the deputy of arcis-第3章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


gainst　which　the　pride　of　the　newly　enriched　bourgeoisie　revolved；　for　they　felt　themselves　to　be　fully　worth　either　Monsieur　Malin；　otherwise　called　Comte　de　Gondreville；　the　Keller　Bros。；　the　Cinq…Cygnes；　or　even；　the　King　of　the　French。

The　numerous　partisans　of　old　Gondreville；　the　king　of　the　department　of　the　Aube；　were　therefore　awaiting　some　fresh　proof　of　his　ability；　already　so　thoroughly　tested；　to　circumvent　this　rising　revolt。　In　order　not　to　compromise　the　influence　of　his　family　in　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis；　that　old　statesman　would　doubtless　propose　for　candidate　some　young　man　who　could　be　induced　to　accept　an　official　function　and　then　yield　his　place　to　Charles　Keller；a　parliamentary　arrangement　which　renders　the　elect　of　the　people　subject　to　re…election。

When　Simon　Giguet　sounded　the　old　notary　Grevin；　the　faithful　friend　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　on　the　subject　of　the　elections；　the　old　man　replied　that；　while　he　did　not　know　the　intentions　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　he　should　himself　vote　for　Charles　Keller　and　employ　his　influence　for　that　election。

As　soon　as　this　answer　of　old　Grevin　had　circulated　through　Arcis；　a　reaction　against　him　set　in。　Although　for　thirty　years　this　provincial　Aristides　possessed　the　confidence　of　the　whole　town；having　been　mayor　of　Arcis　from　1804　to　1814　and　again　during　the　Hundred　Days；　and　although　the　Opposition　had　accepted　him　as　their　leader　until　the　triumph　of　1830；　at　which　period　he　refused　the　honors　of　the　mayoralty　on　the　ground　of　his　great　age；　and　finally；　although　the　town；　in　order　to　manifest　its　affection　for　him；　elected　his　son…in…　law；　Monsieur　Beauvisage；　mayor　in　his　stead；　it　now　revolted　against　him　and　some　young　striplings　went　so　far　as　to　talk　of　his　dotage。　The　partisans　of　Simon　Giguet　then　turned　to　Phileas　Beauvisage；　the　mayor；　and　won　him　over　the　more　easily　to　their　side　because；　without　having　quarrelled　with　his　father…in…law；　he　assumed　an　independence　of　him　which　had　ended　in　coldness；an　independence　that　the　sly　old　notary　allowed　him　to　maintain；　seeing　in　it　an　excellent　means　of　action　on　the　town　of　Arcis。

The　mayor；　questioned　the　evening　before　in　the　open　street；　declared　positively　that　he　should　cast　his　vote　for　the　first…comer　on　the　list　of　eligibles　rather　than　give　it　to　Charles　Keller；　for　whom；　however；　he　had　a　high　esteem。

〃Arcis　shall　be　no　longer　a　rotten　borough！〃　he　said；　〃or　I'll　emigrate　to　Paris。〃

Flatter　the　passions　of　the　moment　and　you　will　always　be　a　hero；　even　at　Arcis…sur…Aube。

〃Monsieur　le　maire；〃　said　everybody；　〃gives　noble　proof　of　his　firmness　of　character。〃

Nothing　progresses　so　rapidly　as　a　legal　revolt。　That　evening　Madame　Marion　and　her　friends　organized　for　the　morrow　a　meeting　of　〃independent　electors〃　in　the　interests　of　Simon　Giguet；　the　colonel's　son。　The　morrow　had　now　come　and　had　turned　the　house　topsy…turvy　to　receive　the　friends　on　whose　independence　the　leaders　of　the　movement　counted。　Simon　Giguet；　the　native…born　candidate　of　a　little　town　jealously　desirous　to　elect　a　son　of　its　own；　had；　as　we　have　seen；　put　to　profit　this　desire；　and　yet；　the　whole　prosperity　and　fortune　of　the　Giguet　family　were　the　work　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　But　when　it　comes　to　an　election；　what　are　sentiments！

This　Scene　is　written　for　the　information　of　countries　so　unfortunate　as　not　to　know　the　blessings　of　national　representation；　and　which　are；　therefore；　ignorant　by　what　intestinal　convulsions；　what　Brutus…　like　sacrifices；　a　little　town　gives　birth　to　a　deputy。　Majestic　but　natural　spectacle；　which　may；　indeed；　be　compared　with　that　of　childbirth；the　same　throes；　the　same　impurities；　the　same　lacerations；　the　same　final　triumph！

It　may　be　asked　why　an　only　son；　whose　fortune　was　sufficient；　should　be；　like　Simon　Giguet；　an　ordinary　barrister　in　a　little　country　town　where　barristers　are　pretty　nearly　useless。　A　word　about　the　candidate　is　therefore　necessary。

Colonel　Giguet　had　had；　between　1806　and　1813；　by　his　wife　who　died　in　1814；　three　children；　the　eldest　of　whom；　Simon；　alone　survived。　Until　he　became　an　only　child；　Simon　was　brought　up　as　a　youth　to　whom　the　exercise　of　a　profession　would　be　necessary。　And　about　the　time　he　became　by　the　death　of　his　brothers　the　family　heir；　the　young　man　met　with　a　serious　disappointment。　Madame　Marion　had　counted　much；　for　her　nephew；　on　the　inheritance　of　his　grandfather　the　banker　of　Hamburg。　But　when　that　old　German　died　in　1826；　he　left　his　grandson　Giguet　a　paltry　two　thousand　francs　a　year。　The　worthy　banker；　endowed　with　great　procreative　powers；　having　soothed　the　worries　of　business　by　the　pleasures　of　paternity；　favored　the　families　of　eleven　other　children　who　surrounded　him；　and　who　made　him　believe；　with　some　appearance　of　justice；　that　Simon　Giguet　was　already　a　rich　man。

Besides　all　this；　the　colonel　was　bent　on　giving　his　son　an　independent　position；　and　for　this　reason：　the　Giguets　could　not　expect　any　government　favors　under　the　Restoration。　Even　if　Simon　had　not　been　the　son　of　an　ardent　Bonapartist；　he　belonged　to　a　family　whose　members　had　justly　incurred　the　animosity　of　the　Cinq…Cygne　family；　owing　to　the　part　which　Giguet；　the　colonel　of　gendarmerie；　and　the　Marions；　including　Madame　Marion；　had　taken　as　witnesses　on　the　famous　trial　of　the　Messieurs　de　Simeuse；　unjustly　condemned　in　1805　for　the　abduction　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville；　then　senator；　and　formerly　representative　of　the　people；　who　had　despoiled　the　Cinq…　Cygne　family　of　their　property。　＇See　〃An　Historical　Mystery。〃＇

Grevin　was　not　only　one　of　the　most　important　witnesses　at　that　trial；　but　he　was　one　of　the　chief　promoters　of　the　prosecution。　That　affair　divides　to　this　day　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis　into　two　parties；　one　of　which　declares　the　innocence　of　the　condemned；　the　other　standing　by　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　and　his　adherents。　Though；　under　the　Restoration；　the　Comtesse　de　Cinq…Cygne　used　all　the　influence　the　return　of　the　Bourbons　gave　her　to　arrange　things　as　she　wished　in　the　department　of　the　Aube；　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　contrived　to　counterbalance　this　Cinq…Cygne　royalty　by　the　secret　authority　he　wielded　over　the　liberals　of　the　town　through　the　notary　Grevin；　Colonel　Giguet；　his　son…in…law　Keller　（always　elected　deputy　in　spite　of　the　Cinq…Cygnes）；　and　also　by　the　credit　he　maintained；　as　long　as　Louis　XVIII。　lived；　in　the　counsels　of　the　crown。　It　was　not　until　after　the　death　of　that　king　that　the　Comtesse　de　Cinq…Cygne　was　able　to　get　Michu　appointed　judge　of　the　court　of　assizes　in　Arcis。　She　desired　of　all　things　to　obtain　this　place　for　the　son　of　the　steward　who　had　perished　on　the　scaffold　at　Troyes；　the　victim　of　his　devotion　to　the　Simeuse　family；　whose　full…length　portrait　always　hung　in　her　salon；　whether　in　Paris　or　at　Cinq…Cygne。　Until　1823　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　had　possessed　sufficient　power　over　Louis　XVIII。　to　prevent　this　appointment　of　Michu。

It　was　by　the　advice　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville　that　Colonel　Giguet　made　his　son　a　lawyer。　Simon　had　all　the　more　opportunity　of　shining　at　the　bar　in　the　arrondissement　of　Arcis　because　he　was　the　only　barrister；　solicitors　pleading　their　own　cases　in　these　petty　localities。　The　young　man　had　really　secured　certain　triumphs　in　the　court　of　assizes　of　the　Aube；　but　he　was　none　the　less　an　object　of　derision　to　Frederic　Marest；　/procureur…du…roi/；　Olivier　Vinet；　the　substitute　/procureur/；　and　the　judge；　Michu；the　three　best　minds　in　the　court。

Simon　Giguet；　like　other　men；　paid　goodly　tribute　to　the　mighty　power　of　ridicule　that　pursued　him。　He　liked　to　hear　himself　talk；　and　he　talked　on　all　occasions；　he　solemnly　delivered　himself　of　dry　and　long…winded　sentences　which　passed　for　eloquence　among　the　upper　bourgeoisie　of　Arcis。　The　poor　fellow　belonged　to　that　species　of　bore　which　desires　to　explain　everything；　even　the　simplest　thing。　He　explained　rain；　he　explained　the　revolution　of　July；　he　explained　things　impenetrable；　he　explained　Louis…Philippe；　Odilon　Barrot；　Monsieur　Thiers；　the　Eastern　Question；　he　explained　Champagne；　he　explained　1788；　he　explained　the　tariff　of　custom　houses　and　humanitarians；　magnetism　and　the　economy