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ursula-第6章

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am; that ends the paternal line。 Have I any relations on the maternal

side? My mother was a Jean…Massin…Levrault。〃



〃Of the Jean…Massin…Levrault's there's only one left;〃 answered

Minoret…Levrault; 〃namely; Jean…Massin; who married Monsieur Cremiere…

Levrault…Dionis; a purveyor of forage; who perished on the scaffold。

His wife died of despair and without a penny; leaving one daughter;

married to a Levrault…Minoret; a farmer at Montereau; who is doing

well; their daughter has just married a Massin…Levrault; notary's

clerk at Montargis; where his father is a locksmith。〃



〃So I've plenty of heirs;〃 said the doctor gayly; immediately

proposing to take a walk through Nemours accompanied by his nephew。



The Loing runs through the town in a waving line; banked by terraced

gardens and neat houses; the aspect of which makes one fancy that

happiness must abide there sooner than elsewhere。 When the doctor

turned into the Rue des Bourgeois; Minoret…Levrault pointed out the

property of Levrault…Levrault; a rich iron merchant in Paris who; he

said; had just died。



〃The place is for sale; uncle; and a very pretty house it is; there's

a charming garden running down to the river。〃



〃Let us go in;〃 said the doctor; seeing; at the farther end of a small

paved courtyard; a house standing between the walls of the two

neighbouring houses which were masked by clumps of trees and climbing…

plants。



〃It is built over a cellar;〃 said the doctor; going up the steps of a

high portico adorned with vases of blue and white pottery in which

geraniums were growing。



Cut in two; like the majority of provincial houses; by a long passage

which led from the courtyard to the garden; the house had only one

room to the right; a salon lighted by four windows; two on the

courtyard and two on the garden; but Levrault…Levrault had used one of

these windows to make an entrance to a long greenhouse built of brick

which extended from the salon towards the river; ending in a horrible

Chinese pagoda。



〃Good! by building a roof to that greenhouse and laying a floor;〃 said

old Minoret; 〃I could put my book there and make a very comfortable

study of that extraordinary bit of architecture at the end。〃



On the other side of the passage; toward the garden; was the dining…

room; decorated in imitation of black lacquer with green and gold

flowers; this was separated from the kitchen by the well of the

staircase。 Communication with the kitchen was had through a little

pantry built behind the staircase; the kitchen itself looking into the

courtyard through windows with iron railings。 There were two chambers

on the next floor; and above them; attic rooms sheathed in wood; which

were fairly habitable。 After examining the house rapidly; and

observing that it was covered with trellises from top to bottom; on

the side of the courtyard as well as on that to the garden;which

ended in a terrace overlooking the river and adorned with pottery

vases;the doctor remarked:



〃Levrault…Levrault must have spend a good deal of money here。〃



〃Ho! I should think so;〃 answered Minoret…Levrault。 〃He liked flowers

nonsense! 'What do they bring in?' says my wife。 You saw inside

there how an artist came from Paris to paint flowers in fresco in the

corridor。 He put those enormous mirrors everywhere。 The ceilings were

all re…made with cornices which cost six francs a foot。 The dining…

room floor is in marquetryperfect folly! The house won't sell for a

penny the more。〃



〃Well; nephew; buy it for me: let me know what you do about it; here's

my address。 The rest I leave to my notary。 Who lives opposite?〃 he

asked; as they left the house。



〃Emigres;〃 answered the post master; 〃named Portenduere。〃



The house once bought; the illustrious doctor; instead of leaving

there; wrote to his nephew to let it。 The Folie…Levraught was

therefore occupied by the notary of Nemours; who about that time sold

his practice to Dionis; his head…clerk; and died two years later;

leaving the house on the doctor's hands; just at the time when the

fate of Napoleon was being decided in the neighbourhood。 The doctor's

heirs; at first misled; had by this time decided that his thought of

returning to his native place was merely a rich man's fancy; and that

probably he had some tie in Paris which would keep him there and cheat

them of their hoped…for inheritance。 However; Minoret…Levrault's wife

seized the occasion to write him a letter。 The old man replied that as

soon as peace was signed; the roads cleared of soldiers; and safe

communications established; he meant to go and live at Nemours。 He

did; in fact; put in an appearance with two of his clients; the

architect of his hospital and an upholsterer; who took charge of the

repairs; the indoor arrangements; and the transportation of the

furniture。 Madame Minoret…Levrault proposed the cook of the late

notary as caretaker; and the woman was accepted。



When the heirs heard that their uncle and great…uncle Minoret was

really coming to live in Nemours; they were seized (in spite of the

political events which were just then weighing so heavily on Brie and

on the Gatinais) with a devouring curiosity; which was not surprising。

Was he rich? Economical or spendthrift? Would he leave a fine fortune

or nothing? Was his property in annuities? In the end they found out

what follows; but only by taking infinite pains and employing much

subterraneous spying。



After the death of his wife; Ursula Mirouet; and between the years

1789 and 1813; the doctor (who had been appointed consulting physician

to the Emperor in 1805) must have made a good deal of money; but no

one knew how much。 He lived simply; without other extravagancies than

a carriage by the year and a sumptuous apartment。 He received no

guests; and dined out almost every day。 His housekeeper; furious at

not being allowed to go with him to Nemours; told Zelie Levrault; the

post master's wife; that she knew the doctor had fourteen thousand

francs a year on the 〃grand…livre。〃 Now; after twenty years' exercise

of a profession which his position as head of a hospital; physician to

the Emperor; and member of the Institute; rendered lucrative; these

fourteen thousand francs a year showed only one hundred and sixty

thousand francs laid by。 To have saved only eight thousand francs a

year the doctor must have had either many vices or many virtues to

gratify。 But neither his housekeeper nor Zelie nor any one else could

discover the reason for such moderate means。 Minoret; who when he left

it was much regretted in the quarter of Paris where he had lived; was

one of the most benevolent of men; and; like Larrey; kept his kind

deeds a profound secret。



The heirs watched the arrival of their uncle's fine furniture and

large library with complacency; and looked forward to his own coming;

he being now an officer of the Legion of honor; and lately appointed

by the king a chevalier of the order of Saint…Michelperhaps on

account of his retirement; which left a vacancy for some favorite。 But

when the architect and painter and upholsterer had arranged everything

in the most comfortable manner; the doctor did not come。 Madame

Minoret…Levrault; who kept an eye on the upholsterer and architect as

if her own property was concerned; found out; through the indiscretion

of a young man sent to arrange the books; that the doctor was taking

care of a little orphan named Ursula。 The news flew like wild…fire

through the town。 At last; however; towards the middle of the month of

January; 1815; the old man actually arrived; installing himself

quietly; almost slyly; with a little girl about ten months old; and a

nurse。



〃The child can't be his daughter;〃 said the terrified heirs; 〃he is

seventy…one years old。〃



〃Whoever she is;〃 remarked Madame Massin; 〃she'll give us plenty of

tintouin〃 (a word peculiar to Nemours; meaning uneasiness; anxiety; or

more literally; tingling in

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