Honoré de Balzac

“ Mme. Mercadet
Julie—
Minard (rousing himself) There are some men to whom poverty adds energy; men capable of daily self-sacrifice, of hourly toil; men who think themselves sufficiently recompensed by a smile from a companion that they love— (checking himself) . I, mademoiselle am not one of these. The thought of poverty dismays me. I—I could not endure the sight of your unhappiness.
Julie (bursting into tears and flinging herself into the arms of her
mother)
Oh! Mother! Mother! Mother!
Mme. Mercadet
My daughter—my poor Julie!
Minard (in a low voice to Mercadet)
Is this sufficient, sir? ”

“ Mercadet You breathe the cynical atmosphere of wits and journalists, the atmosphere of the theatre and of the ministry. It is a vast sea in which thousands are casting their nets! You must either continue this existence, or blow your brains out!
De la Brive
No! For it is impossible to think that it can continue without me.
Mercadet Do you feel that you have the genius to maintain yourself in style at the height to which you aspire? To dominate men of mind by the power of capital and superiority of intellect? ”

“ Mercadet
Your head is level enough.
De la Brive But my pocket and my conscience are a little out. Yet who can reproach me? By squandering my fortune I have brought profit to every trade in Paris, and even to those who do not know me. We, the useless ones! We, the idlers! Upon my soul! It is we who keep up the circulation of money—
Mercadet By means of the money in circulation. Ah! you have all your wits about you! ”

“ Minard
What! You refuse it?
Mercadet (aside) If with this I could keep them quiet for a month, if by some bold stoke I could revive the depression in my property, it might be all right. But the money of these poor children, it cuts me to the heart to think of it, for when they are in tears people calculate amiss; it is not well to risk the money of any but fellow-brokers—no—no (Aloud) Adolphe, you may marry my daughter.
Minard
Oh! Sir—Julie—my own Julie—
Mercadet That is, of course, as soon as she has three hundred thousand francs as dowry. ”

“ Mme. Mercadet
My dear!
Mercadet For my part I have an excuse, for I am bearing the burden of my partner's crime—of that fellow Godeau, who absconded, carrying with him the cash box of our house!—And besides that, what disgrace is it to be in debt? What man is there who does not owe his father his existence? He can never repay that debt. The earth is constantly bankrupt to the sun. ”

“ Elegance depends upon such little things; it springs from the soul, and happiness is at once the cause and the effect of it. I can earn enough from my painting to cost him nothing and even to contribute to the expenses of our living. Moreover, love will help us to pass through the days of hardship. Adolphe has ambition, like all those who are of lofty soul, and these are the successful men—
Mercadet Success is within reach of the bachelor, but, when a man is married, he exhausts himself in meeting his expenses, and runs after a thousand franc bill as a dog runs after a carriage. ”

“ Mercadet My dear, I know the people to whom you are indebted, and I am quite certain that you will obtain nothing from them.
Mercadet I shall obtain both time and money from them, rest assured of that. (Mme. Mercadet is perturbed.) Don't you see, my dear, that creditors when once they have opened their purses are like gamblers who continue to stake their money in order to recover their first losses? (Growing excited.) Yes! they are inexhaustible gold mines! If a man has no father to leave him a fortune, he finds his creditors are so many indefatigable uncles. ”

“ You are to represent something like an uncle from America—in fact, my partner, who has just come back from the West Indies.
De la Brive
I understand.
Mercadet Go to the Champs-Elysees, secure a post-chaise that has been much battered, have horses harnessed to it, and make your arrival here wrapped in a great pelisse, your head enveloped in a huge cap, while you shiver like a man who finds our summer icy cold. I will receive you; I will conduct you in; you will speak to my creditors; not one of them knows Godeau; you will make them give me more time. ”

“ Mericourt
I have given M. Mercadet an excellent account of you.
De la Brive
I have fallen upon my feet truly.
Mericourt But you are not going to lose the dandy's self-possession? I quite understand that your position is risky. A man would not marry, excepting from utter despair. Marriage is suicide for the man of the world. (In a low voice) Come, tell me—can you hold out much longer?
De la Brive If I had not two names, one for the bailiffs and one for the fashionable world, I should be banished from the Boulevard. ”

“ Mme. Mercadet
But the tradesmen will soon arrive.
Mercadet
I shall be here to receive them. Now leave me, leave me, my dears.
(Exeunt the two ladies.)
SCENE ELEVENTH Mercadet, then Violette.
Mercadet (walking up and down) Yes, they will soon be here! And everything depends upon that somewhat slippery friendship of Verdelin—a man whose fortune I made! Ah! when a man has passed forty he learns that the world is peopled by the ungrateful—I do not know where all the benefactors have gone to. ”

“ Mercadet If you wish to play cards, keep to the gambling table. Why do you wish to recover this paper?
Pierquin Michonnin has insulted me. I wish to take vengeance on him; to send him to jail.
Mercadet (rising) Six thousand francs worth of vengeance! You are not a man to indulge in luxuries of that kind.
Pierquin
I assure you—
Mercadet Come, now, my friend, consider that for a satisfactory defamation of character the code won't charge you more than five or six hundred francs, and the tax on a blow is only fifty francs—
Pierquin
I swear to you—
Mercadet Has this Michonnin come into a legacy? ”

“ Mercadet Scarcely anything. You know the condition of my expenses. You know, because you are a book-keeper. See, (picking up the papers again) the total debit is three hundred and eighty thousand.
Minard
Yes, sir. The balance is entered here.
Mercadet You can understand then how you must make me shudder when you come before my daughter with your fine protestations! Since to marry a poor girl with nothing but an income of eighteen hundred francs, is like inviting in wedlock a protested note with a writ of execution. ”

“ Mercadet (to his daughter) Swallow it all! (To Minard) Sir, with regard to the love of young people I have those positive ideas which are considered peculiar to old men. My distrust of such love is all the more permissible because I am not the father blinded by paternal affection. I see Julie exactly as she is; without being absolutely plain, she has none of that beauty that makes people cry out, "See!" She is quite mediocre.
Minard You are mistaken, sir; I venture to say that you do not know your daughter. ”

“ De la Brive And we ourselves are a startling proof of this! In order to claim a part in political power you must not show what good but what harm you can do. You must not alone possess talents, you must be able also to inspire fear. Accordingly, the very day after my marriage, I shall assume an air of seriousness, of profundity, of high principles! I can take my choice, for we have in France a list of principles which is as varied as a bill of fare. I elect to be a socialist! The word pleases me! At every epoch, my dear friend, there are adjectives which form the pass-words of ambition! ”

“ Not only is she without dowry, but she is burdened with poor parents—parents who are more than poor.
Minard
More than poor! There is nothing beyond that.
Mercadet Yes, sir, we are in debt, deeply in debt, and some of these debts clamor for payment.
Minard
No, no, it is impossible!
Mercadet Don't you believe it? (Aside) He is getting frightened. (Taking up a pile of papers from his desk. Aloud) Here, my would-be son-in-law, are the family papers which will show you our fortune—
Minard
Sir—
Mercadet Or rather our lack of fortune! ”

“ Therese Some masters are so frightfully stubborn! I spoke to the mistress disrespectfully two or three times, and she pretended not to hear me.
Virginie Ah! I have been at service in many middle-class houses; but I have never seen one like this! I am going to leave my stove, and become an actress in some theatre.
Justin
All of us here are nothing but actors in a theatre.
Virginie Yes, indeed, sometimes one has to put on an air of astonishment, as if just fallen from the moon, when a creditor appears: "Didn't you know it, sir?"—"No."—"M. Mercadet has gone to Lyons."—"Ah! He is away?" ”

“ Mme. Mercadet
But you will soon grow weary of it.
Mercadet No, for I shall be a witness in their happiness. (Pointing to Minard and Julie.) And after all this financial traffic I shall devote myself to agriculture; the study of agriculture will never prove tedious. (To the creditors) Gentlemen, we will continue to be good friends, but will have no more business transactions. (To De la Brive) M. de la Brive, let me pay back to you your forty-eight thousand francs.
De la Brive
Ah! sir—
Mercadet
And I will lend you ten thousand more. ”

“ We are in a house where poverty reigns under the appearance of luxury. The power of promises, and of credit, all is exhausted! And if I cannot pay in cash for certain necessary expenses, this marriage must be broken off. All I went here is a fortnight of opulence, just as all that you want is twenty-four hours of lying on the Exchange. Verdelin, this request will never be repeated, for I have only one daughter. Must I confess it to you? My wife and daughter are absolutely destitute of clothes! ”

“ Pierquin sent me to one of his agents, a sort of sub-Pierquin, a little old man called Violette, who said to my broker that he could not give me money on such paper at any rate! Meanwhile my tailor has refused to bank upon my prospects. My horse is living on credit; as to my tiger, the little wretch who wears such fine clothes, I do now know how he lives, or where he feeds. I dare not peer into the mystery. Now, as we are not so advanced in civilization as the Jews, who canceled all debts every half-century, a man must pay by the sacrifice of personal liberty. ”

“ Mercadet Imagine, my dear fellow, that there exists a most brilliant opportunity, a most magnificent speculation, the most sublime discovery—an affair which appeals to the interest of every one, which will draw upon all the exchanges, and for the realization of which a stupid banker has refused me the miserable sum of a thousand crowns— when there is more than a million in sight. ”

“ De la Brive (to Mericourt) Wait a moment. (Aloud) Sir, I am ambitious—and I saw in Mlle. Julie a lady at once distinguished, full of intellect, possessed of charming manners, who would never be out of place in the position in which my fortune puts me; and such a wife is essential to the success of a politician.
Mercadet I understand! It is easy to find a woman, but it is very rare that a man who wishes to be a minister or ambassador finds a wife. You are a man of wit, sir. May I ask your political leaning? ”

“ Now this is what we stand in need of: twelve or fifteen thousand francs for the trousseau, and a thousand crowns to pay the tradesmen and to prevent any appearance of straitened circumstances in our house, when M. de la Brive arrives.
Mme. Mercadet
How can you count on your creditors for that?
Mercadet Don't they now belong to the family? Can you find any relation who is as anxious as they are to see me wealthy and rich? Relations are always a little envious of the happiness of the wealth which comes to us; the creditor's joy alone is sincere. ”

“ But I give you my word of honor that I don't expect Godeau here to-day.
Violette (excitedly)
Then it must be to-morrow! Gentlemen, he expects him to-morrow!
Goulard (in a low voice to the others)
Unless this is some fresh trick to gain time and ridicule us—
Pierquin (aloud)
Do you think it might be?
Goulard
It is quite possible.
Violette (in a loud tone)
Gentlemen, he is fooling us.
Mercadet (aside)
The devil he is! (Aloud) Come, gentlemen, we had better be starting.
Goulard
I swear that—
(The rumbling of carriage wheels is heard.) ”

“ De la Brive
With passionate admiration.
Mercadet
My daughter is exactly the woman to suit a politician.
De la Brive (to Mericourt. Gazing at Julie through his eyeglass)
A fine girl. (To Madame Mercadet) Like mother, like daughter. Madame,
I place my hopes under your protection.
Mme. Mercadet
Anyone introduced by M. Mericourt would be welcome here.
Julie (to her father)
What a coxcomb!
Mercadet (to his daughter) He is enormously rich. We shall all be millionaires! He is an excessively clever fellow. Now, do try and be amiable, as you ought to be. ”

“ Mercadet Four thousand francs, no more! And I was to give away for the loan a half interest in the enterprise—that is to say a fortune! Ten fortunes!
Violette
Listen—I will see—I will speak to some one—
Mercadet Speak to no one! Keep it to yourself! The idea would at once be snatched up—or perhaps they wouldn't understand it so well as you have immediately done. These money dealers are so stupid. Besides, I am expecting Verdelin here—
Violette
Verdelin—but—we might perhaps—
Mercadet 'Twill be lucky for Verdelin, if he has the brains to risk six thousand francs in it. ”

“ De la Brive Sir, my whole fortune consists in the estate which bears my name; it has been in my family for a hundred and fifty years, and I hope will never pass from us.
Mercadet The possession of capital is perhaps more valuable in these days. Capital is in your own hand. If a revolution breaks out, and we have had many revolutions lately, capital follows us everywhere. ”