
,
not
disguising
the
outline
of
lips
,
which
were
now
compressed
,
as
if
smiles
had
of
late
been
unfamiliar
to
them
;
yet
such
compression
did
not
seem
in
harmony
with
the
physiognomical
character
of
their
formation
,
which
was
that
assigned
by
Lavater
to
temperaments
easily
moved
to
gayety
and
pleasure
.
Another
man
,
about
his
own
age
,
coming
quickly
out
of
one
of
the
streets
of
the
Chausee
d’Antin
,
brushed
close
by
the
stately
pedestrian
above
described
,
caught
sight
of
his
countenance
,
stopped
short
,
and
exclaimed
,
“
Alain
!
”
The
person
thus
abruptly
accosted
turned
his
eye
tranquilly
on
the
eager
face
,
of
which
all
the
lower
part
was
enveloped
in
black
beard
;
and
slightly
lifting
his
hat
,
with
a
gesture
of
the
head
that
implied
,
“
Sir
,
you
are
mistaken
;
I
have
not
the
honour
to
know
you
,
”
continued
his
slow
indifferent
way
.
The
would-be
acquaintance
was
not
so
easily
rebuffed
.
“
Peste
,
”
he
said
,
between
his
teeth
,
“
I
am
certainly
right
.
He
is
not
much
altered
:
of
course
I
AM
;
ten
years
of
Paris
would
improve
an
orang-outang
.
”
Quickening
his
step
,
and
regaining
the
side
of
the
man
he
had
called
“
Alain
,
”
he
said
,
with
a
well-bred
mixture
of
boldness
and
courtesy
in
his
tone
and
countenance
,
“
Ten
thousand
pardons
if
I
am
wrong
.
Put
surely
I
accost
Alain
de
Kerouec
,
son
of
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
.
”
“
True
,
sir
;
but
—
”
“
But
you
do
not
remember
me
,
your
old
college
friend
,
Frederic
Lemercier
?
”
“
Is
it
possibly
?
”
cried
Alain
,
cordially
,
and
with
an
animation
which
charged
the
whole
character
of
his
countenance
.
“
My
dear
Frederic
,
my
dear
friend
,
this
is
indeed
good
fortune
!
So
you
,
too
,
are
at
Paris
?
”
“
Of
course
;
and
you
?
Just
come
,
I
perceive
,
”
he
added
,
somewhat
satirically
,
as
,
linking
his
arm
in
his
new-found
friend’s
,
he
glanced
at
the
cut
of
that
friend’s
coat-collar
.
“
I
have
been
here
a
fortnight
,
”
replied
Alain
.
“
Hem
!
I
suppose
you
lodge
in
the
old
Hotel
de
Rochebriant
.
I
passed
it
yesterday
,
admiring
its
vast
facade
,
little
thinking
you
were
its
inmate
.
”
“
Neither
am
I
;
the
hotel
does
not
belong
to
me
;
it
was
sold
some
years
ago
by
my
father
.
”
“
Indeed
!
I
hope
your
father
got
a
good
price
for
it
;
those
grand
hotels
have
trebled
their
value
within
the
last
five
years
.
And
how
is
your
father
?
Still
the
same
polished
grand
seigneur
?
I
never
saw
him
but
once
,
you
know
;
and
I
shall
never
forget
his
smile
,
style
grand
monarque
,
when
he
patted
me
on
the
head
and
tipped
me
ten
napoleons
.
”
“
My
father
is
no
more
,
”
said
Alain
,
gravely
;
“
he
has
been
dead
nearly
three
years
.
”
“
Ciel
!
forgive
me
;
I
am
greatly
shocked
.
Hem
!
so
you
are
now
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
,
a
great
historical
name
,
worth
a
large
sum
in
the
market
.
Few
such
names
left
.
Superb
place
your
old
chateau
,
is
it
not
?
”
“
A
superb
place
,
no
—
a
venerable
ruin
,
yes
!
”
“
Ah
,
a
ruin
!
so
much
the
better
.
All
the
bankers
are
mad
after
ruins
:
so
charming
an
amusement
to
restore
them
.
You
will
restore
yours
,
without
doubt
.
I
will
introduce
you
to
such
an
architect
!
has
the
‘moyen
age’
at
his
fingers’
ends
.
Dear
,
—
but
a
genius
.
”
The
young
Marquis
smiled
,
—
for
since
he
had
found
a
college
friend
,
his
face
showed
that
it
could
smile
,
—
smiled
,
but
not
cheerfully
,
and
answered
,
“
I
have
no
intention
to
restore
Rochebriant
.
The
walls
are
solid
:
they
have
weathered
the
storms
of
six
centuries
,
they
will
last
my
time
,
and
with
me
the
race
perishes
.
”
“
Bah
!
the
race
perish
,
indeed
!
you
will
marry
.
‘Parlez
moi
de
ca’
:
you
could
not
come
to
a
better
man
.
I
have
a
list
of
all
the
heiresses
at
Paris
,
bound
in
russia
leather
.
You
may
take
your
choice
out
of
twenty
.
Ah
,
if
I
were
but
a
Rochebriant
!
It
is
an
infernal
thing
to
come
into
the
world
a
Lemercier
.
I
am
a
democrat
,
of
course
.
A
Lemercier
would
be
in
a
false
position
if
he
were
not
.
But
if
any
one
would
leave
me
twenty
acres
of
land
,
with
some
antique
right
to
the
De
and
a
title
,
faith
,
would
not
I
be
an
aristocrat
,
and
stand
up
for
my
order
?
But
now
we
have
met
,
pray
let
us
dine
together
.
Ah
!
no
doubt
you
are
engaged
every
day
for
a
month
.
A
Rochebriant
just
new
to
Paris
must
be
‘fete’
by
all
the
Faubourg
.
”
“
No
,
”
answered
Alain
,
simply
,
“
I
am
not
engaged
;
my
range
of
acquaintance
is
more
circumscribed
than
you
suppose
.
”
“
So
much
the
better
for
me
.
I
am
luckily
disengaged
today
,
which
is
not
often
the
case
,
for
I
am
in
some
request
in
my
own
set
,
though
it
is
not
that
of
the
Faubourg
.
Where
shall
we
dine
?
—
at
the
Trois
Freres
?
”
“
Wherever
you
please
.
I
know
no
restaurant
at
Paris
,
except
a
very
ignoble
one
,
close
by
my
lodging
.
”
“
‘Apropos’
,
where
do
you
lodge
?
”
“
Rue
de
l’Universite
,
Numero
—
.
”
“
A
fine
street
,
but
‘triste’
.
If
you
have
no
longer
your
family
hotel
,
you
have
no
excuse
to
linger
in
that
museum
of
mummies
,
the
Faubourg
St.
Germain
;
you
must
go
into
one
of
the
new
quarters
by
the
Champs
Elysees
.
Leave
it
to
me
;
I’ll
find
you
a
charming
apartment
.
I
know
one
to
be
had
a
bargain
,
—
a
bagatelle
,
—
five
hundred
naps
a-year
.
Cost
you
about
two
or
three
thousand
more
to
furnish
tolerably
,
not
showily
.
Leave
all
to
me
.
In
three
days
you
shall
be
settled
.
Apropos
!
horses
!
You
must
have
English
ones
.
How
many
?
—
three
for
the
saddle
,
two
for
your
‘coupe’
?
I’ll
find
them
for
you
.
I
will
write
to
London
to-morrow
:
Reese
[
Rice
]
is
your
man
.
”
“
Spare
yourself
that
trouble
,
my
dear
Frederic
.
I
keep
no
horses
and
no
coupe
.
I
shall
not
change
my
apartment
.
”
As
he
said
this
,
Rochebriant
drew
himself
up
somewhat
haughtily
.
“
Faith
,
”
thought
Lemercier
,
“
is
it
possible
that
the
Marquis
is
poor
?
No.
I
have
always
heard
that
the
Rochebriants
were
among
the
greatest
proprietors
in
Bretagne
.
Most
likely
,
with
all
his
innocence
of
the
Faubourg
St.
Germain
,
he
knows
enough
of
it
to
be
aware
that
I
,
Frederic
Lemercier
,
am
not
the
man
to
patronize
one
of
its
greatest
nobles
.
‘Sacre
bleu
!
’
if
I
thought
that
;
if
he
meant
to
give
himself
airs
to
me
,
his
old
college
friend
,
—
I
would
—
I
would
call
him
out
.
”
Just
as
M
.
Lemercier
had
come
to
that
bellicose
resolution
,
the
Marquis
said
,
with
a
smile
which
,
though
frank
,
was
not
without
a
certain
grave
melancholy
in
its
expression
,
“
My
dear
Frederic
,
pardon
me
if
I
seem
to
receive
your
friendly
offers
ungraciously
.
But
I
believe
that
I
have
reasons
you
will
approve
for
leading
at
Paris
a
life
which
you
certainly
will
not
envy
;
”
then
,
evidently
desirous
to
change
the
subject
,
he
said
in
a
livelier
tone
,
“
But
what
a
marvellous
city
this
Paris
of
ours
is
!
Remember
I
had
never
seen
it
before
:
it
burst
on
me
like
a
city
in
the
Arabian
Nights
two
weeks
ago
.
And
that
which
strikes
me
most
—
I
say
it
with
regret
and
a
pang
of
conscience
—
is
certainly
not
the
Paris
of
former
times
,
but
that
Paris
which
M
.
Buonaparte
—
I
beg
pardon
,
which
the
Emperor
—
has
called
up
around
him
,
and
identified
forever
with
his
reign
.
It
is
what
is
new
in
Paris
that
strikes
and
enthrals
me
.
Here
I
see
the
life
of
France
,
and
I
belong
to
her
tombs
!
”
“
I
don’t
quite
understand
you
,
”
said
Lemercier
.
“
If
you
think
that
because
your
father
and
grandfather
were
Legitimists
,
you
have
not
the
fair
field
of
living
ambition
open
to
you
under
the
Empire
,
you
never
were
more
mistaken
.
‘Moyen
age
,
’
and
even
rococo
,
are
all
the
rage
.
You
have
no
idea
how
valuable
your
name
would
be
either
at
the
Imperial
Court
or
in
a
Commercial
Company
.
But
with
your
fortune
you
are
independent
of
all
but
fashion
and
the
Jockey
Club
.
“
And
‘apropos’
of
that
,
pardon
me
,
—
what
villain
made
your
coat
?
—
let
me
know
;
I
will
denounce
him
to
the
police
.
”
Half
amused
,
half
amazed
,
Alain
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
looked
at
Frederic
Lemercier
much
as
a
good-tempered
lion
may
look
upon
a
lively
poodle
who
takes
a
liberty
with
his
mane
,
and
after
a
pause
he
replied
curtly
,
“
The
clothes
I
wear
at
Paris
were
made
in
Bretagne
;
and
if
the
name
of
Rochebriant
be
of
any
value
at
all
in
Paris
,
which
I
doubt
,
let
me
trust
that
it
will
make
me
acknowledged
as
‘gentilhomme
,
’
whatever
my
taste
in
a
coat
or
whatever
the
doctrines
of
a
club
composed
—
of
jockeys
.
”
“
Ha
,
ha
!
”
cried
Lemercier
,
freeing
himself
from
the
arm
of
his
friend
,
and
laughing
the
more
irresistibly
as
he
encountered
the
grave
look
of
the
Marquis
.
“
Pardon
me
,
—
I
can’t
help
it
,
—
the
Jockey
Club
,
—
composed
of
jockeys
!
—
it
is
too
much
!
—
the
best
joke
.
My
dear
,
Alain
,
there
is
some
of
the
best
blood
of
Europe
in
the
Jockey
Club
;
they
would
exclude
a
plain
bourgeois
like
me
.
But
it
is
all
the
same
:
in
one
respect
you
are
quite
right
.
Walk
in
a
blouse
if
you
please
:
you
are
still
Rochebriant
;
you
would
only
be
called
eccentric
.
Alas
!
I
am
obliged
to
send
to
London
for
my
pantaloons
:
that
comes
of
being
a
Lemercier
.
But
here
we
are
in
the
Palais
Royal
.
”
CHAPTER
II
.
The
salons
of
the
Trois
Freres
were
crowded
;
our
friends
found
a
table
with
some
little
difficulty
.
Lemercier
proposed
a
private
cabinet
,
which
,
for
some
reason
known
to
himself
,
the
Marquis
declined
.
Lemercier
spontaneously
and
unrequested
ordered
the
dinner
and
the
wines
.
While
waiting
for
their
oysters
,
with
which
,
when
in
season
,
French
‘bon-vivants’
usually
commence
their
dinner
,
Lemercier
looked
round
the
salon
with
that
air
of
inimitable
,
scrutinizing
,
superb
impertinence
which
distinguishes
the
Parisian
dandy
.
Some
of
the
ladies
returned
his
glance
coquettishly
,
for
Lemercier
was
‘beau
garcon
;
’
others
turned
aside
indignantly
,
and
muttered
something
to
the
gentlemen
dining
with
them
.
The
said
gentlemen
,
when
old
,
shook
their
heads
,
and
continued
to
eat
unmoved
;
when
young
,
turned
briskly
round
,
and
looked
at
first
fiercely
at
M
.
Lemercier
,
but
,
encountering
his
eye
through
the
glass
which
he
had
screwed
into
his
socket
,
noticing
the
hardihood
of
his
countenance
and
the
squareness
of
his
shoulders
,
even
they
turned
back
to
the
tables
,
shook
their
heads
,
and
continued
to
eat
unmoved
,
just
like
the
old
ones
.
“
Ah
!
”
cried
Lemercier
,
suddenly
,
“
here
comes
a
man
you
should
know
,
‘mon
cher.’
He
will
tell
you
how
to
place
your
money
,
—
a
rising
man
,
a
coming
man
,
a
future
minister
.
Ah
!
‘bon
jour
,
’
Duplessis
,
‘bon
jour
,
’
”
kissing
his
hand
to
a
gentleman
who
had
just
entered
and
was
looking
about
him
for
a
seat
.
He
was
evidently
well
and
favourably
known
at
the
Trois
Freres
.
The
waiters
had
flocked
round
him
,
and
were
pointing
to
a
table
by
the
window
,
which
a
saturnine
Englishman
,
who
had
dined
off
a
beefsteak
and
potatoes
,
was
about
to
vacate
.
M
.
Duplessis
,
having
first
assured
himself
,
like
a
prudent
man
,
that
his
table
was
secure
,
having
ordered
his
oysters
,
his
chablis
,
and
his
‘potage
a
la
bisque
,
’
now
paced
calmly
and
slowly
across
the
salon
,
and
halted
before
Lemercier
.
Here
let
me
pause
for
a
moment
,
and
give
the
reader
a
rapid
sketch
of
the
two
Parisians
.
Frederic
Lemercier
is
dressed
,
somewhat
too
showily
,
in
the
extreme
of
the
prevalent
fashion
.
He
wears
a
superb
pin
in
his
cravat
,
—
a
pin
worth
two
thousand
francs
;
he
wears
rings
on
his
fingers
,
‘breloques’
to
his
watch-chain
.
He
has
a
warm
though
dark
complexion
,
thick
black
eyebrows
,
full
lips
,
a
nose
somewhat
turned
up
,
but
not
small
,
very
fine
large
dark
eyes
,
a
bold
,
open
,
somewhat
impertinent
expression
of
countenance
;
withal
decidedly
handsome
,
thanks
to
colouring
,
youth
,
and
vivacity
of
regard
.
Lucien
Duplessis
,
bending
over
the
table
,
glancing
first
with
curiosity
at
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
,
who
leans
his
cheek
on
his
hand
and
seems
not
to
notice
him
,
then
concentrating
his
attention
on
Frederic
Lemercier
,
who
sits
square
with
his
hands
clasped
,
—
Lucien
Duplessis
is
somewhere
between
forty
and
fifty
,
rather
below
the
middle
height
,
slender
,
but
not
slight
,
—
what
in
English
phrase
is
called
“
wiry
.
”
He
is
dressed
with
extreme
simplicity
:
black
frockcoat
buttoned
up
;
black
cravat
worn
higher
than
men
who
follow
the
fashions
wear
their
neckcloths
nowadays
;
a
hawk’s
eye
and
a
hawk’s
beak
;
hair
of
a
dull
brown
,
very
short
,
and
wholly
without
curl
;
his
cheeks
thin
and
smoothly
shaven
,
but
he
wears
a
mustache
and
imperial
,
plagiarized
from
those
of
his
sovereign
,
and
,
like
all
plagiarisms
,
carrying
the
borrowed
beauty
to
extremes
,
so
that
the
points
of
mustache
and
imperial
,
stiffened
and
sharpened
by
cosmetics
which
must
have
been
composed
of
iron
,
looked
like
three
long
stings
guarding
lip
and
jaw
from
invasion
;
a
pale
olive-brown
complexion
,
eyes
small
,
deep-sunk
,
calm
,
piercing
;
his
expression
of
face
at
first
glance
not
striking
,
except
for
quiet
immovability
.
Observed
more
heedfully
,
the
expression
was
keenly
intellectual
,
—
determined
about
the
lips
,
calculating
about
the
brows
:
altogether
the
face
of
no
ordinary
man
,
and
one
not
,
perhaps
,
without
fine
and
high
qualities
,
concealed
from
the
general
gaze
by
habitual
reserve
,
but
justifying
the
confidence
of
those
whom
he
admitted
into
his
intimacy
.
“
Ah
,
mon
cher
,
”
said
Lemercier
,
“
you
promised
to
call
on
me
yesterday
at
two
o’clock
.
I
waited
in
for
you
half
an
hour
;
you
never
came
.
”
“
No
;
I
went
first
to
the
Bourse
.
The
shares
in
that
Company
we
spoke
of
have
fallen
;
they
will
fall
much
lower
:
foolish
to
buy
in
yet
;
so
the
object
of
my
calling
on
you
was
over
.
I
took
it
for
granted
you
would
not
wait
if
I
failed
my
appointment
.
Do
you
go
to
the
opera
to-night
?
”
“
I
think
not
;
nothing
worth
going
for
:
besides
,
I
have
found
an
old
friend
,
to
whom
I
consecrate
this
evening
.
Let
me
introduce
you
to
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
.
Alain
,
M
.
Duplessis
.
”
The
two
gentlemen
bowed
.
“
I
had
the
honour
to
be
known
to
Monsieur
your
father
,
”
said
Duplessis
.
“
Indeed
,
”
returned
Rochebriant
.
“
He
had
not
visited
Paris
for
many
years
before
he
died
.
”
“
It
was
in
London
I
met
him
,
at
the
house
of
the
Russian
Princess
C____
.
”
The
Marquis
coloured
high
,
inclined
his
head
gravely
,
and
made
no
reply
.
Here
the
waiter
brought
the
oysters
and
the
chablis
,
and
Duplessis
retired
to
his
own
table
.
“
That
is
the
most
extraordinary
man
,
”
said
Frederic
,
as
he
squeezed
the
lemon
over
his
oysters
,
“
and
very
much
to
be
admired
.
”
“
How
so
?
I
see
nothing
at
least
to
admire
in
his
face
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
with
the
bluntness
of
a
provincial
.
“
His
face
.
Ah
!
you
are
a
Legitimist
,
—
party
prejudice
.
He
dresses
his
face
after
the
Emperor
;
in
itself
a
very
clever
face
,
surely
.
”
“
Perhaps
,
but
not
an
amiable
one
.
He
looks
like
a
bird
of
prey
.
”
“
All
clever
men
are
birds
of
prey
.
The
eagles
are
the
heroes
,
and
the
owls
the
sages
.
Duplessis
is
not
an
eagle
nor
an
owl
.
I
should
rather
call
him
a
falcon
,
except
that
I
would
not
attempt
to
hoodwink
him
.
”
“
Call
him
what
you
will
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
indifferently
;
“
M
.
Duplessis
can
be
nothing
to
me
.
”
“
I
am
not
so
sure
of
that
,
”
answered
Frederic
,
somewhat
nettled
by
the
phlegm
with
which
the
Provincial
regarded
the
pretensions
of
the
Parisian
.
“
Duplessis
,
I
repeat
it
,
is
an
extraordinary
man
.
Though
untitled
,
he
descends
from
your
old
aristocracy
;
in
fact
,
I
believe
,
as
his
name
shows
,
from
the
same
stem
as
the
Richelieus
.
His
father
was
a
great
scholar
,
and
I
believe
he
has
read
much
himself
.
Might
have
distinguished
himself
in
literature
or
at
the
bar
,
but
his
parents
died
fearfully
poor
;
and
some
distant
relations
in
commerce
took
charge
of
him
,
and
devoted
his
talents
to
the
‘Bourse.’
Seven
years
ago
he
lived
in
a
single
chamber
,
‘au
quatrieme
,
’
near
the
Luxembourg
.
He
has
now
a
hotel
,
not
large
but
charming
,
in
the
Champs
Elysees
,
worth
at
least
six
hundred
thousand
francs
.
Nor
has
he
made
his
own
fortune
alone
,
but
that
of
many
others
;
some
of
birth
as
high
as
your
own
.
He
has
the
genius
of
riches
,
and
knocks
off
a
million
as
a
poet
does
an
ode
,
by
the
force
of
inspiration
.
He
is
hand-in-glove
with
the
Ministers
,
and
has
been
invited
to
Compiegne
by
the
Emperor
.
You
will
find
him
very
useful
.
”
Alain
made
a
slight
movement
of
incredulous
dissent
,
and
changed
the
conversation
to
reminiscences
of
old
school-boy
days
.
The
dinner
at
length
came
to
a
close
.
Frederic
rang
for
the
bill
,
—
glanced
over
it
.
“
Fifty-nine
francs
,
”
said
he
,
carelessly
flinging
down
his
napoleon
and
a
half
.
The
Marquis
silently
drew
forth
his
purse
and
extracted
the
same
sum
.
When
they
were
out
of
the
restaurant
,
Frederic
proposed
adjourning
to
his
own
rooms
.
“
I
can
promise
you
an
excellent
cigar
,
one
of
a
box
given
to
me
by
an
invaluable
young
Spaniard
attached
to
the
Embassy
here
.
Such
cigars
are
not
to
be
had
at
Paris
for
money
,
nor
even
for
love
;
seeing
that
women
,
however
devoted
and
generous
,
never
offer
you
anything
better
than
a
cigarette
.
Such
cigars
are
only
to
be
had
for
friendship
.
Friendship
is
a
jewel
.
”
“
I
never
smoke
,
”
answered
the
Marquis
,
“
but
I
shall
be
charmed
to
come
to
your
rooms
;
only
don’t
let
me
encroach
on
your
good-nature
.
Doubtless
you
have
engagements
for
the
evening
.
”
“
None
till
eleven
o’clock
,
when
I
have
promised
to
go
to
a
soiree
to
which
I
do
not
offer
to
take
you
;
for
it
is
one
of
those
Bohemian
entertainments
at
which
it
would
do
you
harm
in
the
Faubourg
to
assist
,
—
at
least
until
you
have
made
good
your
position
.
Let
me
see
,
is
not
the
Duchesse
de
Tarascon
a
relation
of
yours
?
”
“
Yes
;
my
poor
mother’s
first
cousin
.
”
“
I
congratulate
you
.
‘Tres
grande
dame.’
She
will
launch
you
in
‘puro
cielo
,
’
as
Juno
might
have
launched
one
of
her
young
peacocks
.
”
“
There
has
been
no
acquaintance
between
our
houses
,
”
returned
the
Marquis
,
dryly
,
“
since
the
mesalliance
of
her
second
nuptials
.
”
“
Mesalliance
!
second
nuptials
!
Her
second
husband
was
the
Duc
de
Tarascon
.
”
“
A
duke
of
the
First
Empire
,
the
grandson
of
a
butcher
.
”
“
Diable
!
you
are
a
severe
genealogist
,
Monsieur
le
Marquis
.
How
can
you
consent
to
walk
arm-in-arm
with
me
,
whose
great-grandfather
supplied
bread
to
the
same
army
to
which
the
Due
de
Tarascon’s
grandfather
furnished
the
meat
?
”
“
My
dear
Frederic
,
we
two
have
an
equal
pedigree
,
for
our
friendship
dates
from
the
same
hour
.
I
do
not
blame
the
Duchesse
de
Tarascon
for
marrying
the
grandson
of
a
butcher
,
but
for
marrying
the
son
of
a
man
made
duke
by
a
usurper
.
She
abandoned
the
faith
of
her
house
and
the
cause
of
her
sovereign
.
Therefore
her
marriage
is
a
blot
on
our
scutcheon
.
”
Frederic
raised
his
eyebrows
,
but
had
the
tact
to
pursue
the
subject
no
further
.
He
who
interferes
in
the
quarrels
of
relations
must
pass
through
life
without
a
friend
.
The
young
men
now
arrived
at
Lemercier’s
apartment
,
an
entresol
looking
on
the
Boulevard
des
Italiens
,
consisting
of
more
rooms
than
a
bachelor
generally
requires
;
low-pitched
,
indeed
,
but
of
good
dimensions
,
and
decorated
and
furnished
with
a
luxury
which
really
astonished
the
provincial
,
though
,
with
the
high-bred
pride
of
an
oriental
,
he
suppressed
every
sign
of
surprise
.
Florentine
cabinets
,
freshly
retouched
by
the
exquisite
skill
of
Mombro
;
costly
specimens
of
old
Sevres
and
Limoges
;
pictures
and
bronzes
and
marble
statuettes
,
—
all
well
chosen
and
of
great
price
,
reflected
from
mirrors
in
Venetian
frames
,
—
made
a
‘coup
d’oeil’
very
favourable
to
that
respect
which
the
human
mind
pays
to
the
evidences
of
money
.
Nor
was
comfort
less
studied
than
splendour
.
Thick
carpets
covered
the
floors
,
doubled
and
quilted
portieres
excluded
all
draughts
from
chinks
in
the
doors
.
Having
allowed
his
friend
a
few
minutes
to
contemplate
and
admire
the
‘salle
a
manger’
and
‘salon’
which
constituted
his
more
state
apartments
,
Frederic
then
conducted
him
into
a
small
cabinet
,
fitted
up
with
scarlet
cloth
and
gold
fringes
,
whereon
were
artistically
arranged
trophies
of
Eastern
weapons
and
Turkish
pipes
with
amber
mouthpieces
.
There
,
placing
the
Marquis
at
ease
on
a
divan
and
flinging
himself
on
another
,
the
Parisian
exquisite
ordered
a
valet
,
well
dressed
as
himself
,
to
bring
coffee
and
liqueurs
;
and
after
vainly
pressing
one
of
his
matchless
cigars
on
his
friend
,
indulged
in
his
own
Regalia
.
“
They
are
ten
years
old
,
”
said
Frederic
,
with
a
tone
of
compassion
at
Alain’s
self-inflicted
loss
,
—
“
ten
years
old
.
Born
therefore
about
the
year
in
which
we
two
parted
—
”
“
When
you
were
so
hastily
summoned
from
college
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
“
by
the
news
of
your
father’s
illness
.
We
expected
you
back
in
vain
.
Have
you
been
at
Paris
ever
since
?
”
“
Ever
since
;
my
poor
father
died
of
that
illness
.
His
fortune
proved
much
larger
than
was
suspected
:
my
share
amounted
to
an
income
from
investments
in
stocks
,
houses
,
etc.
,
to
upwards
of
sixty
thousand
francs
a-year
;
and
as
I
wanted
six
years
to
my
majority
of
course
the
capital
on
attaining
my
majority
would
be
increased
by
accumulation
.
My
mother
desired
to
keep
me
near
her
;
my
uncle
,
who
was
joint
guardian
with
her
,
looked
with
disdain
on
our
poor
little
provincial
cottage
;
so
promising
an
heir
should
acquire
his
finishing
education
under
masters
at
Paris
.
Long
before
I
was
of
age
,
I
was
initiated
into
politer
mysteries
of
our
capital
than
those
celebrated
by
Eugene
Sue
.
When
I
took
possession
of
my
fortune
five
years
ago
,
I
was
considered
a
Croesus
;
and
really
for
that
patriarchal
time
I
was
wealthy
.
Now
,
alas
!
my
accumulations
have
vanished
in
my
outfit
;
and
sixty
thousand
francs
a-year
is
the
least
a
Parisian
can
live
upon
.
It
is
not
only
that
all
prices
have
fabulously
increased
,
but
that
the
dearer
things
become
,
the
better
people
live
.
When
I
first
came
out
,
the
world
speculated
upon
me
;
now
,
in
order
to
keep
my
standing
,
I
am
forced
to
speculate
on
the
world
.
Hitherto
I
have
not
lost
;
Duplessis
let
me
into
a
few
good
things
this
year
,
worth
one
hundred
thousand
francs
or
so
.
Croesus
consulted
the
Delphic
Oracle
.
Duplessis
was
not
alive
in
the
time
of
Croesus
,
or
Croesus
would
have
consulted
Duplessis
.
”
Here
there
was
a
ring
at
the
outer
door
of
the
apartment
,
and
in
another
minute
the
valet
ushered
in
a
gentleman
somewhere
about
the
age
of
thirty
,
of
prepossessing
countenance
,
and
with
the
indefinable
air
of
good-breeding
and
‘usage
du
monde.’
Frederic
started
up
to
greet
cordially
the
new-comer
,
and
introduced
him
to
the
Marquis
under
the
name
of
“
Sare
Grarm
Varn
.
”
“
Decidedly
,
”
said
the
visitor
,
as
he
took
off
his
paletot
and
seated
himself
beside
the
Marquis
,
—
“
decidedly
,
my
dear
Lemercier
,
”
said
he
,
in
very
correct
French
,
and
with
the
true
Parisian
accent
and
intonation
,
“
you
Frenchmen
merit
that
praise
for
polished
ignorance
of
the
language
of
barbarians
which
a
distinguished
historian
bestows
on
the
ancient
Romans
.
Permit
me
,
Marquis
,
to
submit
to
you
the
consideration
whether
Grarm
Varn
is
a
fair
rendering
of
my
name
as
truthfully
printed
on
this
card
.
”
The
inscription
on
the
card
,
thus
drawn
from
its
case
and
placed
in
Alain’s
hand
,
was
—
MR.
GRAHAM
VANE
,
No.
__
Rue
d’Anjou
.
The
Marquis
gazed
at
it
as
he
might
on
a
hieroglyphic
,
and
passed
it
on
to
Lemercier
in
discreet
silence
.
That
gentleman
made
another
attempt
at
the
barbarian
appellation
.
“
‘Grar
—
ham
Varne.’
‘C’est
ca
!
’
I
triumph
!
all
difficulties
yield
to
French
energy
.
”
Here
the
coffee
and
liqueurs
were
served
;
and
after
a
short
pause
the
Englishman
,
who
had
very
quietly
been
observing
the
silent
Marquis
,
turned
to
him
and
said
,
“
Monsieur
le
Marquis
,
I
presume
it
was
your
father
whom
I
remember
as
an
acquaintance
of
my
own
father
at
Ems
.
It
is
many
years
ago
;
I
was
but
a
child
.
The
Count
de
Chambord
was
then
at
that
enervating
little
spa
for
the
benefit
of
the
Countess’s
health
.
If
our
friend
Lemercier
does
not
mangle
your
name
as
he
does
mine
,
I
understand
him
to
say
that
you
are
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
.
”
“
That
is
my
name
:
it
pleases
me
to
hear
that
my
father
was
among
those
who
flocked
to
Ems
to
do
homage
to
the
royal
personage
who
deigns
to
assume
the
title
of
Count
de
Chambord
.
”
“
My
own
ancestors
clung
to
the
descendants
of
James
II
.
till
their
claims
were
buried
in
the
grave
of
the
last
Stuart
,
and
I
honour
the
gallant
men
who
,
like
your
father
,
revere
in
an
exile
the
heir
to
their
ancient
kings
.
”
The
Englishman
said
this
with
grace
and
feeling
;
the
Marquis’s
heart
warmed
to
him
at
once
.
“
The
first
loyal
‘gentilhome’
I
have
met
at
Paris
,
”
thought
the
Legitimist
;
“
and
,
oh
,
shame
!
not
a
Frenchman
!
”
Graham
Vane
,
now
stretching
himself
and
accepting
the
cigar
which
Lemercier
offered
him
,
said
to
that
gentleman
“
You
who
know
your
Paris
by
heart
—
everybody
and
everything
therein
worth
the
knowing
,
with
many
bodies
and
many
things
that
are
not
worth
it
—
can
you
inform
me
who
and
what
is
a
certain
lady
who
every
fine
day
may
be
seen
walking
in
a
quiet
spot
at
the
outskirts
of
the
Bois
de
Boulogne
,
not
far
from
the
Baron
de
Rothschild’s
villa
?
The
said
lady
arrives
at
this
selected
spot
in
a
dark-blue
coupe
without
armorial
bearings
,
punctually
at
the
hour
of
three
.
She
wears
always
the
same
dress
,
—
a
kind
of
gray
pearl-coloured
silk
,
with
a
‘cachemire’
shawl
.
In
age
she
may
be
somewhat
about
twenty
—
a
year
or
so
more
or
less
—
and
has
a
face
as
haunting
as
a
Medusa’s
;
not
,
however
,
a
face
to
turn
a
man
into
a
stone
,
but
rather
of
the
two
turn
a
stone
into
a
man
.
A
clear
paleness
,
with
a
bloom
like
an
alabaster
lamp
with
the
light
flashing
through
.
I
borrow
that
illustration
from
Sare
Scott
,
who
applied
it
to
Milor
Bee-ren
.
”
“
I
have
not
seen
the
lady
you
describe
,
”
answered
Lemercier
,
feeling
humiliated
by
the
avowal
;
“
in
fact
,
I
have
not
been
in
that
sequestered
part
of
the
Bois
for
months
;
but
I
will
go
to-morrow
:
three
o’clock
you
say
,
—
leave
it
to
me
;
to-morrow
evening
,
if
she
is
a
Parisienne
,
you
shall
know
all
about
her
.
But
,
mon
cher
,
you
are
not
of
a
jealous
temperament
to
confide
your
discovery
to
another
.
”
“
Yes
,
I
am
of
a
very
jealous
temperament
,
”
replied
the
Englishman
;
“
but
jealousy
comes
after
love
,
and
not
before
it
.
I
am
not
in
love
;
I
am
only
haunted
.
To-morrow
evening
,
then
,
shall
we
dine
at
Philippe’s
,
seven
o’clock
?
”
“
With
all
my
heart
,
”
said
Lemercier
;
“
and
you
too
,
Alain
?
”
“
Thank
you
,
no
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
briefly
;
and
he
rose
,
drew
on
his
gloves
,
and
took
up
his
hat
.
At
these
signals
of
departure
,
the
Englishman
,
who
did
not
want
tact
nor
delicacy
,
thought
that
he
had
made
himself
‘de
trop’
in
the
‘tete-a-tete’
of
two
friends
of
the
same
age
and
nation
;
and
,
catching
up
his
paletot
,
said
hastily
,
“
No
,
Marquis
,
do
not
go
yet
,
and
leave
our
host
in
solitude
;
for
I
have
an
engagement
which
presses
,
and
only
looked
in
at
Lemercier’s
for
a
moment
,
seeing
the
light
at
his
windows
.
Permit
me
to
hope
that
our
acquaintance
will
not
drop
,
and
inform
me
where
I
may
have
the
honour
to
call
on
you
.
”
“
Nay
,
”
said
the
Marquis
;
“
I
claim
the
right
of
a
native
to
pay
my
respects
first
to
the
foreigner
who
visits
our
capital
,
and
,
”
he
added
in
a
lower
tone
,
“
who
speaks
so
nobly
of
those
who
revere
its
exiles
.
”
The
Englishman
saluted
,
and
walked
slowly
towards
the
door
;
but
on
reaching
the
threshold
turned
back
and
made
a
sign
to
Lemercier
,
unperceived
by
Alain
.
Frederic
understood
the
sign
,
and
followed
Graham
Vane
into
the
adjoining
room
,
closing
the
door
as
he
passed
.
“
My
dear
Lemercier
,
of
course
I
should
not
have
intruded
on
you
at
this
hour
on
a
mere
visit
of
ceremony
.
I
called
to
say
that
the
Mademoiselle
Duval
whose
address
you
sent
me
is
not
the
right
one
,
—
not
the
lady
whom
,
knowing
your
wide
range
of
acquaintance
,
I
asked
you
to
aid
me
in
finding
out
.
”
“
Not
the
right
Duval
?
Diable
!
she
answered
your
description
,
exactly
.
”
“
Not
at
all
.
”
“
You
said
she
was
very
pretty
and
young
,
—
under
twenty
.
”
“
You
forgot
that
I
said
she
deserved
that
description
twenty-one
years
ago
.
”
“
Ah
,
so
you
did
;
but
some
ladies
are
always
young
.
‘Age
,
’
says
a
wit
in
the
‘Figaro
,
’
‘tis
a
river
which
the
women
compel
to
reascend
to
its
source
when
it
has
flowed
onward
more
than
twenty
years.’
Never
mind
:
‘soyez
tranquille
;
’
I
will
find
your
Duval
yet
if
she
is
to
be
found
.
But
why
could
not
the
friend
who
commissioned
you
to
inquire
choose
a
name
less
common
?
Duval
!
every
street
in
Paris
has
a
shop-door
over
which
is
inscribed
the
name
of
Duval
.
”
“
Quite
true
,
there
is
the
difficulty
;
however
,
my
dear
Lemercier
,
pray
continue
to
look
out
for
a
Louise
Duval
who
was
young
and
pretty
twenty-one
years
ago
:
this
search
ought
to
interest
me
more
than
that
which
I
entrusted
to
you
tonight
,
respecting
the
pearly-robed
lady
;
for
in
the
last
I
but
gratify
my
own
whim
,
in
the
first
I
discharge
a
promise
to
a
friend
.
You
,
so
perfect
a
Frenchman
,
know
the
difference
;
honour
is
engaged
to
the
first
.
Be
sure
you
let
me
know
if
you
find
any
other
Madame
or
Mademoiselle
Duval
;
and
of
course
you
remember
your
promise
not
to
mention
to
any
one
the
commission
of
inquiry
you
so
kindly
undertake
.
I
congratulate
you
on
your
friendship
for
M
.
de
Rochebriant
.
What
a
noble
countenance
and
manner
!
”
Lemercier
returned
to
the
Marquis
.
“
Such
a
pity
you
can’t
dine
with
us
to-morrow
.
I
fear
you
made
but
a
poor
dinner
to-day
.
But
it
is
always
better
to
arrange
the
menu
beforehand
.
I
will
send
to
Philippe’s
tomorrow
.
Do
not
be
afraid
.
”
The
Marquis
paused
a
moment
,
and
on
his
young
face
a
proud
struggle
was
visible
.
At
last
he
said
,
bluntly
and
manfully
,
“
My
dear
Frederic
,
your
world
and
mine
are
not
and
cannot
be
the
same
.
Why
should
I
be
ashamed
to
own
to
my
old
schoolfellow
that
I
am
poor
,
—
very
poor
;
that
the
dinner
I
have
shared
with
you
to-day
is
to
me
a
criminal
extravagance
?
I
lodge
in
a
single
chamber
on
the
fourth-story
;
I
dine
off
a
single
plat
at
a
small
restaurateur’s
;
the
utmost
income
I
can
allow
to
myself
does
not
exceed
five
thousand
francs
a
year
:
my
fortunes
I
cannot
hope
much
to
improve
.
In
his
own
country
Alain
de
Rochebriant
has
no
career
.
”
Lemercier
was
so
astonished
by
this
confession
that
he
remained
for
some
moments
silent
,
eyes
and
mouth
both
wide
open
;
at
length
he
sprang
up
,
embraced
his
friend
well-nigh
sobbing
,
and
exclaimed
,
“
‘Tant
mieux
pour
moi
!
’
You
must
take
your
lodging
with
me
.
I
have
a
charming
bedroom
to
spare
.
Don’t
say
no.
It
will
raise
my
own
position
to
say
‘I
and
Rochebriant
keep
house
together.’
It
must
be
so
.
Come
here
to-morrow
.
As
for
not
having
a
career
,
—
bah
!
I
and
Duplessis
will
settle
that
.
You
shall
be
a
millionaire
in
two
years
.
Meanwhile
we
will
join
capitals
:
I
my
paltry
notes
,
you
your
grand
name
.
Settled
!
”
“
My
dear
,
dear
Frederic
,
”
said
the
young
noble
,
deeply
affected
,
“
on
reflection
you
will
see
what
you
propose
is
impossible
.
Poor
I
may
be
without
dishonour
;
live
at
another
man’s
cost
I
cannot
do
without
baseness
.
It
does
not
require
to
be
‘gentilhomme’
to
feel
that
:
it
is
enough
to
be
a
Frenchman
.
Come
and
see
me
when
you
can
spare
the
time
.
There
is
my
address
.
You
are
the
only
man
in
Paris
to
whom
I
shall
be
at
home
.
Au
revoir
.
”
And
breaking
away
from
Lemercier’s
clasp
,
the
Marquis
hurried
off
.
CHAPTER
III
.
Alain
reached
the
house
in
which
he
lodged
.
Externally
a
fine
house
,
it
had
been
the
hotel
of
a
great
family
in
the
old
regime
.
On
the
first
floor
were
still
superb
apartments
,
with
ceilings
painted
by
Le
Brun
,
with
walls
on
which
the
thick
silks
still
seemed
fresh
.
These
rooms
were
occupied
by
a
rich
‘agent
de
change
;
’
but
,
like
all
such
ancient
palaces
,
the
upper
stories
were
wretchedly
defective
even
in
the
comforts
which
poor
men
demand
nowadays
:
a
back
staircase
,
narrow
,
dirty
,
never
lighted
,
dark
as
Erebus
,
led
to
the
room
occupied
by
the
Marquis
,
which
might
be
naturally
occupied
by
a
needy
student
or
a
virtuous
‘grisette.’
But
there
was
to
him
a
charm
in
that
old
hotel
,
and
the
richest
‘locataire’
therein
was
not
treated
with
a
respect
so
ceremonious
as
that
which
at
tended
the
lodger
on
the
fourth
story
.
The
porter
and
his
wife
were
Bretons
;
they
came
from
the
village
of
Rochebriant
;
they
had
known
Alain’s
parents
in
their
young
days
;
it
was
their
kinsman
who
had
recommended
him
to
the
hotel
which
they
served
:
so
,
when
he
paused
at
the
lodge
for
his
key
,
which
he
had
left
there
,
the
porter’s
wife
was
in
waiting
for
his
return
,
and
insisted
on
lighting
him
upstairs
and
seeing
to
his
fire
,
for
after
a
warm
day
the
night
had
turned
to
that
sharp
biting
cold
which
is
more
trying
in
Paris
than
even
in
London
.
The
old
woman
,
running
up
the
stairs
before
him
,
opened
the
door
of
his
room
,
and
busied
herself
at
the
fire
.
“
Gently
,
my
good
Marthe
,
”
said
he
,
“
that
log
suffices
.
I
have
been
extravagant
to-day
,
and
must
pinch
for
it
.
”
“
M
.
le
Marquis
jests
,
”
said
the
old
woman
,
laughing
.
“
No
,
Marthe
;
I
am
serious
.
I
have
sinned
,
but
I
shall
reform
.
‘Entre
nous
,
’
my
dear
friend
,
Paris
is
very
dear
when
one
sets
one’s
foot
out
of
doors
:
I
must
soon
go
back
to
Rochebriant
.
”
“
When
M
.
le
Marquis
goes
back
to
Rochebriant
he
must
take
with
him
a
Madame
la
Marquise
,
—
some
pretty
angel
with
a
suitable
dot
.
”
“
A
dot
suitable
to
the
ruins
of
Rochebriant
would
not
suffice
to
repair
them
,
Marthe
:
give
me
my
dressing-gown
,
and
good-night
.
”
“
‘Bon
repos
,
M
.
le
Marquis
!
beaux
reves
,
et
bel
avenir.’
”
“
‘Bel
avenir
!
’
”
murmured
the
young
man
,
bitterly
,
leaning
his
cheek
on
his
hand
;
“
what
fortune
fairer
than
the
present
can
be
mine
?
yet
inaction
in
youth
is
more
keenly
felt
than
in
age
.
How
lightly
I
should
endure
poverty
if
it
brought
poverty’s
ennobling
companion
,
Labour
,
—
denied
to
me
!
Well
,
well
;
I
must
go
back
to
the
old
rock
:
on
this
ocean
there
is
no
sail
,
not
even
an
oar
,
for
me
.
”
Alain
de
Rochebriant
had
not
been
reared
to
the
expectation
of
poverty
.
The
only
son
of
a
father
whose
estates
were
large
beyond
those
of
most
nobles
in
modern
France
,
his
destined
heritage
seemed
not
unsuitable
to
his
illustrious
birth
.
Educated
at
a
provincial
academy
,
he
had
been
removed
at
the
age
of
sixteen
to
Rochebriant
,
and
lived
there
simply
and
lonelily
enough
,
but
still
in
a
sort
of
feudal
state
,
with
an
aunt
,
an
elder
and
unmarried
sister
to
his
father
.
His
father
he
never
saw
but
twice
after
leaving
college
.
That
brilliant
seigneur
visited
France
but
rarely
,
for
very
brief
intervals
,
residing
wholly
abroad
.
To
him
went
all
the
revenues
of
Rochebriant
save
what
sufficed
for
the
manage
of
his
son
and
his
sister
.
It
was
the
cherished
belief
of
these
two
loyal
natures
that
the
Marquis
secretly
devoted
his
fortune
to
the
cause
of
the
Bourbons
;
how
,
they
knew
not
,
though
they
often
amused
themselves
by
conjecturing
:
and
,
the
young
man
,
as
he
grew
up
,
nursed
the
hope
that
he
should
soon
hear
that
the
descendant
of
Henri
Quatre
had
crossed
the
frontier
on
a
white
charger
and
hoisted
the
old
gonfalon
with
its
‘fleur-de-lis.’
Then
,
indeed
,
his
own
career
would
be
opened
,
and
the
sword
of
the
Kerouecs
drawn
from
its
sheath
.
Day
after
day
he
expected
to
hear
of
revolts
,
of
which
his
noble
father
was
doubtless
the
soul
.
But
the
Marquis
,
though
a
sincere
Legitimist
,
was
by
no
means
an
enthusiastic
fanatic
.
He
was
simply
a
very
proud
,
a
very
polished
,
a
very
luxurious
,
and
,
though
not
without
the
kindliness
and
generosity
which
were
common
attributes
of
the
old
French
noblesse
,
a
very
selfish
grand
seigneur
.
Losing
his
wife
(
who
died
the
first
year
of
marriage
in
giving
birth
to
Alain
)
while
he
was
yet
very
young
,
he
had
lived
a
frank
libertine
life
until
he
fell
submissive
under
the
despotic
yoke
of
a
Russian
Princess
,
who
,
for
some
mysterious
reason
,
never
visited
her
own
country
and
obstinately
refused
to
reside
in
France
.
She
was
fond
of
travel
,
and
moved
yearly
from
London
to
Naples
,
Naples
to
Vienna
,
Berlin
,
Madrid
,
Seville
,
Carlsbad
,
Baden-Baden
,
—
anywhere
for
caprice
or
change
,
except
Paris
.
This
fair
wanderer
succeeded
in
chaining
to
herself
the
heart
and
the
steps
of
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
.
She
was
very
rich
;
she
lived
semi-royally
.
Hers
was
just
the
house
in
which
it
suited
the
Marquis
to
be
the
‘enfant
qate.’
I
suspect
that
,
cat-like
,
his
attachment
was
rather
to
the
house
than
to
the
person
of
his
mistress
.
Not
that
he
was
domiciled
with
the
Princess
;
that
would
have
been
somewhat
too
much
against
the
proprieties
,
greatly
too
much
against
the
Marquis’s
notions
of
his
own
dignity
.
He
had
his
own
carriage
,
his
own
apartments
,
his
own
suite
,
as
became
so
grand
a
seigneur
and
the
lover
of
so
grand
a
dame
.
His
estates
,
mortgaged
before
he
came
to
them
,
yielded
no
income
sufficient
for
his
wants
;
he
mortgaged
deeper
and
deeper
,
year
after
year
,
till
he
could
mortgage
them
no
more
.
He
sold
his
hotel
at
Paris
;
he
accepted
without
scruple
his
sister’s
fortune
;
he
borrowed
with
equal
‘sang
froid’
the
two
hundred
thousand
francs
which
his
son
on
coming
of
age
inherited
from
his
mother
.
Alain
yielded
that
fortune
to
him
without
a
murmur
,
—
nay
,
with
pride
;
he
thought
it
destined
to
go
towards
raising
a
regiment
for
the
fleur-de-lis
.
To
do
the
Marquis
justice
,
he
was
fully
persuaded
that
he
should
shortly
restore
to
his
sister
and
son
what
he
so
recklessly
took
from
them
.
He
was
engaged
to
be
married
to
his
Princess
so
soon
as
her
own
husband
died
.
She
had
been
separated
from
the
Prince
for
many
years
,
and
every
year
it
was
said
he
could
not
last
a
year
longer
.
But
he
completed
the
measure
of
his
conjugal
iniquities
by
continuing
to
live
;
and
one
day
,
by
mistake
,
Death
robbed
the
lady
of
the
Marquis
instead
of
the
Prince
.
This
was
an
accident
which
the
Marquis
had
never
counted
upon
.
He
was
still
young
enough
to
consider
himself
young
;
in
fact
,
one
principal
reason
for
keeping
Alain
secluded
in
Bretagne
was
his
reluctance
to
introduce
into
the
world
a
son
“
as
old
as
myself
”
he
would
say
pathetically
.
The
news
of
his
death
,
which
happened
at
Baden
after
a
short
attack
of
bronchitis
caught
in
a
supper
‘al
fresco’
at
the
old
castle
,
was
duly
transmitted
to
Rochebriant
by
the
Princess
;
and
the
shock
to
Alain
and
his
aunt
was
the
greater
because
they
had
seen
so
little
of
the
departed
that
they
regarded
him
as
a
heroic
myth
,
an
impersonation
of
ancient
chivalry
,
condemning
himself
to
voluntary
exile
rather
than
do
homage
to
usurpers
.
But
from
their
grief
they
were
soon
roused
by
the
terrible
doubt
whether
Rochebriant
could
still
be
retained
in
the
family
.
Besides
the
mortgagees
,
creditors
from
half
the
capitals
in
Europe
sent
in
their
claims
;
and
all
the
movable
effects
transmitted
to
Alain
by
his
father’s
confidential
Italian
valet
,
except
sundry
carriages
and
horses
which
were
sold
at
Baden
for
what
they
would
fetch
,
were
a
magnificent
dressing-case
,
in
the
secret
drawer
of
which
were
some
bank-notes
amounting
to
thirty
thousand
francs
,
and
three
large
boxes
containing
the
Marquis’s
correspondence
,
a
few
miniature
female
portraits
,
and
a
great
many
locks
of
hair
.
Wholly
unprepared
for
the
ruin
that
stared
him
in
the
face
,
the
young
Marquis
evinced
the
natural
strength
of
his
character
by
the
calmness
with
which
he
met
the
danger
,
and
the
intelligence
with
which
he
calculated
and
reduced
it
.
By
the
help
of
the
family
notary
in
the
neighbouring
town
,
he
made
himself
master
of
his
liabilities
and
his
means
;
and
he
found
that
,
after
paying
all
debts
and
providing
for
the
interest
of
the
mortgages
,
a
property
which
ought
to
have
realized
a
rental
of
L10
,
000
a
year
yielded
not
more
than
L400
.
Nor
was
even
this
margin
safe
,
nor
the
property
out
of
peril
;
for
the
principal
mortgagee
,
who
was
a
capitalist
in
Paris
named
Louvier
,
having
had
during
the
life
of
the
late
Marquis
more
than
once
to
wait
for
his
half-yearly
interest
longer
than
suited
his
patience
,
—
and
his
patience
was
not
enduring
,
—
plainly
declared
that
if
the
same
delay
recurred
he
should
put
his
right
of
seizure
in
force
;
and
in
France
still
more
than
in
England
,
bad
seasons
seriously
affect
the
security
of
rents
.
To
pay
away
L9
,
600
a
year
regularly
out
of
L10
,
000
,
with
the
penalty
of
forfeiting
the
whole
if
not
paid
,
—
whether
crops
may
fail
,
farmers
procrastinate
,
and
timber
fall
in
price
,
—
is
to
live
with
the
sword
of
Damocles
over
one’s
head
.
For
two
years
and
more
,
however
,
Alain
met
his
difficulties
with
prudence
and
vigour
;
he
retrenched
the
establishment
hitherto
kept
at
the
chateau
,
resigned
such
rural
pleasures
as
he
had
been
accustomed
to
indulge
,
and
lived
like
one
of
his
petty
farmers
.
But
the
risks
of
the
future
remained
undiminished
.
“
There
is
but
one
way
,
Monsieur
le
Marquis
,
”
said
the
family
notary
,
M
.
Hebert
,
“
by
which
you
can
put
your
estate
in
comparative
safety
.
Your
father
raised
his
mortgages
from
time
to
time
,
as
he
wanted
money
,
and
often
at
interest
above
the
average
market
interest
.
You
may
add
considerably
to
your
income
by
consolidating
all
these
mortgages
into
one
at
a
lower
percentage
,
and
in
so
doing
pay
off
this
formidable
mortgagee
,
M
.
Louvier
,
who
,
I
shrewdly
suspect
,
is
bent
upon
becoming
the
proprietor
of
Rochebriant
.
Unfortunately
those
few
portions
of
your
land
which
were
but
lightly
charged
,
and
,
lying
contiguous
to
small
proprietors
,
were
coveted
by
them
,
and
could
be
advantageously
sold
,
are
already
gone
to
pay
the
debts
of
Monsieur
the
late
Marquis
.
There
are
,
however
,
two
small
farms
which
,
bordering
close
on
the
town
of
S______
,
I
think
I
could
dispose
of
for
building
purposes
at
high
rates
;
but
these
lands
are
covered
by
M
.
Louvier’s
general
mortgage
,
and
he
has
refused
to
release
them
,
unless
the
whole
debt
be
paid
.
Were
that
debt
therefore
transferred
to
another
mortgagee
,
we
might
stipulate
for
their
exception
,
and
in
so
doing
secure
a
sum
of
more
than
100
,
000
francs
,
which
you
could
keep
in
reserve
for
a
pressing
or
unforeseen
occasion
,
and
make
the
nucleus
of
a
capital
devoted
to
the
gradual
liquidation
of
the
charges
on
the
estate
.
For
with
a
little
capital
,
Monsieur
le
Marquis
,
your
rent-roll
might
be
very
greatly
increased
,
the
forests
and
orchards
improved
,
those
meadows
round
S_____
drained
and
irrigated
.
Agriculture
is
beginning
to
be
understood
in
Bretagne
,
and
your
estate
would
soon
double
its
value
in
the
hands
of
a
spirited
capitalist
.
My
advice
to
you
,
therefore
,
is
to
go
to
Paris
,
employ
a
good
‘avoue
,
’
practised
in
such
branch
of
his
profession
,
to
negotiate
the
consolidation
of
your
mortgages
upon
terms
that
will
enable
you
to
sell
outlying
portions
,
and
so
pay
off
the
charge
by
instalments
agreed
upon
;
to
see
if
some
safe
company
or
rich
individual
can
be
found
to
undertake
for
a
term
of
years
the
management
of
your
forests
,
the
draining
of
the
S_____
meadows
,
the
superintendence
of
your
fisheries
,
etc.
They
,
it
is
true
,
will
monopolize
the
