the deputy of arcis-第7章

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〃It　will　do　if　you　produce　a　candidate　of　the　same　calibre　as　Simon　Giguet；〃　said　Olivier　Vinet。

The　sub…prefect　allowed　an　expression　of　satisfaction　to　appear　upon　his　features；　which　did　not　escape　the　notice　of　his　three　companions；　with　whom；　moreover；　he　had　a　full　understanding。　All　four　being　bachelors；　and　tolerably　rich；　they　had　formed；　without　premeditation；　an　alliance　against　the　dulness　of　the　provinces。　The　three　functionaries　had　already　remarked　the　sort　of　jealousy　that　Goulard　felt　for　Giguet；　which　a　few　words　on　their　antecedents　will　explain。

Antonin　Goulard；　the　son　of　a　former　huntsman　to　the　house　of　Simeuse；　enriched　by　the　purchase　of　the　confiscated　property　of　/emigres/　was；　like　Simon　Giguet；　a　son　of　Arcis。　Old　Goulard；　his　father；　left　the　abbey　of　Valpreux　（corruption　of　Val…des…Preux）　to　live　in　Arcis　after　the　death　of　his　wife；　and　he　sent　his　son　to　the　imperial　lyceum；　where　Colonel　Giguet　had　already　placed　his　son　Simon。　The　two　schoolmates　subsequently　went　through　their　legal　studies　in　Paris　together；　and　their　intimacy　was　continued　in　the　amusements　of　youth。　They　promised　to　help　each　other　to　success　in　life　whenever　they　entered　upon　their　different　careers。　But　fate　willed　that　they　should　end　by　being　rivals。

In　spite　of　Goulard's　manifest　advantages；　in　spite　of　the　cross　of　the　Legion　of　honor　which　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　had　obtained　for　him　in　default　of　promotion；　the　offer　of　his　heart　and　position　had　been　frankly　declined　when；　about　six　months　before　this　history　begins；　he　had　privately　presented　himself　to　Madame　Beauvisage　as　a　suitor　for　her　daughter's　hand。　No　step　of　that　nature　is　ever　taken　secretly　in　the　provinces。　The　/procureur…du…roi/；　Frederic　Marest；　whose　fortune；　buttonhole；　and　position　were　about　on　a　par　with　those　of　Antonin　Goulard；　had　received　a　like　refusal；　three　years　earlier；　based　on　the　difference　of　ages。　Consequently；　the　two　officials　were　on　terms　of　strict　politeness　with　the　Beauvisage　family；　and　laughed　at　them　severally　in　private。　Both　had　divined　and　communicated　to　each　other　the　real　motive　of　the　candidacy　of　Simon　Giguet；　for　they　fully　understood　the　hopes　of　Madame　Marion；　and　they　were　bent　on　preventing　her　nephew　from　marrying　the　heiress　whose　hand　had　been　refused　to　them。

〃God　grant　that　I　may　be　master　of　this　election；〃　said　Goulard；　〃and　that　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　may　get　me　made　a　prefect；　for　I　have　no　more　desire　than　you　to　spend　the　rest　of　my　days　here；　though　I　was　born　in　Arcis。〃

〃You　have　a　fine　opportunity　to　be　elected　deputy　yourself；　my　chief；〃　said　Olivier　Vinet　to　Marest。　〃Come　and　see　my　father；　who　will；　I　think；　arrive　here　from　Provins　in　a　few　hours。　Let　us　propose　to　him　to　have　you　chosen　as　ministerial　candidate。〃

〃Halt！〃　said　Antonin；　〃the　ministry　has　its　own　views　about　the　deputy　of　Arcis。〃

〃Ah；　bah！〃　exclaimed　Vinet；　〃there　are　two　ministries：　the　one　that　thinks　it　makes　elections；　and　another　that　thinks　it　profits　by　them。〃

〃Don't　let　us　complicate　Antonin's　difficulties；〃　said　Frederic　Marest；　winking　at　his　substitute。

The　four　officials；　who　had　crossed　the　open　square　and　were　close　to　the　Mulet　inn；　now　saw　Poupart　leaving　the　house　of　Madame　Marion　and　coming　towards　them。　A　moment　later；　and　the　/porte　cochere/　of　that　house　vomited　the　sixty…seven　conspirators。

〃So　you　went　to　that　meeting？〃　said　Antonin　Goulard　to　Poupart。

〃I　shall　never　go　again；　monsieur　le　sous…prefet；〃　said　the　innkeeper。　〃The　son　of　Monsieur　Keller　is　dead；　and　I　have　now　no　object　in　going　there。　God　has　taken　upon　himself　to　clear　the　ground。〃

〃Well；　Pigoult；　what　happened？〃　cried　Olivier　Vinet；　catching　sight　of　the　young　notary。

〃Oh！〃　said　Pigoult；　on　whose　forehead　the　perspiration；　which　had　not　dried；　bore　testimony　to　his　efforts；　〃Simon　has　just　told　some　news　that　made　them　all　unanimous。　Except　five　persons；Poupart；　my　grandfather；　Mollot；　Sinot；　and　I；all　present　swore；　as　at　the　Jeu　de　Paume；　to　employ　every　means　to　promote　the　triumph　of　Simon　Giguet；　of　whom　I　have　made　a　mortal　enemy。　Oh！　we　got　warm；　I　can　tell　you！　However；　I　led　the　Giguets　to　fulminate　against　the　Gondrevilles。　That　puts　the　old　count　on　my　side。　No　later　than　to…morrow　he　will　hear　what　the　/soi…disant/　patriots　of　Arcis　have　said　about　him　and　his　corruptions　and　his　infamies；　to　free　their　necks；　as　they　called　it；　of　his　yoke。〃

〃Unanimous；　were　they？〃　said　Olivier　Vinet；　laughing。

〃Unanimous；　/to…day/；〃　remarked　Monsieur　Martener。

〃Oh！〃　exclaimed　Pigoult；　〃the　general　sentiment　of　the　electors　is　for　one　of　their　own　townsmen。　Whom　can　you　oppose　to　Simon　Giguet；a　man　who　has　just　spent　two　hours　in　explaining　the　word　/progress/。〃

〃Take　old　Grevin！〃　cried　the　sub…prefect。

〃He　has　no　such　ambition；〃　replied　Pigoult。　〃But　we　must　first　of　all　consult　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　Look；　look！〃　he　added；　〃see　the　attentions　with　which　Simon　is　taking　him　that　gilded　booby；　Beauvisage。〃

And　he　pointed　to　the　candidate；　who　was　holding　the　mayor　by　the　arm　and　whispering　in　his　ear。　Beauvisage　meantime　was　bowing　right　and　left　to　the　inhabitants；　who　gazed　at　him　with　the　deference　which　provincials　always　testify　to　the　richest　man　in　their　locality。

〃But　there's　no　use　cajoling　/him/；〃　continued　Pigoult。　〃Cecile's　hand　does　not　depend　on　either　her　father　or　her　mother。〃

〃On　whom；　then？〃

〃On　my　old　patron；　Monsieur　Grevin。　Even　if　Simon　is　elected　deputy；　the　town　is　not　won。〃

Though　the　sub…prefect　and　Frederic　Marest　tried　to　get　an　explanation　of　these　words；　Pigoult　refused　to　give　the　reason　of　an　exclamation　which　seemed　to　them　big　with　meaning　and　implying　a　certain　knowledge　of　the　plans　of　the　Beauvisage　family。

All　Arcis　was　now　in　a　commotion；　not　only　on　account　of　the　fatal　event　which　had　just　overtaken　the　Gondreville　family；　but　because　of　the　great　resolution　come　to　at　the　Giguet　house；　where　Madame　Marion　and　her　three　servants　were　hurriedly　engaged　in　putting　everything　in　its　usual　order；　ready　to　receive　her　customary　guests；　whose　curiosity　would　probably　bring　them　that　evening　in　large　numbers。



VI

THE　CAMPAIGN　OF　1814　FROM　THE　HOSIERY　POINT　OF　VIEW

Champagne　has　all　the　appearance　of　a　poor　region；　and　it　is　a　poor　region。　Its　general　aspect　is　sad；　the　land　is　flat。　Passing　through　the　villages；　and　even　the　towns；　you　will　see　nothing　but　miserable　buildings　of　wood　or　half…baked　clay；　the　best　are　built　of　brick。　Stone　is　scarcely　used　at　all　except　on　public　buildings。　At　Arcis　the　chateau；　the　law　courts；　and　the　church　are　the　only　stone　buildings。　Nevertheless；　Champagne；　or；　if　you　prefer　to　say　so；　the　departments　of　the　Aube；　Marne；　and　Haut…Marne；　richly　endowed　with　vineyards；　the　fame　of　which　is　world…wide；　are　otherwise　full　of　flourishing　industries。

Without　speaking　of　the　manufactures　of　Reims；　nearly　all　the　hosiery　of　Francea　very　considerable　tradeis　manufactured　about　Troyes。　The　surrounding　country；　over　a　circuit　of　thirty　miles；　is　covered　with　workmen；　whose　looms　can　be　seen　through　the　open　doors　as　we　pass　through　the　villages。　These　workmen　are　employed　by　agents；　who　themselves　are　in　the　service　of　speculators　called　manufacturers。　The　agents　negotiate　with　the　large　Parisian　houses；　often　with　the　retail　hosiers；　all　of　whom　put　out　the　sign；　〃Manufacturers　of　Hosiery。〃　None　of　them　have　ever　made　a　pair　of　stockings；　nor　a　cap；　nor　a　sock；　all　their　hosiery　comes　chiefly　from　Champagne；　though　there　are　a　few　skilled　workmen　in　Paris　who　can　rival　the　Champenois。

This　intermediate　agency　between　the　producer　and　the　consumer　is　an　evil　not　confined　to　hosiery。　It　exists　in　almost　all　trades；　and　increases　the　cost　of　merchandise　by　the　amount　of　the　profit　exacted　by　the　middlemen。　To　break　down　these　costly　partitions；　that　injure　the　sale　of　products；　would　be　a　magnificent　enterprise；　which；　in　its　results；　would　attain　to　the　height　of　statesmanship。　In　fact；　industry　of　all　kinds　would　gain　by　establishing　within　our　borders　the　cheapness　so　essential　to　enable　us　to　carry　on　victoriously　the　industrial　warfare　with　foreign　countries；a　struggle　as　deadly　as　that　of　arms。

But　the　destruction　of　an　abuse　of　this　kind　would　not　return　to　modern　philanthropists　the　glory　and　the　advantages　of　a　crusade　against　the　empty　nutshells　of　the　penitentiary　and　negrophobia；　consequently；　the　interloping　profits　of　these　/bankers　of　merchandise/　will　continue　to　weigh　heavily　both　on　producers　and　consumers。　In　Francekeen…witted　land！it　is　thought　that　to　simplify　is　to　destroy。　The　Revolution　of　1789　is　still　a　terror。

We　see；　by　the　industrial　energy　displayed　in　a　land　where　Nature　is　a　godmother；　what　progress　agriculture　might　make　if　capital　would　go　into　partnership　with　the　soil；　which　is　not　so　thankless　in　Champagne　as　it　is　in　Scotland；　where　capital　has　done　wonders。　The　day　when　agriculture　will　have　conquered　the　unfertile　portion　of　those　departments；　and　industry　has　seconded　capital　on　the　Champagne　chalk；　the　prosperity　of　that　region　will　triple　itself。　Into　that　land；　now　without　luxury；　where　homes　are　barren；　English　comfort　will　penetrate；　money　will　obtain　that　rapid　circulation　which　is　the　half　of　wealth；　and　is　already　beginning　in　several　of　the　inert　portions　of　our　country。　Writers；　administrators；　the　Church　from　its　pulpit；　the　Press　in　its　columns；　all　to　whom　chance　has　given　power　to　influence　the　masses；　should　say　and　resay　this　truth；to　hoard　is　a　social　crime。　The　deliberate　hoarding　of　a　province　arrests　industrial　life；　and　injures　the　health　of　a　nation。

Thus　the　little　town　of　Arcis；　without　much　means　of　transition；　doomed　apparently　to　the　most　complete　immobility；　is；　relatively；　a　rich　town　abounding　in　capital　slowly　amassed　by　its　trade　in　hosiery。

Monsieur　Phileas　Beauvisage　was　the　Alexander；　or；　if　you　will；　the　Attila　of　this　business。　And　here　follow　the　means　by　which　this　honorable　merchant　had　acquired　his　supremacy　over　cotton。

The　last　remaining　child　of　farmers　named　Beauvisage；　tenants　of　the　splendid　farm　of　Bellache；　a　dependency　of　the　Gondreville　estate；　his　parents　made；　in　1811；　a　great　sacrifice　in　order　to　buy　a　substitute　and　save　their　only　child　from　conscription。　After　that；　in　1813；　the　mother　Beauvisage；　having　become　a　widow；　saved　her　son　once　more　from　enrolment　in　the　Gardes；　thanks　to　the　influence　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　Phileas；　who　was　then　twenty…one　years　of　age；　had　been　devoted　for　the　last　three　years　to　the　peaceable　trade　of　hosiery。

Coming　to　the　end　of　the　lease　of　Bellache；　old　Madame　Beauvisage　declined　to　renew　it。　She　saw　she　had　enough　to　do　in　her　old　age　in　taking　care　of　her　property。　That　nothing　might　give　her　uneasiness　of　mind；　she　proceeded；　by　the　help　of　Monsieur　Grevin；　the　notary　of　Arcis；　to　liquidate　her　husband's　estate；　although　her　son　made　no　request　whatever　for　a　settlement。　The　result　proved　that　she　owed　him　the　sum　of　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　francs。　The　good　woman　did　not　sell　her　landed　property；　most　of　which　came　from　the　unfortunate　Michu；　the　former　bailiff　of　the　Simeuse　family；　she　paid　the　sum　to　Phileas　in　ready　money；advising　him　t