the lesser bourgeoisie-第6章

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resent　des　Lupeaulx's　attentions　to　Madame　Rabourdin　（whom　she　called
a　minx）；　to　whose　house　she　had　never　been　invited；　and　who　had　twice
had　the　impertinence　not　to　come　to　the　Colleville　concerts。

Madame　Colleville　was　deeply　affected　by　the　death　of　young
Gondreville；　she　felt；　she　said；　the　finger　of　God。　In　1824　she　turned
over　a　new　leaf；　talked　of　economy；　stopped　her　receptions；　busied
herself　with　her　children；　determined　to　become　a　good　mother　of　a
family；　no　favorite　friend　was　seen　at　her　house。　She　went　to　church；
reformed　her　dress；　wore　gray；　and　talked　Catholicism；　mysticism；　and
so　forth。　All　this　produced；　in　1825；　another　little　son；　whom　she
named　Theodore。　Soon　after；　in　1826；　Colleville　was　appointed　sub…
director　of　the　Clergeot　division；　and　later；　in　1828；　collector　of
taxes　in　a　Paris　arrondissement。　He　also　received　the　cross　of　the
Legion　of　honor；　to　enable　him　to　put　his　daughter　at　the　royal　school
of　Saint…Denis。　The　half…scholarship　obtained　by　Keller　for　the　eldest
boy；　Charles；　was　transferred　to　the　second　in　1830；　when　Charles
entered　the　school　of　Saint…Louis　on　a　full　scholarship。　The　third
son；　taken　under　the　protection　of　Madame　la　Dauphine；　was　provided
with　a　three…quarter　scholarship　in　the　Henri　IV。　school。

In　1830　Colleville；　who　had　the　good　fortune　not　to　lose　a　child；　was
obliged；　owing　to　his　well…known　attachment　to　the　fallen　royal
family；　to　send　in　his　resignation；　but　he　was　clever　enough　to　make　a
bargain　for　it；obtaining　in　exchange　a　pension　of　two　thousand　four
hundred　francs；　based　on　his　period　of　service；　and　ten　thousand
francs　indemnity　paid　by　his　successor；　he　also　received　the　rank　of
officer　of　the　Legion　of　honor。　Nevertheless；　he　found　himself　in
rather　a　cramped　condition　when　Mademoiselle　Thuillier；　in　1832；
advised　him　to　come　and　live　near　them；　pointing　out　to　him　the
possibility　of　obtaining　some　position　in　the　mayor's　office；　which；
in　fact；　he　did　obtain　a　few　weeks　later；　at　a　salary　of　three
thousand　francs。　Thus　Thuillier　and　Colleville　were　destined　to　end
their　days　together。　In　1833　Madame　Colleville；　then　thirty…five　years
old；　settled　herself　in　the　rue　d'Enfer；　at　the　corner　of　the　rue　des
Deux…Eglises　with　Celeste　and　little　Theodore；　the　other　boys　being　at
their　several　schools。　Colleville　was　equidistant　between　the　mayor's
office　and　the　rue　Saint…Dominique　d'Enfer。　Thus　the　household；　after
a　brilliant；　gay；　headlong；　reformed；　and　calmed　existence；　subsided
finally　into　bourgeois　obscurity　with　five　thousand　four　hundred
francs　a　year　for　its　sole　dependence。

Celeste　was　by　this　time　twelve　years　of　age；　and　she　promised　to　be
pretty。　She　needed　masters；　and　her　education　ought　to　cost　not　less
than　two　thousand　francs　a　year。　The　mother　felt　the　necessity　of
keeping　her　under　the　eye　of　her　godfather　and　godmother。　She
therefore　very　willingly　adopted　the　proposal　of　Mademoiselle
Thuillier；　who；　without　committing　herself　to　any　engagement；　allowed
Madame　Colleville　to　understand　that　the　fortunes　of　her　brother；　his
wife；　and　herself　would　go；　ultimately；　to　the　little　Celeste。　The
child　had　been　left　at　Auteuil　until　she　was　seven　years　of　age；
adored　by　the　good　old　Madame　Lemprun；　who　died　in　1829；　leaving
twenty　thousand　francs；　and　a　house　which　was　sold　for　the　enormous
sum　of　twenty…eight　thousand。　The　lively　little　girl　had　seen　very
little　of　her　mother；　but　very　much　of　Mademoiselle　and　Madame
Thuillier　when　she　first　returned　to　the　paternal　mansion　in　1829；　but
in　1833　she　fell　under　the　dominion　of　Flavie；　who　was　then；　as　we
have　said；　endeavoring　to　do　her　duty；　which；　like　other　women
instigated　by　remorse；　she　exaggerated。　Without　being　an　unkind
mother；　Flavie　was　very　stern　with　her　daughter。　She　remembered　her
own　bringing…up；　and　swore　within　herself　to　make　Celeste　a　virtuous
woman。　She　took　her　to　mass；　and　had　her　prepared　for　her　first
communion　by　a　rector　who　has　since　become　a　bishop。　Celeste　was　all
the　more　readily　pious；　because　her　godmother；　Madame　Thuillier；　was　a
saint；　and　the　child　adored　her；　she　felt　that　the　poor　neglected
woman　loved　her　better　than　her　own　mother。

From　1833　to　1840　she　received　a　brilliant　education　according　to　the
ideas　of　the　bourgeoisie。　The　best　music…masters　made　her　a　fair
musician；　she　could　paint　a　water…color　properly；　she　danced　extremely
well；　and　she　had　studied　the　French　language；　history；　geography；
English；　Italian；in　short；　all　that　constitutes　the　education　of　a
well…brought…up　young　lady。　Of　medium　height；　rather　plump；
unfortunately　near…sighted；　she　was　neither　plain　nor　pretty；　not
without　delicacy　or　even　brilliancy　of　complexion；　it　is　true；　but
totally　devoid　of　all　distinction　of　manner。　She　had　a　great　fund　of
reserved　sensibility；　and　her　godfather　and　godmother；　Mademoiselle
Thuillier　and　Colleville；　were　unanimous　on　one　point；the　great
resource　of　mothersnamely；　that　Celeste　was　capable　of　attachment。
One　of　her　beauties　was　a　magnificent　head　of　very　fine　blond　hair；
but　her　hands　and　feet　showed　her　bourgeois　origin。

Celeste　endeared　herself　by　precious　qualities；　she　was　kind；　simple；
without　gall　of　any　kind；　she　loved　her　father　and　mother；　and　would
willingly　sacrifice　herself　for　their　sake。　Brought　up　to　the　deepest
admiration　for　her　godfather　by　Brigitte　（who　taught　her　to　say　〃Aunt
Brigitte〃）；　and　by　Madame　Thuillier　and　her　own　mother；　Celeste
imbibed　the　highest　idea　of　the　ex…beau　of　the　Empire。　The　house　in
the　rue　Saint…Dominique　d'Enfer　produced　upon　her　very　much　the　effect
of　the　Chateau　des　Tuileries　on　a　courtier　of　the　new　dynasty。

Thuillier　had　not　escaped　the　action　of　the　administrative　rolling…pin
which　thins　the　mind　as　it　spreads　it　out。　Exhausted　by　irksome　toil；
as　much　as　by　his　life　of　gallantry；　the　ex…sub…director　had　well…nigh
lost　all　his　faculties　by　the　time　he　came　to　live　in　the　rue　Saint…
Dominique。　But　his　weary　face；　on　which　there　still　reigned　an　air　of
imperial　haughtiness；　mingled　with　a　certain　contentment；　the　conceit
of　an　upper　official；　made　a　deep　impression　upon　Celeste。　She　alone
adored　that　haggard　face。　The　girl；　moreover；　felt　herself　to　be　the
happiness　of　the　Thuillier　household。



CHAPTER　IV

THE　CIRCLE　OF　MONSIEUR　AND　MADAME　THUILLIER

The　Collevilles　and　their　children　became；　naturally；　the　nucleus　of
the　circle　which　Mademoiselle　Thuillier　had　the　ambition　to　group
around　her　brother。　A　former　clerk　in　the　Billardiere　division　of　the
ministry；　named　Phellion；　had　lived　for　the　last　thirty　years　in　their
present　quarter。　He　was　promptly　greeted　by　Colleville　and　Thuillier
at　the　first　review。　Phellion　proved　to　be　one　of　the　most　respected
men　in　the　arrondissement。　He　had　one　daughter；　now　married　to　a
school…teacher　in　the　rue　Saint…Hyacinthe；　a　Monsieur　Barniol。
Phellion's　eldest　son　was　a　professor　of　mathematics　in　a　royal
college；　he　gave　lectures　and　private　lessons；　being　devoted；　so　his
father　was　wont　to　say；　to　pure　mathematics。　A　second　son　was　in　the
government　School　of　Engineering。　Phellion　had　a　pension　of　nine
hundred　francs；　and　he　possessed　a　little　property　of　nine　thousand
and　a　few　odd　hundred　francs；　the　fruit　of　his　economy　and　that　of　his
wife　during　thirty　years　of　toil　and　privation。　He　was；　moreover；　the
owner　of　a　little　house　and　garden　where　he　lived　in　the　〃impasse〃　des
Feuillantines；in　thirty　years　he　had　never　used　the　old…fashioned
word　〃cul…de…sac〃！

Dutocq；　the　clerk　of　the　justice　of　peace；　was　also　a　former　employee
at　the　ministry　of　finance。　Sacrificed；　in　former　days；　to　one　of
those　necessities　which　are　always　met　with　in　representative
government；　he　had　accepted　the　position　of　scapegoat；　receiving；
privately；　a　round　sum　of　money　and　the　opportunity　to　buy　his　present
post　of　clerk　in　the　arrondissement。　This　man；　not　very　honorable；　and
known　to　be　a　spy　in　the　government　offices；　was　never　welcomed　as　he
thought　he　ought　to　be　by　the　Thuilliers；　but　the　coldness　of　his
landlords　only　made　him　the　more　persistent　in　going　to　see　them。　He
was　a　bachelor　and　had　various　vices；　he　therefore　concealed　his　life
carefully；　knowing　well　how　to　maintain　his　position　by　flattering　his
superiors。　The　justice　of　peace　was　much　attached　to　Dutocq。　This　man；
base　as　he　was；　managed；　in　the　end；　to　make　himself　tolerated　by　the
Thuilliers；　chiefly　by　coarse　and　cringing　adulation。　He　knew　the
facts　of　Thuillier's　whole　life；　his　relations　with　Colleville；　and；
above　all；　with　Madame　Colleville。　One　and　all　they　feared　his　tongue；
and　the　Thuilliers；　without　admitting　him　to　any　intimacy；　endured　his
visits。

The　family　which　became　the　flower　of　the　Thuillier　salon　was　that　of
a　former　ministerial　clerk；　once　an　object　of　pity　in　the　government
offices；　who；　driven　by　poverty；　left　the　public　service；　in　1827；　to
fling　himself　into　a　business　enterprise；　having；　as　he　thought；　an
idea。　Minard　（that　was　his　name）　foresaw　a　fortune　in　one　of　those
wicked　conceptions　which　reflect　such　discredit　on　French　commerce；
but　which；　in　the　year　1827；　had　not　yet　been　exposed　and　blasted　by
publicity。　Minard　bought　tea　and　mixed　it　with　tea…leaves　already
used；　also　he　adulterated　the　elements　of　chocolate　in　a　manner　which
enabled　him　to　sell　the　chocolate　itself　very　cheaply。　This　trade　in
colonial　products；　begun　in　the　quartier　Saint…Marcel；　made　a　merchant
of　Minard。　He　started　a　factory；　and　through　these　early　connections
he　was　able　to　reach　the　sources　of　raw　material。　He　then　did
honorably；　and　on　a　large　scale；　a　business　begun　in　the　first
instance　dishonorably。　He　became　a　distiller；　worked　upon　untold
quantities　of　products；　and；　by　the　year　1835；　was　considered　the
richest　merchant　in　the　region　of　the　Place　Maubert。　By　that　time　he
had　bought　a　handsome　house　in　the　rue　des　Macons…Sorbonne；　he　had
been　assistant　mayor；　and　in　1839　became　mayor　of　his　arrondissement
and　judge　in　the　Court　of　Commerce。　He　kept　a　carriage；　had　a　country…
place　near　Lagny；　his　wife　wore　diamonds　at　the　court　balls；　and　he
prided　himself　on　the　rosette　of　an　officer　of　the　Legion　of　honor　in
his　buttonhole。

Minard　and　his　wife　were　exceedingly　benevolent。　Perhaps　he　wished　to
return　in　retail　to　the　poor　the　sums　he　had　mulcted　from　the　public
by　the　wholesale。　Phellion；　Colleville；　and　Thuillier　met　their　old
comrade；　Minard；　at　election；　and　an　intimacy　followed；　all　the　closer
with　the　Thuilliers　and　Collevilles　because　Madame　Minard　seemed
enchanted　to　make　an　acquaintance　for　her　daughter　in　Celeste
Colleville。　It　was　at　a　grand　ball　given　by　the　Minards　that　Celeste
made　her　first　appearance　in　society　（being　at　that　time　sixteen　and　a
half　years　old）；　dressed　as　her　Christian　named　demanded；　which　seemed
to　be　prophetic　of　her　coming　life。　Delighted　to　be　friendly　with
Mademoiselle　Minard；　her　elder　by　four　years；　she　persuaded　her　father
and　godfather　to　cultivate　the　Minard　establishment；　with　its　gilded
salons　and　great　opulence；　where　many　political　celebrities　of　the
〃juste　milieu〃　were　wont　to　congregate；　such　as　Monsieur　Popinot；　who
became；　after　a　time；　minister　of　commerce；