the deputy of arcis-第2章

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　of　what　is　said　beyond　their　own　limits。

For　nine　years；　ever　since　the　triumph　of　his　political　ideas；　the　colonel　had　lived　almost　entirely　outside　of　social　life。　Rising　with　the　sun；　he　devoted　himself　to　horticulture；　he　adored　flowers；　and　of　all　flowers　he　best　loved　roses。　His　hands　were　brown　as　those　of　a　real　gardener；　he　took　care　himself　of　his　beds。　Constantly　in　conference　with　his　working　gardener　he　mingled　little；　especially　for　the　last　two　years；　with　the　life　of　others；　of　whom；　indeed；　he　saw　little。　He　took　but　one　meal　with　the　family；　namely；　his　dinner；　for　he　rose　too　early　to　breakfast　with　his　son　and　sister。　To　his　efforts　we　owe　the　famous　rose　Giguet；　known　so　well　to　all　amateurs。

This　old　man；　who　had　now　passed　into　the　state　of　a　domestic　fetich；　was　exhibited；　as　we　may　well　suppose；　on　all　extraordinary　occasions。　Certain　families　enjoy　the　benefit　of　a　demi…god　of　this　kind；　and　plume　themselves　upon　him　as　they　would　upon　a　title。

〃I　have　noticed；〃　replied　Madame　Marion　to　her　brother's　question；　〃that　ever　since　the　revolution　of　July　Madame　Beauvisage　has　aspired　to　live　in　Paris。　Obliged　to　stay　here　as　long　as　her　father　lives；　she　has　fastened　her　ambition　on　a　future　son…in…law；　and　my　lady　dreams　now　of　the　splendors　and　dignities　of　political　life。〃

〃Could　you　love　Cecile？〃　said　the　colonel　to　his　son。

〃Yes；　father。〃

〃And　does　she　like　you？〃

〃I　think　so；　but　the　thing　is；　to　please　the　mother　and　grandfather。　Though　old　Grevin　himself　wants　to　oppose　my　election；　my　success　would　determine　Madame　Beauvisage　to　accept　me；　because　she　expects　to　manage　me　as　she　pleases　and　to　be　minister　under　my　name。〃

〃That's　a　good　joke！〃　cried　Madame　Marion。　〃What　does　she　take　us　for？〃

〃Whom　has　she　refused？〃　asked　the　colonel。

〃Well；　within　the　last　three　months；　Antonin　Goulard　and　the　/procureur…du…roi/；　Frederic　Marest；　have　received；　so　they　say；　equivocal　answers　which　mean　anything/except　yes/。〃

〃Heavens！〃　cried　the　old　man　throwing　up　his　arms。　〃What　days　we　live　in；　to　be　sure！　Why；　Lucie　was　the　daughter　of　a　hosier；　and　the　grand…daughter　of　a　farmer。　Does　Madame　Beauvisage　want　the　Comte　de　Cinq…Cygne　for　a　son…in…law？〃

〃Don't　laugh　at　Madame　Beauvisage；　brother。　Cecile　is　rich　enough　to　choose　a　husband　anywhere；　even　in　the　class　to　which　the　Cinq…Cygnes　belong。　But　there's　the　bell　announcing　the　electors；　and　I　disappear　regretting　much　I　can't　hear　what　you　are　all　going　to　say。〃



II

REVOLT　OF　A　LIBERAL　ROTTEN…BOROUGH

Though　1839　is；　politically　speaking；　very　distant　from　1847；　we　can　still　remember　the　elections　produced　by　the　Coalition；　an　ephemeral　effort　of　the　Chamber　of　Deputies　to　realize　the　threat　of　parliamentary　government；a　threat　/a　la/　Cromwell；　which　without　a　Cromwell　could　only　end；　under　a　prince　〃the　enemy　of　fraud；〃　in　the　triumph　of　the　present　system；　by　which　the　Chambers　and　the　ministers　are　like　the　wooden　puppets　which　the　proprietor　of　the　Guignolet　shows　exhibits　to　the　great　satisfaction　of　wonder…stricken　idlers　in　the　streets。

The　arrondissement　of　Arcis…sur…Aube　then　found　itself　in　a　singular　position。　It　supposed　itself　free　to　choose　its　deputy。　From　1816　to　1836　it　had　always　elected　one　of　the　heaviest　orators　of　the　Left；　belonging　to　the　famous　seventeen　who　were　called　〃Great　Citizens〃　by　the　liberal　party；namely；　Francois　Keller；　of　the　house　of　Keller　Bros。；　the　son…in…law　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　Gondreville；　one　of　the　most　magnificent　estates　in　France；　is　situated　about　a　mile　from　Arcis。

This　banker；　recently　made　count　and　peer　of　France；　expected；　no　doubt；　to　transfer　to　his　son；　then　thirty　years　of　age；　his　electoral　succession；　in　order　to　make　him　some　day　eligible　for　the　peerage。　Already　a　major　on　the　staff　and　a　great　favorite　of　the　prince…royal；　Charles　Keller；　now　a　viscount；　belonged　to　the　court　party　of　the　citizen…king。　The　most　brilliant　future　seemed　pledged　to　a　young　man　enormously　rich；　full　of　energy；　already　remarkable　for　his　devotion　to　the　new　dynasty；　the　grandson　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　and　nephew　of　the　Marechal　de　Carigliano；　but　this　election；　so　necessary　to　his　future　prospects；　presented　suddenly　certain　difficulties　to　overcome。

Since　the　accession　to　power　of　the　bourgeois　class；　Arcis　had　felt　a　vague　desire　to　show　itself　independent。　Consequently；　the　last　election　of　Francois　Keller　had　been　disturbed　by　certain　republicans；　whose　red　caps　and　long　beards　had　not；　however；　seriously　alarmed　the　bourgeois　of　Arcis。　By　canvassing　the　country　carefully　the　radical　candidate　would　be　able　to　secure　some　thirty　or　forty　votes。　A　few　of　the　townspeople；　humiliated　at　seeing　their　town　always　treated　as　a　rotten　borough；　joined　the　democrats；　though　enemies　to　democracy。　In　France；　under　the　system　of　balloting；　politico…chemical　products　are　formed　in　which　the　laws　of　affinity　are　reversed。

Now；　to　elect　young　Keller　in　1839；　after　having　elected　his　father　for　twenty　years；　would　show　a　monstrous　electoral　servitude；　against　which　the　pride　of　the　newly　enriched　bourgeoisie　revolved；　for　they　felt　themselves　to　be　fully　worth　either　Monsieur　Malin；　otherwise　called　Comte　de　Gondreville；　the　Keller　Bros。；　the　Cinq…Cygnes；　or　even；　the　King　of　the　French。

The　numerous　partisans　of　old　Gondreville；　the　king　of　the　department　of　the　Aube；　were　therefore　awaiting　some　fresh　proof　of　his　ability；　already　so　thoroughly　tested；　to　circumvent　this　rising　revolt。　In　order　not　to　compromise　the　influence　of　his　family　in　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis；　that　old　statesman　would　doubtless　propose　for　candidate　some　young　man　who　could　be　induced　to　accept　an　official　function　and　then　yield　his　place　to　Charles　Keller；a　parliamentary　arrangement　which　renders　the　elect　of　the　people　subject　to　re…election。

When　Simon　Giguet　sounded　the　old　notary　Grevin；　the　faithful　friend　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　on　the　subject　of　the　elections；　the　old　man　replied　that；　while　he　did　not　know　the　intentions　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　he　should　himself　vote　for　Charles　Keller　and　employ　his　influence　for　that　election。

As　soon　as　this　answer　of　old　Grevin　had　circulated　through　Arcis；　a　reaction　against　him　set　in。　Although　for　thirty　years　this　provincial　Aristides　possessed　the　confidence　of　the　whole　town；having　been　mayor　of　Arcis　from　1804　to　1814　and　again　during　the　Hundred　Days；　and　although　the　Opposition　had　accepted　him　as　their　leader　until　the　triumph　of　1830；　at　which　period　he　refused　the　honors　of　the　mayoralty　on　the　ground　of　his　great　age；　and　finally；　although　the　town；　in　order　to　manifest　its　affection　for　him；　elected　his　son…in…　law；　Monsieur　Beauvisage；　mayor　in　his　stead；　it　now　revolted　against　him　and　some　young　striplings　went　so　far　as　to　talk　of　his　dotage。　The　partisans　of　Simon　Giguet　then　turned　to　Phileas　Beauvisage；　the　mayor；　and　won　him　over　the　more　easily　to　their　side　because；　without　having　quarrelled　with　his　father…in…law；　he　assumed　an　independence　of　him　which　had　ended　in　coldness；an　independence　that　the　sly　old　notary　allowed　him　to　maintain；　seeing　in　it　an　excellent　means　of　action　on　the　town　of　Arcis。

The　mayor；　questioned　the　evening　before　in　the　open　street；　declared　positively　that　he　should　cast　his　vote　for　the　first…comer　on　the　list　of　eligibles　rather　than　give　it　to　Charles　Keller；　for　whom；　however；　he　had　a　high　esteem。

〃Arcis　shall　be　no　longer　a　rotten　borough！〃　he　said；　〃or　I'll　emigrate　to　Paris。〃

Flatter　the　passions　of　the　moment　and　you　will　always　be　a　hero；　even　at　Arcis…sur…Aube。

〃Monsieur　le　maire；〃　said　everybody；　〃gives　noble　proof　of　his　firmness　of　character。〃

Nothing　progresses　so　rapidly　as　a　legal　revolt。　That　evening　Madame　Marion　and　her　friends　organized　for　the　morrow　a　meeting　of　〃independent　electors〃　in　the　interests　of　Simon　Giguet；　the　colonel's　son。　The　morrow　had　now　come　and　had　turned　the　house　topsy…turvy　to　receive　the　friends　on　whose　independence　the　leaders　of　the　movement　counted。　Simon　Giguet；　the　native…born　candidate　of　a　little　town　jealously　desirous　to　elect　a　son　of　its　own；　had；　as　we　have　seen；　put　to　profit　this　desire；　and　yet；　the　whole　prosperity　and　fortune　of　the　Giguet　family　were　the　work　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　But　when　it　comes　to　an　election；　what　are　sentiments！

This　Scene　is　written　for　the　information　of　countries　so　unfortunate　as　not　to　know　the　blessings　of　national　representation；　and　which　are；　therefore；　ignorant　by　what　intestinal　convulsions；　what　Brutus…　like　sacrifices；　a　little　town　gives　birth　to　a　deputy。　Majestic　but　natural　spectacle；　which　may；　indeed；　be　compared　with　that　of　childbirth；the　same　throes；　the　same　impurities；　the　same　lacerations；　the　same　final　triumph！

It　may　be　asked　why　an　only　son；　whose　fortune　was　sufficient；　should　be；　like　Simon　Giguet；　an　ordinary　barrister　in　a　little　country　town　where　barristers　are　pretty　nearly　useless。　A　word　about　the　candidate　is　therefore　necessary。

Colonel　Giguet　had　had；　between　1806　and　1813；　by　his　wife　who　died　in　1814；　three　children；　the　eldest　of　whom；　Simon；　alone　survived。　Until　he　became　an　only　child；　Simon　was　brought　up　as　a　youth　to　whom　the　exercise　of　a　profession　would　be　necessary。　And　about　the　time　he　became　by　the　death　of　his　brothers　the　family　heir；　the　young　man　met　with　a　serious　disappointment。　Madame　Marion　had　counted　much；　for　her　nephew；　on　the　inheritance　of　his　grandfather　the　banker　of　Hamburg。　But　when　that　old　German　died　in　1826；　he　left　his　grandson　Giguet　a　paltry　two　thousand　francs　a　year。　The　worthy　banker；　endowed　with　great　procreative　powers；　having　soothed　the　worries　of　business　by　the　pleasures　of　paternity；　favored　the　families　of　eleven　other　children　who　surrounded　him；　and　who　made　him　believe；　with　some　appearance　of　justice；　that　Simon　Giguet　was　already　a　rich　man。

Besides　all　this；　the　colonel　was　bent　on　giving　his　son　an　independent　position；　and　for　this　reason：　the　Giguets　could　not　expect　any　government　favors　under　the　Restoration。　Even　if　Simon　had　not　been　the　son　of　an　ardent　Bonapartist；　he　belonged　to　a　family　whose　members　had　justly　incurred　the　animosity　of　the　Cinq…Cygne　family；　owing　to　the　part　which　Giguet；　the　colonel　of　gendarmerie；　and　the　Marions；　including　Madame　Marion；　had　taken　as　witnesses　on　the　famous　trial　of　the　Messieurs　de　Simeuse；　unjustly　condemned　in　1805　for　the　abduction　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　then　senator；　and　formerly　representative　of　the　people；　who　had　despoiled　the　Cinq…　Cygne　family　of　their　property。　＇See　〃An　Historical　Mystery。〃＇

Grevin　was　not　only　one　of　the　most　important　witnesses　at　that　trial；　but　he　was　one　of　the　chief　promoters　of　the　prosecution。　That　affair　divides　to　this　day　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis　into　two　parties；　one　of　which　declares　the　innocence　of　the　condemned；　the　other　standing　by　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　and　his　adherents。　Though；　under　the　Restoration；　the　Comtesse　de　Cinq…Cygne　used　all　the　influence　the　return　of　the　Bourbons　gave　her　to　arrange　things　as　she　wished　in　the　department　of　the　Aube；　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　contrived　to　counterbalance　this　Cinq…Cygne　royalty　by　the　secret　authority