the firm of nucingen-第14部分

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ling　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　they　fell　flat；　but　there　really　is　something　in　the　affair；　Nucingen　simply　could　not　invent　a　bad　speculation。　In　short；　as　several　banks　of　the　highest　standing　have　been　mixed　up　in　the　affair；　it　would　be　unparliamentary　to　go　further　into　detail。　The　nominal　capital　amounted　to　ten　millions；　the　real　capital　to　seven。　Three　millions　were　allotted　to　the　founders　and　bankers　that　brought　it　out。　Everything　was　done　with　a　view　to　sending　up　the　shares　two　hundred　francs　during　the　first　six　months　by　the　payment　of　a　sham　dividend。　Twenty　per　cent；　on　ten　millions！　Du　Tillet's　interest　in　the　concern　amounted　to　five　hundred　thousand　francs。　In　the　stock…exchange　slang　of　the　day；　this　share　of　the　spoils　was　a　'sop　in　the　pan。'　Nucingen；　with　his　millions　made　by　the　aid　of　a　lithographer's　stone　and　a　handful　of　pink　paper；　proposed　to　himself　to　operate　certain　nice　little　shares　carefully　hoarded　in　his　private　office　till　the　time　came　for　putting　them　on　the　market。　The　shareholders'　money　floated　the　concern；　and　paid　for　splendid　business　premises；　so　they　began　operations。　And　Nucingen　held　in　reserve　founders'　shares　in　Heaven　knows　what　coal　and　argentiferous　lead…mines；　also　in　a　couple　of　canals；　the　shares　had　been　given　to　him　for　bringing　out　the　concerns。　All　four　were　in　working　order；　well　got　up　and　popular；　for　they　paid　good　dividends。

〃Nucingen　might；　of　course；　count　on　getting　the　differences　if　the　shares　went　up；　but　this　formed　no　part　of　the　Baron's　schemes；　he　left　the　shares　at　sea…level　on　the　market　to　tempt　the　fishes。

〃So　he　had　massed　his　securities　as　Napoleon　massed　his　troops；　all　with　a　view　to　suspending　payment　in　the　thick　of　the　approaching　crisis　of　1826…27　which　revolutionized　European　markets。　If　Nucingen　had　had　his　Prince　of　Wagram；　he　might　have　said；　like　Napoleon　from　the　heights　of　Santon；　'Make　a　careful　survey　of　the　situation；　on　such　and　such　a　day；　at　such　an　hour　funds　will　be　poured　in　at　such　a　spot。'　But　in　whom　could　he　confide？　Du　Tillet　had　no　suspicion　of　his　own　complicity　in　Nucingen's　plot；　and　the　bold　Baron　had　learned　from　his　previous　experiments　in　suspensions　of　payment　that　he　must　have　some　man　whom　he　could　trust　to　act　at　need　as　a　lever　upon　the　creditor。　Nucingen　had　never　a　nephew；　he　dared　not　take　a　confidant；　yet　he　must　have　a　devoted　and　intelligent　Claparon；　a　born　diplomatist　with　a　good　manner；　a　man　worthy　of　him；　and　fit　to　take　office　under　government。　Such　connections　are　not　made　in　a　day　nor　yet　in　a　year。　By　this　time　Rastignac　had　been　so　thoroughly　entangled　by　Nucingen；　that　being；　like　the　Prince　de　la　Paix；　equally　beloved　by　the　King　and　Queen　of　Spain；　he　fancied　that　he　（Rastignac）　had　secured　a　very　valuable　dupe　in　NUCINGEN！　For　a　long　while　he　had　laughed　at　a　man　whose　capacities　he　was　unable　to　estimate；　he　ended　in　a　sober；　serious；　and　devout　admiration　of　Nucingen；　owning　that　Nucingen　really　had　the　power　which　he　thought　he　himself　alone　possessed。

〃From　Rastignac's　introduction　to　society　in　Paris；　he　had　been　led　to　contemn　it　utterly。　From　the　year　1820　he　thought；　like　the　Baron；　that　honesty　was　a　question　of　appearances；　he　looked　upon　the　world　as　a　mixture　of　corruption　and　rascality　of　every　sort。　If　he　admitted　exceptions；　he　condemned　the　mass；　he　put　no　belief　in　any　virtuemen　did　right　or　wrong；　as　circumstances　decided。　His　worldly　wisdom　was　the　work　of　a　moment；　he　learned　his　lesson　at　the　summit　of　Pere　Lachaise　one　day　when　he　buried　a　poor；　good　man　there；　it　was　his　Delphine's　father；　who　died　deserted　by　his　daughters　and　their　husbands；　a　dupe　of　our　society　and　of　the　truest　affection。　Rastignac　then　and　there　resolved　to　exploit　this　world；　to　wear　full　dress　of　virtue；　honesty；　and　fine　manners。　He　was　empanoplied　in　selfishness。　When　the　young　scion　of　nobility　discovered　that　Nucingen　wore　the　same　armor；　he　respected　him　much　as　some　knight　mounted　upon　a　barb　and　arrayed　in　damascened　steel　would　have　respected　an　adversary　equally　well　horsed　and　equipped　at　a　tournament　in　the　Middle　Ages。　But　for　the　time　he　had　grown　effeminate　amid　the　delights　of　Capua。　The　friendship　of　such　a　woman　as　the　Baronne　de　Nucingen　is　of　a　kind　that　sets　a　man　abjuring　egoism　in　all　its　forms。

〃Delphine　had　been　deceived　once　already；　in　her　first　venture　of　the　affections　she　came　across　a　piece　of　Birmingham　manufacture；　in　the　shape　of　the　late　lamented　de　Marsay；　and　therefore　she　could　not　but　feel　a　limitless　affection　for　a　young　provincial's　articles　of　faith。　Her　tenderness　reacted　upon　Rastignac。　So　by　the　time　that　Nucingen　had　put　his　wife's　friend　into　the　harness　in　which　the　exploiter　always　gets　the　exploited；　he　had　reached　the　precise　juncture　when　he　（the　Baron）　meditated　a　third　suspension　of　payment。　To　Rastignac　he　confided　his　position；　he　pointed　out　to　Rastignac　a　means　of　making　'reparation。'　As　a　consequence　of　his　intimacy；　he　was　expected　to　play　the　part　of　confederate。　The　Baron　judged　it　unsafe　to　communicate　the　whole　of　his　plot　to　his　conjugal　collaborator。　Rastignac　quite　believed　in　impending　disaster；　and　the　Baron　allowed　him　to　believe　further　that　he　（Rastignac）　saved　the　shop。

〃But　when　there　are　so　many　threads　in　a　skein；　there　are　apt　to　be　knots。　Rastignac　trembled　for　Delphine's　money。　He　stipulated　that　Delphine　must　be　independent　and　her　estate　separated　from　her　husband's；　swearing　to　himself　that　he　would　repay　her　by　trebling　her　fortune。　As；　however；　Rastignac　said　nothing　of　himself；　Nucingen　begged　him　to　take；　in　the　event　of　success；　twenty…five　shares　of　a　thousand　francs　in　the　argentiferous　lead…mines；　and　Eugene　took　them　not　to　offend　him！　Nucingen　had　put　Rastignac　up　to　this　the　day　before　that　evening　in　the　Rue　Joubert　when　our　friend　counseled　Malvina　to　marry。　A　cold　shiver　ran　through　Rastignac　at　the　sight　of　so　many　happy　folk　in　Paris　going　to　and　fro　unconscious　of　the　impending　loss；　even　so　a　young　commander　might　shiver　at　the　first　sight　of　an　army　drawn　up　before　a　battle。　He　saw　the　d'Aiglemonts；　the　d