the firm of nucingen-第4章

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〃Blondetone　word；　my　boy；〃　put　in　Couture。　〃In　the　first　place；　Nucingen　dared　to　say　that　honesty　is　simply　a　question　of　appearances；　and　secondly；　to　know　him　well　you　must　be　in　business　yourself。　With　him　banking　is　but　a　single　department；　and　a　very　small　one；　he　holds　Government　contracts　for　wines；　wools；　indigoes　anything；　in　short；　on　which　any　profit　can　be　made。　He　has　an　all…　round　genius。　The　elephant　of　finance　would　contract　to　deliver　votes　on　a　division；　or　the　Greeks　to　the　Turks。　For　him　business　means　the　sum…total　of　varieties；　as　Cousin　would　say；　the　unity　of　specialties。　Looked　at　in　this　way；　banking　becomes　a　kind　of　statecraft　in　itself；　requiring　a　powerful　head；　and　a　man　thoroughly　tempered　is　drawn　on　to　set　himself　above　the　laws　of　a　morality　that　cramps　him。〃

〃Right；　my　son；〃　said　Blondet；　〃but　we；　and　we　alone；　can　comprehend　that　this　means　bringing　war　into　the　financial　world。　A　banker　is　a　conquering　general　making　sacrifices　on　a　tremendous　scale　to　gain　ends　that　no　one　perceives；　his　soldiers　are　private　people's　interests。　He　has　stratagems　to　plan　out；　partisans　to　bring　into　the　field；　ambushes　to　set；　towns　to　take。　Most　men　of　this　stamp　are　so　close　upon　the　borders　of　politics；　that　in　the　end　they　are　drawn　into　public　life；　and　thereby　lose　their　fortunes。　The　firm　of　Necker；　for　instance；　was　ruined　in　this　way；　the　famous　Samuel　Bernard　was　all　but　ruined。　Some　great　capitalist　in　every　age　makes　a　colossal　fortune；　and　leaves　behind　him　neither　fortune　nor　a　family；　there　was　the　firm　of　Paris　Brothers；　for　instance；　that　helped　to　pull　down　Law；　there　was　Law　himself　（beside　whom　other　promoters　of　companies　are　but　pigmies）；　there　was　Bouret　and　Beaujonnone　of　them　left　any　representative。　Finance；　like　Time；　devours　its　own　children。　If　the　banker　is　to　perpetuate　himself；　he　must　found　a　noble　house；　a　dynasty；　like　the　Fuggers　of　Antwerp；　that　lent　money　to　Charles　V。　and　were　created　Princes　of　Babenhausen；　a　family　that　exists　at　this　dayin　the　Almanach　de　Gotha。　The　instinct　of　self…preservation；　working　it　may　be　unconsciously；　leads　the　banker　to　seek　a　title。　Jacques　Coeur　was　the　founder　of　the　great　noble　house　of　Noirmoutier；　extinct　in　the　reign　of　Louis　XIII。　What　power　that　man　had！　He　was　ruined　for　making　a　legitimate　king；　and　he　died；　prince　of　an　island　in　the　Archipelago；　where　he　built　a　magnificent　cathedral。〃

〃Oh！　you　are　giving　us　an　historical　lecture；　we　are　wandering　away　from　the　present；　the　crown　has　no　right　of　conferring　nobility；　and　barons　and　counts　are　made　with　closed　doors；　more　is　the　pity！〃　said　Finot。

〃You　regret　the　times　of　the　savonnette　a　vilain；　when　you　could　buy　an　office　that　ennobled？〃　asked　Bixiou。　〃You　are　right。　Je　reviens　a　nos　moutons。Do　you　know　Beaudenord？　No？　no？　no？　Ah；　well！　See　how　all　things　pass　away！　Poor　fellow；　ten　years　ago　he　was　the　flower　of　dandyism；　and　now；　so　thoroughly　absorbed　that　you　no　more　know　him　than　Finot　just　now　knew　the　origin　of　the　expression　'coup　de　Jarnac'I　repeat　that　simply　for　the　sake　of　illustration；　and　not　to　tease　you；　Finot。　Well；　it　is　a　fact；　he　belonged　to　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain。

〃Beaudenord　is　the　first　pigeon　that　I　will　bring　on　the　scene。　And；　in　the　first　place；　his　name　was　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord；　neither　Finot；　nor　Blondet；　nor　Couture；　nor　I　am　likely　to　undervalue　such　an　advantage　as　that！　After　a　ball；　when　a　score　of　pretty　women　stand　behooded　waiting　for　their　carriages；　with　their　husbands　and　adorers　at　their　sides；　Beaudenord　could　hear　his　people　called　without　a　pang　of　mortification。　In　the　second　place；　he　rejoiced　in　the　full　complement　of　limbs；　he　was　whole　and　sound；　had　no　mote　in　his　eyes；　no　false　hair；　no　artificial　calves；　he　was　neither　knock…kneed　nor　bandy…legged；　his　dorsal　column　was　straight；　his　waist　slender；　his　hands　white　and　shapely。　His　hair　was　black；　he　was　of　a　complexion　neither　too　pink；　like　a　grocer's　assistant；　nor　yet　too　brown；　like　a　Calabrese。　Finally；　and　this　is　an　essential　point；　Beaudenord　was　not　too　handsome；　like　some　of　our　friends　that　look　rather　too　much　of　professional　beauties　to　be　anything　else；　but　no　more　of　that；　we　have　said　it；　it　is　shocking！　Well；　he　was　a　crack　shot；　and　sat　a　horse　to　admiration；　he　had　fought　a　duel　for　a　trifle；　and　had　not　killed　his　man。

〃If　you　wish　to　know　in　what　pure；　complete；　and　unadulterated　happiness　consists　in　this　Nineteenth　Century　in　Paristhe　happiness；　that　is　to　say；　of　a　young　man　of　twenty…sixdo　you　realize　that　you　must　enter　into　the　infinitely　small　details　of　existence？　Beaudenord's　bootmaker　had　precisely　hit　off　his　style　of　foot；　he　was　well　shod；　his　tailor　loved　to　clothe　him。　Godefroid　neither　rolled　his　r's；　nor　lapsed　into　Normanisms　nor　Gascon；　he　spoke　pure　and　correct　French；　and　tied　his　cravat　correctly　（like　Finot）。　He　had　neither　father　nor　mothersuch　luck　had　he！and　his　guardian　was　the　Marquis　d'Aiglemont；　his　cousin　by　marriage。　He　could　go　among　city　people　as　he　chose；　and　the　Faubourg　Saint…Germain　could　make　no　objection；　for；　fortunately；　a　young　bachelor　is　allowed　to　make　his　own　pleasure　his　sole　rule　of　life；　he　is　at　liberty　to　betake　himself　wherever　amusement　is　to　be　found；　and　to　shun　the　gloomy　places　where　cares　flourish　and　multiply。　Finally；　he　had　been　vaccinated　（you　know　what　I　mean；　Blondet）。

〃And　yet；　in　spite　of　all　these　virtues；〃　continued　Bixiou；　〃he　might　very　well　have　been　a　very　unhappy　young　man。　Eh！　eh！　that　word　happiness；　unhappily；　seems　to　us　to　mean　something　absolute；　a　delusion　which　sets　so　many　wiseacres　inquiring　what　happiness　is。　A　very　clever　woman　said　that　'Happiness　was　where　you　chose　to　put　it。'　〃

〃She　formulated　a　dismal　truth；〃　said　Blondet。

〃And　a　moral；〃　added　Finot。

〃Double　distilled；〃　said　Blondet。　〃Happiness；　like　Good；　like　Evil；　is　relative。　Wherefore　La　Fontaine　used　to　hope　that　in　the　course　of　time　the　damned　would　feel　as　much　at　home　in　hell　as　a　fish　in　water。〃

〃La　Fontaine's　sayings　are　known　in　Philistia！〃　put　in　Bixiou。

〃Happiness　at　six…and…twenty　in　Paris　is　not　the　happiness　of　six…and…　twenty　atsay　Blois；〃　continued　Blondet；　taking　no　notice　of　the　interruption。　〃And　those　that　proceed　from　this　text　to　rail　at　the　instability　of　opinion　are　either　knaves　or　fools　for　their　pains。　Modern　medicine；　which　passed　（it　is　its　fairest　title　to　glory）　from　a　hypothetical　to　a　positive　science；　through　the　influence　of　the　great　analytical　school　of　Paris；　has　proved　beyond　a　doubt　that　a　man　is　periodically　renewed　throughout〃

〃New　haft；　new　blade；　like　Jeannot's　knife；　and　yet　you　think　that　he　is　still　the　same　man；〃　broke　in　Bixiou。　〃So　there　are　several　lozenges　in　the　harlequin's　coat　that　we　call　happiness；　andwell；　there　was　neither　hole　nor　stain　in　this　Godefroid's　costume。　A　young　man　of　six…and…twenty；　who　would　be　happy　in　love；　who　would　be　loved；　that　is　to　say；　not　for　his　blossoming　youth；　nor　for　his　wit；　nor　for　his　figure；　but　spontaneously；　and　not　even　merely　in　return　for　his　own　love；　a　young　man；　I　say；　who　has　found　love　in　the　abstract；　to　quote　Royer…Collard；　might　yet　very　possibly　find　never　a　farthing　in　the　purse　which　She；　loving　and　beloved；　embroidered　for　him；　he　might　owe　rent　to　his　landlord；　he　might　be　unable　to　pay　the　bootmaker　before　mentioned；　his　very　tailor；　like　France　herself；　might　at　last　show　signs　of　disaffection。　In　short；　he　might　have　love　and　yet　be　poor。　And　poverty　spoils　a　young　man's　happiness；　unless　he　holds　our　transcendental　views　of　the　fusion　of　interests。　I　know　nothing　more　wearing　than　happiness　within　combined　with　adversity　without。　It　is　as　if　you　had　one　leg　freezing　in　the　draught　from　the　door；　and　the　other　half…roasted　by　a　brazieras　I　have　at　this　moment。　I　hope　to　be　understood。　Comes　there　an　echo　from　thy　waistcoat…pocket；　Blondet？　Between　ourselves；　let　the　heart　alone；　it　spoils　the　intellect。

〃Let　us　resume。　Godefroid　de　Beaudenord　was　respected　by　his　tradespeople；　for　they　were　paid　with　tolerable　regularity。　The　witty　woman　before　quotedI　cannot　give　her　name；　for　she　is　still　living；　thanks　to　her　want　of　heart〃

〃Who　is　this？〃

〃The　Ma