gobseck-第7章

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over　my　head。'



〃　'Bring　your　certificate　of　birth　round　to…morrow　morning；　and　we

will　talk。　I　will　think　it　over。'



〃　'Next　morning；　at　eight　o'clock；　I　stood　in　the　old　man's　room。　He

took　the　document；　put　on　his　spectacles；　coughed；　spat；　wrapped

himself　up　in　his　black　greatcoat；　and　read　the　whole　certificate

through　from　beginning　to　end。　Then　he　turned　it　over　and　over；　looked

at　me；　coughed　again；　fidgeted　about　in　his　chair；　and　said；　'We　will

try　to　arrange　this　bit　of　business。'



〃I　trembled。



〃　'I　make　fifty　per　cent　on　my　capital；'　he　continued；　'sometimes　I

make　a　hundred；　two　hundred；　five　hundred　per　cent。'



〃I　turned　pale　at　the　words。



〃　'But　as　we　are　acquaintances；　I　shall　be　satisfied　to　take　twelve

and　a　half　per　cent　per（he　hesitated）'well；　yes；　from　you　I　would

be　content　to　take　thirteen　per　cent　per　annum。　Will　that　suit　you？'



〃　'Yes；'　I　answered。



〃　'But　if　it　is　too　much；　stick　up　for　yourself；　Grotius！'　（a　name　he

jokingly　gave　me）。　'When　I　ask　you　for　thirteen　per　cent；　it　is　all　in

the　way　of　business；　look　into　it；　see　if　you　can　pay　it；　I　don't　like

a　man　to　agree　too　easily。　Is　it　too　much？'



〃　'No；'　said　I；　'I　will　make　up　for　it　by　working　a　little　harder。'



〃　'Gad！　your　clients　will　pay　for　it！'　said　he；　looking　at　me　wickedly

out　of　the　corner　of　his　eyes。



〃　'No；　by　all　the　devils　in　hell！'　cried　I；　'it　shall　be　I　who　will

pay。　I　would　sooner　cut　my　hand　off　than　flay　people。'



〃　'Good…night；'　said　Daddy　Gobseck。



〃　'Why；　fees　are　all　according　to　scale；'　I　added。



〃　'Not　for　compromises　and　settlements　out　of　Court；　and　cases　where

litigants　come　to　terms；'　said　he。　'You　can　send　in　a　bill　for

thousands　of　francs；　six　thousand　even　at　a　swoop　（it　depends　on　the

importance　of　the　case）；　for　conferences　with　So…and…so；　and　expenses；

and　drafts；　and　memorials；　and　your　jargon。　A　man　must　learn　to　look

out　for　business　of　this　kind。　I　will　recommend　you　as　a　most

competent；　clever　attorney。　I　will　send　you　such　a　lot　of　work　of　this

sort　that　your　colleagues　will　be　fit　to　burst　with　envy。　Werbrust；

Palma；　and　Gigonnet；　my　cronies；　shall　hand　over　their　expropriations

to　you；　they　have　plenty　of　them；　the　Lord　knows！　So　you　will　have　two

practicesthe　one　you　are　buying；　and　the　other　I　will　build　up　for

you。　You　ought　almost　to　pay　me　fifteen　per　cent　on　my　loan。'



〃　'So　be　it；　but　no　more；'　said　I；　with　the　firmness　which　means　that

a　man　is　determined　not　to　concede　another　point。



〃Daddy　Gobseck's　face　relaxed；　he　looked　pleased　with　me。



〃　'I　shall　pay　the　money　over　to　your　principal　myself；'　said　he；　'so

as　to　establish　a　lien　on　the　purchase　and　caution…money。'



〃　'Oh；　anything　you　like　in　the　way　of　guarantees。'



〃　'And　besides　that；　you　will　give　me　bills　for　the　amount　made

payable　to　a　third　party　（name　left　blank）；　fifteen　bills　of　ten

thousand　francs　each。'



〃　'Well；　so　long　as　it　is　acknowledged　in　writing　that　this　is　a

double'



〃　'No！'　Gobseck　broke　in　upon　me。　'No！　Why　should　I　trust　you　any　more

than　you　trust　me？'



〃I　kept　silence。



〃　'And　furthermore；'　he　continued；　with　a　sort　of　good　humor；　'you

will　give　me　your　advice　without　charging　fees　as　long　as　I　live；　will

you　not？'



〃　'So　be　it；　so　long　as　there　is　no　outlay。'



〃　'Precisely；'　said　he。　〃Ah；　by　the　by；　you　will　allow　me　to　go　to　see

you？'　（Plainly　the　old　man　found　it　not　so　easy　to　assume　the　air　of

good…humor。）



〃　'I　shall　always　be　glad。'



〃　'Ah！　yes；　but　it　would　be　very　difficult　to　arrange　of　a　morning。

You　will　have　your　affairs　to　attend　to；　and　I　have　mine。'



〃　'Then　come　in　the　evening。'



〃　'Oh；　no！'　he　answered　briskly；　'you　ought　to　go　into　society　and　see

your　clients；　and　I　myself　have　my　friends　at　my　cafe。'



〃　'His　friends！'　thought　I　to　myself。'Very　well；'　said　I；　'why　not

come　at　dinner…time？'



〃　'That　is　the　time；'　said　Gobseck；　'after　'Change；　at　five　o'clock。

Good；　you　will　see　me　Wednesdays　and　Saturdays。　We　will　talk　over

business　like　a　pair　of　friends。　Aha！　I　am　gay　sometimes。　Just　give　me

the　wing　of　a　partridge　and　a　glass　of　champagne；　and　we　will　have　our

chat　together。　I　know　a　great　many　things　that　can　be　told　now　at　this

distance　of　time；　I　will　teach　you　to　know　men；　and　what　is　more

women！'



〃　'Oh！　a　partridge　and　a　glass　of　champagne　if　you　like。'



〃　'Don't　do　anything　foolish；　or　I　shall　lose　my　faith　in　you。　And

don't　set　up　housekeeping　in　a　grand　way。　Just　one　old　general

servant。　I　will　come　and　see　that　you　keep　your　health。　I　have　capital

invested　in　your　head；　he！　he！　so　I　am　bound　to　look　after　you。　There；

come　round　in　the　evening　and　bring　your　principal　with　you！'



〃　'Would　you　mind　telling　me；　if　there　is　no　harm　in　asking；　what　was

the　good　of　my　birth　certificate　in　this　business？'　I　asked；　when　the

little　old　man　and　I　stood　on　the　doorstep。



〃Jean…Esther　Van　Gobseck　shrugged　his　shoulders；　smiled　maliciously；

and　said；　'What　blockheads　youngsters　are！　Learn；　master　attorney　（for

learn　you　must　if　you　don't　mean　to　be　taken　in）；　that　integrity　and

brains　in　a　man　under　thirty　are　commodities　which　can　be　mortgaged。

After　that　age　there　is　no　counting　on　a　man。'



〃And　with　that　he　shut　the　door。







〃Three　months　later　I　was　an　attorney。　Before　very　long；　madame；　it

was　my　good　fortune　to　undertake　the　suit　for　the　recovery　of　your

estates。　I　won　the　day；　and　my　name　became　known。　In　spite　of　the

exorbitant　rate　of　interest；　I　paid　off　Gobseck　in　less　than　five

years。　I　married　Fanny　Malvaut；　whom　I　loved　with　all　my　heart。　There

was　a　parallel　between　her　life　and　mine；　between　our　hard　work　and

our　luck；　which　increased　the　strength　of　feeling　on　either　side。　One

of　her　uncles；　a　well…to…do　farmer；　died　and　left　her　seventy　thousand

francs；　which　helped　to　clear　off　the　loan。　From　that　day　my　life　has

been　nothing　but　happiness　and　prosperity。　Nothing　is　more　utterly

uninteresting　than　a　happy　man；　so　let　us　say　no　more　on　that　head；

and　return　to　the　rest　of　the　characters。



〃About　a　year　after　the　purchase　of　the　practice；　I　was　dragged　into　a

bachelor　breakfast…party　given　by　one　of　our　number　who　had　lost　a　bet

to　a　young　man　greatly　in　vogue　in　the　fashionable　world。　M。　de

Trailles；　the　flower　of　the　dandyism　of　that　day；　enjoyed　a　prodigious

reputation。〃



〃But　he　is　still　enjoying　it；〃　put　in　the　Comte　de　Born。　〃No　one　wears

his　clothes　with　a　finer　air；　nor　drives　a　tandem　with　a　better　grace。

It　is　Maxime's　gift；　he　can　gamble；　eat；　and　drink　more　gracefully

than　any　man　in　the　world。　He　is　a　judge　of　horses；　hats；　and

pictures。　All　the　women　lose　their　heads　over　him。　He　always　spends

something　like　a　hundred　thousand　francs　a　year；　and　no　creature　can

discover　that　he　has　an　acre　of　land　or　a　single　dividend　warrant。　The

typical　knight　errant　of　our　salons；　our　boudoirs；　our　boulevards；　an

amphibian　half…way　between　a　man　and　a　womanMaxime　de　Trailles　is　a

singular　being；　fit　for　anything；　and　good　for　nothing；　quite　as

capable　of　perpetrating　a　benefit　as　of　planning　a　crime；　sometimes

base；　sometimes　noble；　more　often　bespattered　with　mire　than

besprinkled　with　blood；　knowing　more　of　anxiety　than　of　remorse；　more

concerned　with　his　digestion　than　with　any　mental　process；　shamming

passion；　feeling　nothing。　Maxime　de　Trailles　is　a　brilliant　link

between　the　hulks　and　the　best　society；　he　belongs　to　the　eminently

intelligent　class　from　which　a　Mirabeau；　or　a　Pitt；　or　a　Richelieu

springs　at　times；　though　it　is　more　wont　to　produce　Counts　of　Horn；

Fouquier…Tinvilles；　and　Coignards。〃



〃Well；〃　pursued　Derville；　when　he　had　heard　the　Vicomtesse's　brother

to　the　end；　〃I　had　heard　a　good　deal　about　this　individual　from　poor

old　Goriot；　a　client　of　mine；　and　I　had　already　been　at　some　pains　to

avoid　the　dangerous　honor　of　his　acquaintance；　for　I　came　across