the firm of nucingen-第14章

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rumor　which　grew　till　it　reached　a　tutti　of　a　quotation　in　four　figures〃

〃And　as　we　can　say　anything　among　ourselves；〃　said　Couture；　〃I　will　go　back　to　the　last　subject。〃

〃Vous　etes　orfevre；　Monsieur　Josse！〃　cried　Finot。

〃Finot　will　always　be　classic；　constitutional；　and　pedantic；〃　commented　Blondet。

〃Yes；〃　rejoined　Couture；　on　whose　account　Cerizet　had　just　been　condemned　on　a　criminal　charge。　〃I　maintain　that　the　new　way　is　infinitely　less　fraudulent；　less　ruinous；　more　straightforward　than　the　old。　Publicity　means　time　for　reflection　and　inquiry。　If　here　and　there　a　shareholder　is　taken　in；　he　has　himself　to　blame；　nobody　sells　him　a　pig　in　a　poke。　The　manufacturing　industry〃

〃Ah！〃　exclaimed　Bixiou；　〃here　comes　industry〃

〃　is　a　gainer　by　it；〃　continued　Couture；　taking　no　notice　of　the　interruption。　〃Every　government　that　meddles　with　commerce　and　cannot　leave　it　free；　sets　about　an　expensive　piece　of　folly；　State　interference　ends　in　a　MAXIMUM　or　a　monopoly。　To　my　thinking；　few　things　can　be　more　in　conformity　with　the　principles　of　free　trade　than　joint…stock　companies。　State　interference　means　that　you　try　to　regulate　the　relations　of　principal　and　interest；　which　is　absurd。　In　business；　generally　speaking；　the　profits　are　in　proportion　to　the　risks。　What　does　it　matter　to　the　State　how　money　is　set　circulating；　provided　that　it　is　always　in　circulation？　What　does　it　matter　who　is　rich　or　who　is　poor；　provided　that　there　is　a　constant　quantity　of　rich　people　to　be　taxed？　Joint…stock　companies；　limited　liability　companies；　every　sort　of　enterprise　that　pays　a　dividend；　has　been　carried　on　for　twenty　years　in　England；　commercially　the　first　country　in　the　world。　Nothing　passes　unchallenged　there；　the　Houses　of　Parliament　hatch　some　twelve　hundred　laws　every　session；　yet　no　member　of　Parliament　has　ever　yet　raised　an　objection　to　the　system〃

〃A　cure　for　plethora　of　the　strong　box。　Purely　vegetable　remedy；〃　put　in　Bixiou；　〃les　carottes〃　（gambling　speculation）。

〃Look　here！〃　cried　Couture；　firing　up　at　this。　〃You　have　ten　thousand　francs。　You　invest　it　in　ten　shares　of　a　thousand　francs　each　in　ten　different　enterprises。　You　are　swindled　nine　times　out　of　the　tenas　a　matter　of　fact　you　are　not；　the　public　is　a　match　for　anybody；　but　say　that　you　are　swindled；　and　only　one　affair　turns　out　well　（by　accident！oh；　granted！it　was　not　done　on　purposethere；　chaff　away！）。　Very　well；　the　punter　that　has　the　sense　to　divide　up　his　stakes　in　this　way　hits　on　a　splendid　investment；　like　those　who　took　shares　in　the　Wortschin　mines。　Gentlemen；　let　us　admit　among　ourselves　that　those　who　call　out　are　hypocrites；　desperately　vexed　because　they　have　no　good　ideas　of　their　own；　and　neither　power　to　advertise　nor　skill　to　exploit　a　business。　You　will　not　have　long　to　wait　for　proof。　In　a　very　short　time　you　will　see　the　aristocracy；　the　court；　and　public　men　descend　into　speculation　in　serried　columns；　you　will　see　that　their　claws　are　longer；　their　morality　more　crooked　than　ours；　while　they　have　not　our　good　points。　What　a　head　a　man　must　have　if　he　has　to　found　a　business　in　times　when　the　shareholder　is　as　covetous　and　keen　as　the　inventor！　What　a　great　magnetizer　must　he　be　that　can　create　a　Claparon　and　hit　upon　expedients　never　tried　before！　Do　you　know　the　moral　of　it　all？　Our　age　is　no　better　than　we　are；　we　live　in　an　era　of　greed；　no　one　troubles　himself　about　the　intrinsic　value　of　a　thing　if　he　can　only　make　a　profit　on　it　by　selling　it　to　somebody　else；　so　he　passes　it　on　to　his　neighbor。　The　shareholder　that　thinks　he　sees　a　chance　of　making　money　is　just　as　covetous　as　the　founder　that　offers　him　the　opportunity　of　making　it。〃

〃Isn't　he　fine；　our　Couture？　Isn't　he　fine？〃　exclaimed　Bixiou；　turning　to　Blondet。　〃He　will　ask　us　next　to　erect　statues　to　him　as　a　benefactor　of　the　species。〃

〃It　would　lead　people　to　conclude　that　the　fool's　money　is　the　wise　man's　patrimony　by　divine　right；〃　said　Blondet。

〃Gentlemen；〃　cried　Couture；　〃let　us　have　our　laugh　out　here　to　make　up　for　all　the　times　when　we　must　listen　gravely　to　solemn　nonsense　justifying　laws　passed　on　the　spur　of　the　moment。〃

〃He　is　right；〃　said　Blondet。　〃What　times　we　live　in；　gentlemen！　When　the　fire　of　intelligence　appears　among　us；　it　is　promptly　quenched　by　haphazard　legislation。　Almost　all　our　lawgivers　come　up　from　little　parishes　where　they　studied　human　nature　through　the　medium　of　the　newspapers；　forthwith　they　shut　down　the　safety…valve；　and　when　the　machinery　blows　up　there　is　weeping　and　gnashing　of　teeth！　We　do　nothing　nowadays　but　pass　penal　laws　and　levy　taxes。　Will　you　have　the　sum　of　it　all！There　is　no　religion　left　in　the　State！〃

〃Oh；　bravo；　Blondet！〃　cried　Bixiou；　〃thou　hast　set　thy　finger　on　the　weak　spot。　Meddlesome　taxation　has　lost　us　more　victories　here　in　France　than　the　vexatious　chances　of　war。　I　once　spent　seven　years　in　the　hulks　of　a　government　department；　chained　with　bourgeois　to　my　bench。　There　was　a　clerk　in　the　office；　a　man　with　a　head　on　his　shoulders；　he　had　set　his　mind　upon　making　a　sweeping　reform　of　the　whole　fiscal　systemah；　well；　we　took　the　conceit　out　of　him　nicely。　France　might　have　been　too　prosperous；　you　know　she　might　have　amused　herself　by　conquering　Europe　again；　we　acted　in　the　interests　of　the　peace　of　nations。　I　slew　Rabourdin　with　a　caricature。〃＇*＇

＇*＇　See　Les　Employes　＇The　Government　Clerks　aka　Bureaucracy＇。

〃By　RELIGION　I　do　not　mean　cant；　I　use　the　word　in　its　wide　political　sense；〃　rejoined　Blondet。

〃Explain　your　meaning；〃　said　Finot。

〃Here　it　is；〃　returned　Blondet。　〃There　has　been　a　good　deal　said　about　affairs　at　Lyons；　about　the　Republic　cannonaded　in　the　streets；　well；　there　was　not　a　word　of　truth　in　it　all。　The　Republic　took　up　the　riots；　just　as　an　insurgent　snatches　up　a　rifle。　The　truth　is　queer　and　profound；　I　can　tell　you。　The　Lyons　trade　is　a　soulless　trade。　They　will　not　weave　a　yard　of　silk　unless　they　have　the　order　and　are　sure　of　payment。　If　orders　fall　off；　the　workmen　may　starve；　they　can　scarcely　earn　a　living；　convicts　are　better　off。　After　the　Revolution　of　July；　the　distress　reached　such　a　pitch　that　the　Lyons　weaversthe　canuts；　as　they　call　themhoisted　the　flag；　'Bread　or　Death！'　a　proclamation　of　a　kind　which　compels　the　attention　of　a　government。　It　was　really　brought　about　by　the　cost　of　living　at　Lyons；　Lyons　must　build　theatres　and　become　a　metropolis；　forsooth；　and　the　octroi　duties　accordingly　were　insanely　high。　The　Republicans　got　wind　of　this　bread　riot；　they　organized　the　canuts　in　two　camps；　and　fought　among　themselves。　Lyons　had　her　Three　Days；　but　order　was　restored；　and　the　silk　weavers　went　back　to　their　dens。　Hitherto　the　canut　had　been　honest；　the　silk　for　his　work　was　weighed　out　to　him　in　hanks；　and　he　brought　back　the　same　weight　of　woven　tissue；　now　he　made　up　his　mind　that　the　silk　merchants　were　oppressing　him；　he　put　honesty　out　at　the　door　and　rubbed　oil　on　his　fingers。　He　still　brought　back　weight　for　weight；　but　he　sold　the　silk　represented　by　the　oil；　and　the　French　silk　trade　has　suffered　from　a　plague　of　'greased　silks；'　which　might　have　ruined　Lyons　and　a　whole　branch　of　French　commerce。　The　masters　and　the　government；　instead　of　removing　the　causes　of　the　evil；　simply　drove　it　in　with　a　violent　external　application。　They　ought　to　have　sent　a　clever　man　to　Lyons；　one　of　those　men　that　are　said　to　have　no　principle；　an　Abbe　Terray；　but　they　looked　at　the　affair　from　a　military　point　of　view。　The　result　of　the　troubles　is　a　gros　de　Naples　at　forty　sous　per　yard；　the　silk　is　sold　at　this　day；　I　dare　say；　and　the　masters　no　doubt　have　hit　upon　some　new　check　upon　the　men。　This　method　of　manufacturing　without　looking　ahead　ought　never　to　have　existed　in　the　country　where　one　of　the　greatest　citizens　that　France　has　ever　known　ruined　himself　to　keep　six　thousand　weavers　in　work　without　orders。　Richard　Lenoir　fed　them；　and　the　government　was　thickheaded　enough　to　allow　him　to　suffer　from　the　fall　of　the　prices　of　textile　fabrics　brought　about　by　the　Revolution　of　1814。　Richard　Lenoir　is　the　one　case　of　a　merchant　that　deserves　a　statue。　And　yet　the　subscription　set　on　foot　for　him　has　no　subscribers；　while　the　fund　for　Gen