the firm of nucingen-第15章

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es　a　statue。　And　yet　the　subscription　set　on　foot　for　him　has　no　subscribers；　while　the　fund　for　General　Foy's　children　reached　a　million　francs。　Lyons　has　drawn　her　own　conclusions；　she　knows　France；　she　knows　that　there　is　no　religion　left。　The　story　of　Richard　Lenoir　is　one　of　those　blunders　which　Fouche　condemned　as　worse　than　a　crime。〃

〃Suppose　that　there　is　a　tinge　of　charlatanism　in　the　way　in　which　concerns　are　put　before　the　public；〃　began　Couture；　returning　to　the　charge；　〃that　word　charlatanism　has　come　to　be　a　damaging　expression；　a　middle　term；　as　it　were；　between　right　and　wrong；　for　where；　I　ask　you；　does　charlatanism　begin？　where　does　it　end？　what　is　charlatanism？　do　me　the　kindness　of　telling　me　what　it　is　NOT。　Now　for　a　little　plain　speaking；　the　rarest　social　ingredient。　A　business　which　should　consist　in　going　out　at　night　to　look　for　goods　to　sell　in　the　day　would　obviously　be　impossible。　You　find　the　instinct　of　forestalling　the　market　in　the　very　match…seller。　How　to　forestall　the　marketthat　is　the　one　idea　of　the　so…called　honest　tradesman　of　the　Rue　Saint…　Denis；　as　of　the　most　brazen…fronted　speculator。　If　stocks　are　heavy；　sell　you　must。　If　sales　are　slow；　you　must　tickle　your　customer；　hence　the　signs　of　the　Middle　Ages；　hence　the　modern　prospectus。　I　do　not　see　a　hair's…breadth　of　difference　between　attracting　custom　and　forcing　your　goods　upon　the　consumer。　It　may　happen；　it　is　sure　to　happen；　it　often　happens；　that　a　shopkeeper　gets　hold　of　damaged　goods；　for　the　seller　always　cheats　the　buyer。　Go　and　ask　the　most　upright　folk　in　Paristhe　best　known　men　in　business；　that　isand　they　will　all　triumphantly　tell　you　of　dodges　by　which　they　passed　off　stock　which　they　knew　to　be　bad　upon　the　public。　The　well…known　firm　of　Minard　began　by　sales　of　this　kind。　In　the　Rue　Saint…Denis　they　sell　nothing　but　'greased　silk'；　it　is　all　that　they　can　do。　The　most　honest　merchants　tell　you　in　the　most　candid　way　that　'you　must　get　out　of　a　bad　bargain　as　best　you　can'a　motto　for　the　most　unscrupulous　rascality。　Blondet　has　given　you　an　account　of　the　Lyons　affair；　its　causes　and　effects；　and　I　proceed　in　my　turn　to　illustrate　my　theory　with　an　anecdote：There　was　once　a　woolen　weaver；　an　ambitious　man；　burdened　with　a　large　family　of　children　by　a　wife　too　much　beloved。　He　put　too　much　faith　in　the　Republic；　laid　in　a　stock　of　scarlet　wool；　and　manufactured　those　red…knitted　caps　that　you　may　have　noticed　on　the　heads　of　all　the　street　urchins　in　Paris。　How　this　came　about　I　am　just　going　to　tell　you。　The　Republic　was　beaten。　After　the　Saint…Merri　affair　the　caps　were　quite　unsalable。　Now；　when　a　weaver　finds　that　besides　a　wife　and　children　he　has　some　ten　thousand　red　woolen　caps　in　the　house；　and　that　no　hatter　will　take　a　single　one　of　them；　notions　begin　to　pass　through　his　head　as　fast　as　if　he　were　a　banker　racking　his　brains　to　get　rid　of　ten　million　francs'　worth　of　shares　in　some　dubious　investment。　As　for　this　Law　of　the　Faubourg；　this　Nucingen　of　caps；　do　you　know　what　he　did？　He　went　to　find　a　pothouse　dandy；　one　of　those　comic　men　that　drive　police　sergeants　to　despair　at　open…air　dancing　saloons　at　the　barriers；　him　he　engaged　to　play　the　part　of　an　American　captain　staying　at　Meurice's　and　buying　for　export　trade。　He　was　to　go　to　some　large　hatter；　who　still　had　a　cap　in　his　shop　window；　and　'inquire　for'　ten　thousand　red　woolen　caps。　The　hatter；　scenting　business　in　the　wind；　hurried　round　to　the　woolen　weaver　and　rushed　upon　the　stock。　After　that；　no　more　of　the　American　captain；　you　understand；　and　great　plenty　of　caps。　If　you　interfere　with　the　freedom　of　trade；　because　free　trade　has　its　drawbacks；　you　might　as　well　tie　the　hands　of　justice　because　a　crime　sometimes　goes　unpunished；　or　blame　the　bad　organization　of　society　because　civilization　produces　some　evils。　From　the　caps　and　the　Rue　Saint…Denis　to　joint…stock　companies　and　the　Bank　draw　your　own　conclusions。〃

〃A　crown　for　Couture！〃　said　Blondet；　twisting　a　serviette　into　a　wreath　for　his　head。　〃I　go　further　than　that；　gentlemen。　If　there　is　a　defect　in　the　working　hypothesis；　what　is　the　cause？　The　law！　the　whole　system　of　legislation。　The　blame　rests　with　the　legislature。　The　great　men　of　their　districts　are　sent　up　to　us　by　the　provinces；　crammed　with　parochial　notions　of　right　and　wrong；　and　ideas　that　are　indispensable　if　you　want　to　keep　clear　of　collisions　with　justice；　are　stupid　when　they　prevent　a　man　from　rising　to　the　height　at　which　a　maker　of　the　laws　ought　to　abide。　Legislation　may　prohibit　such　and　such　developments　of　human　passionsgambling；　lotteries；　the　Ninons　of　the　pavement；　anything　you　pleasebut　you　cannot　extirpate　the　passions　themselves　by　any　amount　of　legislation。　Abolish　them；　you　would　abolish　the　society　which　develops　them；　even　if　it　does　not　produce　them。　The　gambling　passion　lurks；　for　instance；　at　the　bottom　of　every　heart；　be　it　a　girl's　heart；　a　provincial's；　a　diplomatist's；　everybody　longs　to　have　money　without　working　for　it；　you　may　hedge　the　desire　about　with　restrictions；　but　the　gambling　mania　immediately　breaks　out　in　another　form。　You　stupidly　suppress　lotteries；　but　the　cook…maid　pilfers　none　the　less；　and　puts　her　ill…gotten　gains　in　the　savings　bank。　She　gambles　with　two　hundred　and　fifty　franc　stakes　instead　of　forty　sous；　joint…stock　companies　and　speculation　take　the　place　of　the　lottery；　the　gambling　goes　on　without　the　green　cloth；　the　croupier's　rake　is　invisible；　the　cheating　planned　beforehand。　The　gambling　houses　are　closed；　the　lottery　has　come　to　an　end；　'and　now；'　cry　idiots；　'morals　have　greatly　improved　in　France；'　as　if；　forsooth；　they　had　suppressed　the　punters。　The　gambling　still　goes　on；　only　the　State　makes　nothing　from　it　now；　and　for　a　tax　paid　with　pleasure；　it　has　substituted　a　burdensome　duty。　Nor　is　the　number　of　suicides　reduced；　for　the　gambler　never　dies；　though　his　victim　does。〃

〃I　am　not　speaking　now　of　foreign　capital　lost　to　France；〃　continued　Couture；　〃nor　of　the　Frankfort　lotteries。　The　Convention　passed　a　decree　of　death　against　those　who　hawked　foreign　lottery…tickets；　and　procureur…syndics　used　to　traffic　in　them。　So　much　for　the　sense　of　our　legislator　and　his　driveling　philanthropy。　The　encouragement　given　to　savings　banks　is　a　piece　of　crass　political　folly。　Suppose　that　things　take　a　doubtful　turn　and　people　lose　confidence；　the　Government　will　find　that　they　have　instituted　a　queue　for　money；　like　the　queues　outside　the　bakers'　shops。　So　many　savings　banks；　so　many　riots。　Three　street　boys　hoist　a　flag　in　some　corner　or　other；　and　you　have　a　revolution　ready　made。

〃But　this　danger；　however　great　it　may　be；　seems　to　me　less　to　be　dreaded　than　the　widespread　demoralization。　Savings　banks　are　a　means　of　inoculating　the　people；　the　classes　least　restrained　by　education　or　by　reason　from　schemes　that　are　tacitly　criminal；　with　the　vices　bred　of　self…interest。　See　what　comes　of　philanthropy！

〃A　great　politician　ought　to　be　without　a　conscience　in　abstract　questions；　or　he　is　a　bad　steersman　for　a　nation。　An　honest　politician　is　a　steam…engine　with　feelings；　a　pilot　that　would　make　love　at　the　helm　and　let　the　ship　go　down。　A　prime　minister　who　helps　himself　to　millions　but　makes　France　prosperous　and　great　is　preferable；　is　he　not；　to　a　public　servant　who　ruins　his　country；　even　though　he　is　buried　at　the　public　expense？　Would　you　hesitate　between　a　Richelieu；　a　Mazarin；　or　a　Potemkin；　each　with　his　hundreds　of　millions　of　francs；　and　a　conscientious　Robert　Lindet　that　could　make　nothing　out　of　assignats　and　national　property；　or　one　of　the　virtuous　imbeciles　who　ruined　Louis　XVI。？　Go　on；　Bixiou。〃

〃I　will　not　go　into　the　details　of　the　speculation　which　we　owe　to　Nucingen's　financial　genius。　It　would　be　the　more　inexpedient　because　the　concern　is　still　in　existence　and　shares　are　quoted　on　the　Bourse。　The　scheme　was　so　convincing；　there　was　such　life　in　an　enterprise　sanctioned　by　royal　letters　patent；　that　though　the　shares　issued　at　a　thousand　francs　fell　to　three　hundred；　they　rose　to　seven　and　will　reach　par　yet；　after　weathering　the　stormy　years　'27；　'30；　and　'32。　The　financial　crisis　of　1827　sent　them　down；　after　the　Revolution　of　July