the firm of nucingen-第13章

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〃Desroches；　the　Matifats；　Beaudenord；　the　d'Aldriggers；　d'Aiglemont？〃

〃Yes；　and　a　hundred　others；〃　assented　Bixiou。

〃Oh；　come　now；　how？〃　cried　Finot。　〃I　know　a　few　things；　but　I　cannot　see　a　glimpse　of　an　answer　to　this　riddle。〃

〃Blondet　has　roughly　given　you　the　account　of　Nucingen's　first　two　suspensions　of　payment；　now　for　the　third；　with　full　details。After　the　peace　of　1815；　Nucingen　grasped　an　idea　which　some　of　us　only　fully　understood　later；　to　wit；　that　capital　is　a　power　only　when　you　are　very　much　richer　than　other　people。　In　his　own　mind；　he　was　jealous　of　the　Rothschilds。　He　had　five　millions　of　francs；　he　wanted　ten。　He　knew　a　way　to　make　thirty　millions　with　ten；　while　with　five　he　could　only　make　fifteen。　So　he　made　up　his　mind　to　operate　a　third　suspension　of　payment。　About　that　time；　the　great　man　hit　on　the　idea　of　indemnifying　his　creditors　with　paper　of　purely　fictitious　value　and　keeping　their　coin。　On　the　market；　a　great　idea　of　this　sort　is　not　expressed　in　precisely　this　cut…and…dried　way。　Such　an　arrangement　consists　in　giving　a　lot　of　grown…up　children　a　small　pie　in　exchange　for　a　gold　piece；　and；　like　children　of　a　smaller　growth；　they　prefer　the　pie　to　the　gold　piece；　not　suspecting　that　they　might　have　a　couple　of　hundred　pies　for　it。〃

〃What　is　this　all　about；　Bixiou？〃　cried　Couture。　〃Nothing　more　bona　fide。　Not　a　week　passes　but　pies　are　offered　to　the　public　for　a　louis。　But　who　compels　the　public　to　take　them？　Are　they　not　perfectly　free　to　make　inquiries？〃

〃You　would　rather　have　it　made　compulsory　to　take　up　shares；　would　you？〃　asked　Blondet。

〃No；〃　said　Finot。　〃Where　would　the　talent　come　in？〃

〃Very　good　for　Finot。〃

〃Who　put　him　up　to　it？〃　asked　Couture。

〃The　fact　was；〃　continued　Bixiou；　〃that　Nucingen　had　twice　had　the　luck　to　present　the　public　（quite　unintentionally）　with　a　pie　that　turned　out　to　be　worth　more　than　the　money　he　received　for　it。　That　unlucky　good　luck　gave　him　qualms　of　conscience。　A　course　of　such　luck　is　fatal　to　a　man　in　the　long　run。　This　time　he　meant　to　make　no　mistake　of　this　sort；　he　waited　ten　years　for　an　opportunity　of　issuing　negotiable　securities　which　should　seem　on　the　face　of　it　to　be　worth　something；　while　as　a　matter　of　fact〃

〃But　if　you　look　at　banking　in　that　light；〃　broke　in　Couture；　〃no　sort　of　business　would　be　possible。　More　than　one　bona　fide　banker；　backed　up　by　a　bona　fide　government；　has　induced　the　hardest…headed　men　on　'Change　to　take　up　stock　which　is　bound　to　fall　within　a　given　time。　You　have　seen　better　than　that。　Have　you　not　seen　stock　created　with　the　concurrence　of　a　government　to　pay　the　interest　upon　older　stock；　so　as　to　keep　things　going　and　tide　over　the　difficulty？　These　operations　were　more　or　less　like　Nucingen's　settlements。〃

〃The　thing　may　look　queer　on　a　small　scale；〃　said　Blondet；　〃but　on　a　large　we　call　it　finance。　There　are　high…handed　proceedings　criminal　between　man　and　man　that　amount　to　nothing　when　spread　out　over　any　number　of　men；　much　as　a　drop　of　prussic　acid　becomes　harmless　in　a　pail　of　water。　You　take　a　man's　life；　you　are　guillotined。　But　if；　for　any　political　conviction　whatsoever；　you　take　five　hundred　lives；　political　crimes　are　respected。　You　take　five　thousand　francs　out　of　my　desk；　to　the　hulks　you　go。　But　with　a　sop　cleverly　pushed　into　the　jaws　of　a　thousand　speculators；　you　can　cram　the　stock　of　any　bankrupt　republic　or　monarchy　down　their　throats；　even　if　the　loan　has　been　floated；　as　Couture　says；　to　pay　the　interest　on　that　very　same　national　debt。　Nobody　can　complain。　These　are　the　real　principles　of　the　present　Golden　Age。〃

〃When　the　stage　machinery　is　so　huge；〃　continued　Bixiou；　〃a　good　many　puppets　are　required。　In　the　first　place；　Nucingen　had　purposely　and　with　his　eyes　open　invested　his　five　millions　in　an　American　investment；　foreseeing　that　the　profits　would　not　come　in　until　it　was　too　late。　The　firm　of　Nucingen　deliberately　emptied　its　coffers。　Any　liquidation　ought　to　be　brought　about　naturally。　In　deposits　belonging　to　private　individuals　and　other　investments；　the　firm　possessed　about　six　millions　of　capital　altogether。　Among　those　private　individuals　was　the　Baroness　d'Aldrigger　with　her　three　hundred　thousand　francs；　Beaudenord　with　four　hundred　thousand；　d'Aiglemont　with　a　million；　Matifat　with　three　hundred　thousand；　Charles　Grandet　（who　married　Mlle。　d'Aubrion）　with　half　a　million；　and　so　forth；　and　so　forth。

〃Now；　if　Nucingen　had　himself　brought　out　a　joint…stock　company；　with　the　shares　of　which　he　proposed　to　indemnify　his　creditors　after　more　or　less　ingenious　manoeuvring；　he　might　perhaps　have　been　suspected。　He　set　about　it　more　cunningly　than　that。　He　made　some　one　else　put　up　the　machinery　that　was　to　play　the　part　of　the　Mississippi　scheme　in　Law's　system。　Nucingen　can　make　the　longest…headed　men　work　out　schemes　for　him　without　confiding　a　word　to　them；　it　is　his　peculiar　talent。　Nucingen　just　let　fall　a　hint　to　du　Tillet　of　the　pyramidal；　triumphant　notion　of　bringing　out　a　joint…stock　enterprise　with　capital　sufficient　to　pay　very　high　dividends　for　a　time。　Tried　for　the　first　time；　in　days　when　noodles　with　capital　were　plentiful；　the　plan　was　pretty　sure　to　end　in　a　run　upon　the　shares；　and　consequently　in　a　profit　for　the　banker　that　issued　them。　You　must　remember　that　this　happened　in　1826。

〃Du　Tillet；　struck　through　he　was　by　an　idea　both　pregnant　and　ingenious；　naturally　bethought　himself　that　if　the　enterprise　failed；　the　blame　must　fall　upon　somebody。　For　which　reason；　it　occurred　to　him　to　put　forward　a　figurehead　director　in　charge　of　his　commercial　machinery。　At　this　day　you　know　the　secret　of　the　firm　of　Claparon　and　Company；　founded　by　du　Tillet；　one　of　the　finest　inventions〃

〃Yes；〃　said　Blondet；　〃the　responsible　editor　in　business　matters；　the　instigator；　and　scapegoat；　but　we　know　better　than　that　nowadays。　We　put；　'Apply　at　the　offices　of　the　Company；　such　and　such　a　number；　such　and　such　a　street；'　where　the　public　find　a　staff　of　clerks　in　green　caps；　about　as　pleasing　to　behold　as　broker's　men。〃

〃Nucingen；〃　pursued　Bixiou；　〃had　supported　the　firm　of　Charles　Claparon　and　Company　with　all　his　credit。　There　were　markets　in　which　you　might　safely　put　a　million　francs'　worth　of　Claparon's　paper。　So　du　Tillet　proposed　to　bring　his　firm　of　Claparon　to　the　fore。　So　said；　so　done。　In　1825　the　shareholder　was　still　an　unsophisticated　being。　There　was　no　such　thing　as　cash　lying　at　call。　Managing　directors　did　not　pledge　themselves　not　to　put　their　own　shares　upon　the　market；　they　kept　no　deposit　with　the　Bank　of　France；　they　guaranteed　nothing。　They　did　not　even　condescend　to　explain　to　shareholders　the　exact　limits　of　their　liabilities　when　they　informed　them　that　the　directors　in　their　goodness；　refrained　from　asking　any　more　than　a　thousand；　or　five　hundred；　or　even　two　hundred　and　fifty　francs。　It　was　not　given　out　that　the　experiment　in　aere　publico　was　not　meant　to　last　for　more　than　seven；　five；　or　even　three　years；　so　that　shareholders　would　not　have　long　to　wait　for　the　catastrophe。　It　was　in　the　childhood　of　the　art。　Promoters　did　not　even　publish　the　gigantic　prospectuses　with　which　they　stimulate　the　imagination；　and　at　the　same　time　make　demands　for　money　of　all　and　sundry。〃

〃That　only　comes　when　nobody　wishes　to　part　with　money；〃　said　Couture。

〃In　short；　there　was　no　competition　in　investments；〃　continued　Bixiou。　〃Paper…mache　manufacturers；　cotton　printers；　zinc…rollers；　theatres；　and　newspapers　as　yet　did　not　hurl　themselves　like　hunting　dogs　upon　their　quarrythe　expiring　shareholder。　'Nice　things　in　shares；'　as　Couture　says；　put　thus　artlessly　before　the　public；　and　backed　up　by　the　opinions　of　experts　（'the　princes　of　science'）；　were　negotiated　shamefacedly　in　the　silence　and　shadow　of　the　Bourse。　Lynx…eyed　speculators　used　to　execute　（financially　speaking）　the　air　Calumny　out　of　The　Barber　of　Seville。　They　went　about　piano；　piano；　making　known　the　merits　of　the　concern　through　the　medium　of　stock…exchange　gossip。　They　could　only　exploit　the　victim　in　his　own　house；　on　the　Bourse；　or　in　company；　so　they　reached　him　by　means　of　the　skilfully　created　rumor　which　grew　till　it　reached　a　tutti　of　a　qu