the deputy of arcis-第2章

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nown　what　a　fancy　all　Europe　had　for　the　splendid　troopers　of　Napoleon！

In　1814；　Madame　Marion；　half…ruined；　returned　to　Arcis；　her　native　place；　where　she　bought；　on　the　Grande…Place；　one　of　the　finest　houses　in　the　town。　Accustomed　to　receive　much　company　at　Troyes；　where　the　receiver…general　reigned　supreme；　she　now　opened　her　salon　to　the　notabilities　of　the　liberal　party　in　Arcis。　A　woman　accustomed　to　the　advantages　of　salon　royalty　does　not　easily　renounce　them。　Vanity　is　the　most　tenacious　of　all　habits。

Bonapartist；　and　afterwards　a　liberalfor；　by　the　strangest　of　metamorphoses；　the　soldiers　of　Napoleon　became　almost　to　a　man　enamoured　of　the　constitutional　systemColonel　Giguet　was；　during　the　Restoration；　the　natural　president　of　the　governing　committee　of　Arcis；　which　consisted　of　the　notary　Grevin；　his　son…in…law　Beauvisage；　and　Varlet　junior；　the　chief　physician　of　Arcis；　brother…　in…law　of　Grevin；　and　a　few　other　liberals。

〃If　our　dear　boy　is　not　nominated；〃　said　Madame　Marion；　having　first　looked　into　the　antechamber　and　garden　to　make　sure　that　no　one　overheard　her；　〃he　cannot　have　Mademoiselle　Beauvisage；　his　success　in　this　election　means　a　marriage　with　Cecile。〃

〃Cecile！〃　exclaimed　the　old　man；　opening　his　eyes　very　wide　and　looking　at　his　sister　in　stupefaction。

〃There　is　no　one　but　you　in　the　whole　department　who　would　forget　the　/dot/　and　the　expectations　of　Mademoiselle　Beauvisage；〃　said　his　sister。

〃She　is　the　richest　heiress　in　the　department　of　the　Aube；〃　said　Simon　Giguet。

〃But　it　seems　to　me；〃　said　the　old　soldier；　〃that　my　son　is　not　to　be　despised　as　a　match；　he　is　your　heir；　he　already　has　something　from　his　mother；　and　I　expect　to　leave　him　something　better　than　a　dry　name。〃

〃All　that　put　together　won't　make　thirty　thousand　a　year；　and　suitors　are　already　coming　forward　who　have　as　much　as　that；　not　counting　their　position；〃　returned　Madame　Marion。

〃And？〃　asked　the　colonel。

〃They　have　been　refused。〃

〃Then　what　do　the　Beauvisage　family　want？〃　said　the　colonel；　looking　alternately　at　his　son　and　sister。

It　may　seem　extraordinary　that　Colonel　Giguet；　the　brother　of　Madame　Marion　in　whose　house　the　society　of　Arcis　had　met　for　twenty…four　years；　and　whose　salon　was　the　echo　of　all　reports；　all　scandals；　and　all　the　gossip　of　the　department　of　the　Aube；a　good　deal　of　it　being　there　manufactured；should　be　ignorant　of　facts　of　this　nature。　But　his　ignorance　will　seem　natural　when　we　mention　that　this　noble　relic　of　the　Napoleonic　legions　went　to　bed　at　night　and　rose　in　the　morning　with　the　chickens；　as　all　old　persons　should　do　if　they　wish　to　live　out　their　lives。　He　was　never　present　at　the　intimate　conversations　which　went　on　in　the　salon。　In　the　provinces　there　are　two　sorts　of　intimate　conversation；one；　which　is　held　officially　when　all　the　company　are　gathered　together；　playing　at　cards　or　conversing；　the　other；　which　/simmers/；　like　a　well　made　soup；　when　three　or　four　friends　remain　around　the　fireplace；　friends　who　can　be　trusted　to　repeat　nothing　of　what　is　said　beyond　their　own　limits。

For　nine　years；　ever　since　the　triumph　of　his　political　ideas；　the　colonel　had　lived　almost　entirely　outside　of　social　life。　Rising　with　the　sun；　he　devoted　himself　to　horticulture；　he　adored　flowers；　and　of　all　flowers　he　best　loved　roses。　His　hands　were　brown　as　those　of　a　real　gardener；　he　took　care　himself　of　his　beds。　Constantly　in　conference　with　his　working　gardener　he　mingled　little；　especially　for　the　last　two　years；　with　the　life　of　others；　of　whom；　indeed；　he　saw　little。　He　took　but　one　meal　with　the　family；　namely；　his　dinner；　for　he　rose　too　early　to　breakfast　with　his　son　and　sister。　To　his　efforts　we　owe　the　famous　rose　Giguet；　known　so　well　to　all　amateurs。

This　old　man；　who　had　now　passed　into　the　state　of　a　domestic　fetich；　was　exhibited；　as　we　may　well　suppose；　on　all　extraordinary　occasions。　Certain　families　enjoy　the　benefit　of　a　demi…god　of　this　kind；　and　plume　themselves　upon　him　as　they　would　upon　a　title。

〃I　have　noticed；〃　replied　Madame　Marion　to　her　brother's　question；　〃that　ever　since　the　revolution　of　July　Madame　Beauvisage　has　aspired　to　live　in　Paris。　Obliged　to　stay　here　as　long　as　her　father　lives；　she　has　fastened　her　ambition　on　a　future　son…in…law；　and　my　lady　dreams　now　of　the　splendors　and　dignities　of　political　life。〃

〃Could　you　love　Cecile？〃　said　the　colonel　to　his　son。

〃Yes；　father。〃

〃And　does　she　like　you？〃

〃I　think　so；　but　the　thing　is；　to　please　the　mother　and　grandfather。　Though　old　Grevin　himself　wants　to　oppose　my　election；　my　success　would　determine　Madame　Beauvisage　to　accept　me；　because　she　expects　to　manage　me　as　she　pleases　and　to　be　minister　under　my　name。〃

〃That's　a　good　joke！〃　cried　Madame　Marion。　〃What　does　she　take　us　for？〃

〃Whom　has　she　refused？〃　asked　the　colonel。

〃Well；　within　the　last　three　months；　Antonin　Goulard　and　the　/procureur…du…roi/；　Frederic　Marest；　have　received；　so　they　say；　equivocal　answers　which　mean　anything/except　yes/。〃

〃Heavens！〃　cried　the　old　man　throwing　up　his　arms。　〃What　days　we　live　in；　to　be　sure！　Why；　Lucie　was　the　daughter　of　a　hosier；　and　the　grand…daughter　of　a　farmer。　Does　Madame　Beauvisage　want　the　Comte　de　Cinq…Cygne　for　a　son…in…law？〃

〃Don't　laugh　at　Madame　Beauvisage；　brother。　Cecile　is　rich　enough　to　choose　a　husband　anywhere；　even　in　the　class　to　which　the　Cinq…Cygnes　belong。　But　there's　the　bell　announcing　the　electors；　and　I　disappear　regretting　much　I　can't　hear　what　you　are　all　going　to　say。〃



II

REVOLT　OF　A　LIBERAL　ROTTEN…BOROUGH

Though　1839　is；　politically　speaking；　very　distant　from　1847；　we　can　still　remember　the　elections　produced　by　the　Coalition；　an　ephemeral　effort　of　the　Chamber　of　Deputies　to　realize　the　threat　of　parliamentary　government；a　threat　/a　la/　Cromwell；　which　without　a　Cromwell　could　only　end；　under　a　prince　〃the　enemy　of　fraud；〃　in　the　triumph　of　the　present　system；　by　which　the　Chambers　and　the　ministers　are　like　the　wooden　puppets　which　the　proprietor　of　the　Guignolet　shows　exhibits　to　the　great　satisfaction　of　wonder…stricken　idlers　in　the　streets。

The　arrondissement　of　Arcis…sur…Aube　then　found　itself　in　a　singular　position。　It　supposed　itself　free　to　choose　its　deputy。　From　1816　to　1836　it　had　always　elected　one　of　the　heaviest　orators　of　the　Left；　belonging　to　the　famous　seventeen　who　were　called　〃Great　Citizens〃　by　the　liberal　party；namely；　Francois　Keller；　of　the　house　of　Keller　Bros。；　the　son…in…law　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　Gondreville；　one　of　the　most　magnificent　estates　in　France；　is　situated　about　a　mile　from　Arcis。

This　banker；　recently　made　count　and　peer　of　France；　expected；　no　doubt；　to　transfer　to　his　son；　then　thirty　years　of　age；　his　electoral　succession；　in　order　to　make　him　some　day　eligible　for　the　peerage。　Already　a　major　on　the　staff　and　a　great　favorite　of　the　prince…royal；　Charles　Keller；　now　a　viscount；　belonged　to　the　court　party　of　the　citizen…king。　The　most　brilliant　future　seemed　pledged　to　a　young　man　enormously　rich；　full　of　energy；　already　remarkable　for　his　devotion　to　the　new　dynasty；　the　grandson　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　and　nephew　of　the　Marechal　de　Carigliano；　but　this　election；　so　necessary　to　his　future　prospects；　presented　suddenly　certain　difficulties　to　overcome。

Since　the　accession　to　power　of　the　bourgeois　class；　Arcis　had　felt　a　vague　desire　to　show　itself　independent。　Consequently；　the　last　election　of　Francois　Keller　had　been　disturbed　by　certain　republicans；　whose　red　caps　and　long　beards　had　not；　however；　seriously　alarmed　the　bourgeois　of　Arcis。　By　canvassing　the　country　carefully　the　radical　candidate　would　be　able　to　secure　some　thirty　or　forty　votes。　A　few　of　the　townspeople；　humiliated　at　seeing　their　town　always　treated　as　a　rotten　borough；　joined　the　democrats；　though　enemies　to　democracy。　In　France；　under　the　system　of　balloting；　politico…chemical　products　are　formed　in　which　the　laws　of　affinity　are　reversed。

Now；　to　elect　young　Keller　in　1839；　after　having　elected　his　father　for　twenty　years；　would　show　a　monstrous　electoral　servitude；　against　which　the　pride　of　the　newly　enriched　bourgeoisie　revolved；　for　they　felt　themselves　to　be　fu