第6章 THE COUNTRYSIDE AND THE MAN(6)

"I have been exceedingly firm with those whom I have helped with money;if I had not been inflexible on this point,they all would have laughed at me.Peasants,no less than worldlings,end by despising the man that they can deceive.He has been cheated?Clearly,then,he must have been weak;and it is might alone that governs the world.I have never charged a penny for my professional advice,except to those who were evidently rich people;but I have not allowed the value of my services to be overlooked at all,and I always make them pay for medicine unless the patient is exceedingly poor.If my peasants do not pay me in money,they are quite aware that they are in my debt;sometimes they satisfy their consciences by bringing oats for my horses,or corn,when it is cheap.But if the miller were to send me some eels as a return for my advice,I should tell him that he is too generous for such a small matter.My politeness bears fruit.In the winter I shall have some sacks of flour for the poor.Ah!sir,they have kind hearts,these people,if one does not slight them,and to-day I think more good and less evil of them than I did formerly.""What a deal of trouble you have taken!"said Genestas.

"Not at all,"answered Benassis."It was no more trouble to say something useful than to chatter about trifles;and whether I chatted or joked,the talk always turned on them and their concerns wherever Iwent.They would not listen to me at first.I had to overcome their dislikes;I belonged to the middle classes--that is to say,I was a natural enemy.I found the struggle amusing.An easy or an uneasy conscience--that is all the difference that lies between doing well or ill;the trouble is the same in either case.If scoundrels would but behave themselves properly,they might be millionaires instead of being hanged.That is all.""The dinner is growing cold,sir!"cried Jacquotte,in the doorway.

Genestas caught the doctor's arm.

"I have only one comment to offer on what I have just heard,"he remarked."I am not acquainted with any account of the wars of Mahomet,so that I can form no opinions as to his military talents;but if you had only watched the Emperor's tactics during the campaign in France,you might well have taken him for a god;and if he was beaten on the field of Waterloo,it was because he was more than mortal,it was because the earth found his weight too heavy to bear,and sprang from under his feet!On every other subject I entirely agree with you,and tonnerre de Dieu!whoever hatched you did a good day's work.""Come,"exclaimed Benassis with a smile,"let us sit down to dinner."The walls of the dining-room were paneled from floor to ceiling,and painted gray.The furniture consisted of a few straw-bottomed chairs,a sideboard,some cupboards,a stove,and the late owner's celebrated clock;there were white curtains in the window,and a white cloth on the table,about which there was no sign of luxury.The dinner service was of plain white earthenware;the soup,made after the traditions of the late cure,was the most concentrated kind of broth that was ever set to simmer by any mortal cook.The doctor and his guest had scarcely finished it when a man rushed into the kitchen,and in spite of Jacquotte,suddenly invaded the dining-room.

"Well,what is it?"asked the doctor.

"It is this,sir.The mistress,our Mme.Vigneau,has turned as white as white can be,so that we are frightened about her.""Oh,well,then,"Benassis said cheerfully,"I must leave the table,"and he rose to go.

In spite of the doctor's entreaties,Genestas flung down his table-napkin,and swore in a soldierly fashion that he would not finish his dinner without his host.He returned indeed to the salon;and as he warmed himself by the fire,he thought over the troubles that no man may escape,the troubles that are found in every lot that it falls to man to endure here upon earth.

Benassis soon came back,and the two future friends sat down again.

"Taboureau has just come up to speak to you,"said Jacquotte to her master,as she brought in the dishes that she had kept hot for them.

"Who can be ill at his place?"asked the doctor.

"No one is ill,sir.I think from what he said that it is some matter of his own that he wants to ask you about;he is coming back again.""Very good.This Taboureau,"Benassis went on,addressing Genestas,"is for me a whole philosophical treatise;take a good look at him when he comes,he is sure to amuse you.He was a laborer,a thrifty,hard-working man,eating little and getting through a good deal of work.As soon as the rogue came to have a few crowns of his own,his intelligence began to develop;he watched the progress which I had originated in this little district with an eye to his own profit.He had made quite a fortune in eight year's time,that is to say,a fortune for our part of the world.Very likely he may have a couple of score thousand francs by now.But if I were to give you a thousand guesses,you would never find out how he made the money.He is a usurer,and his scheme of usury is so profoundly and so cleverly based upon the requirements of the whole canton,that I should merely waste my time if I were to take it upon myself to undeceive them as to the benefits which they reap,in their own opinion,from their dealings with Taboureau.When this devil of a fellow saw every one cultivating his own plot of ground,he hurried about buying grain so as to supply the poor with the requisite seed.Here,as everywhere else,the peasants and even some of the farmers had no ready money with which to pay for seed.To some,Master Taboureau would lend a sack of barley,for which he was to receive a sack of rye at harvest time,and to others a measure of wheat for a sack of four.At the present day the man has extended this curious business of his all over the department;and unless something happens to prevent him,he will go on and very likely make a million.Well,my dear sir,Taboureau the laborer,an obliging,hard-working,good-natured fellow,used to lend a helping hand to any one who asked him;but as his gains have increased MONSIEUR Taboureau has become litigious,arrogant,and somewhat given to sharp practice.The more money he makes,the worse he grows.The moment that the peasant forsakes his life of toil pure and simple for the leisured existence of the landowning classes,he becomes intolerable.There is a certain kind of character,partly virtuous,partly vicious,half-educated,half-ignorant,which will always be the despair of governments.You will see an example of it in Taboureau.He looks simple,and even doltish;but when his interests are in question,he is certainly profoundly clever."A heavy footstep announced the approach of the grain lender.

"Come in,Taboureau!"cried Benassis.

Thus forewarned by the doctor,the commandant scrutinized the peasant in the doorway.Taboureau was decidedly thin,and stooped a little.He had a bulging forehead,covered with wrinkles,and a cavernous face,in which two small gray eyes with a dark spot in either of them seemed to be pierced rather than set.The lines of the miser's mouth were close and firm,and his narrow chin turned up to meet an exaggeratedly hooked nose.His hair was turning gray already,and deep furrows which converged above the prominent cheek-bones spoke of the wily shrewdness of a horse-dealer and of a life spent in journeying about.He wore a blue coat in fairly clean condition,the square side-pocket flaps stuck out above his hips,and the skirts of the coats hung loose in front,so that a white-flowered waistcoat was visible.There he stood firmly planted on both feet,leaning upon a thick stick with a knob at the end of it.A little spaniel had followed the grain-dealer,in spite of Jacquotte's efforts,and was crouching beside him.

"Well,what is it?"Benassis asked as he turned to this being.

Taboureau gave a suspicious glance at the stranger seated at the doctor's table,and said:

"It is not a case of illness,M.le Maire,but you understand how to doctor the ailments of the purse just as well as those of the body.We have had a little difficulty with a man over at Saint-Laurent,and Ihave come to ask your advice about it.""Why not see the justice of the peace or his clerk?""Oh,because you are so much cleverer,sir,and I shall feel more sure about my case if I can have your countenance.""My good Taboureau,I am willing to give medical advice to the poor without charging for it;but I cannot look into the lawsuits of a man who is as wealthy as you are for nothing.It costs a good deal to acquire that kind of knowledge."Taboureau began to twist his hat about.

"If you want my advice,in order to save the hard coin you would have to pay to the lawyer folk over in Grenoble,you must send a bag of rye to the widow Martin,the woman who is bringing up the charity children.""DAME!I will do it with all my heart,sir,if you think it necessary.

Can I talk about this business of mine without troubling the gentleman there?"he added,with a look at Genestas.

The doctor nodded,so Taboureau went on.

"Well,then,sir,two months ago a man from Saint-Laurent came over here to find me.'Taboureau,'said he to me,'could you sell me a hundred and thirty-seven measures of barley?''Why not?'say I,'that is my trade.Do you want it immediately?''No,'he says,'I want it for the beginning of spring,in March.'So far,so good.Well,we drive our bargain,and we drink a glass,and we agree that he is to pay me the price that the barley fetched at Grenoble last market day,and I am to deliver it in March.I am to warehouse it at owner's risk,and no allowance for shrinkage of course.But barley goes up and up,my dear sir;the barley rises like boiling milk.Then I am hard up for money,and I sell my barley.Quite natural,sir,was it not?""No,"said Benassis,"the barley had passed out of your possession,you were only warehousing it.And suppose the barley had gone down in value,would you not have compelled your buyer to take it at the price you agreed upon?""But very likely he would not have paid me,sir.One must look out for oneself!The seller ought to make a good profit when the chance comes in his way;and,after,all the goods are not yours until you have paid for them.That is so,Monsieur l'Officier,is it not?For you can see that the gentleman has been in the army.""Taboureau,"Benassis said sternly,"ill luck will come to you.Sooner or later God punishes ill deeds.How can you,knowing as much as you do,a capable man moreover,and a man who conducts his business honorably,set examples of dishonesty to the canton?If you allow such proceedings as this to be taken against you,how can you expect that the poor will remain honest people and will not rob you?Your laborers will cheat you out of part of their working hours,and every one here will be demoralized.You are in the wrong.Your barley was as good as delivered.If the man from Saint-Laurent had fetched it himself,you would not have gone there to take it away from him;you have sold something that was no longer yours to sell,for your barley had already been turned into money which was to be paid down at the stipulated time.But go on."Genestas gave the doctor a significant glance,to call his attention to Taboureau's impassive countenance.Not a muscle had stirred in the usurer's face during this reprimand;there was no flush on his forehead,and no sign of emotion in his little eyes.

"Well,sir,I am called upon to supply the barley at last winter's price.Now _I_consider that I am not bound to do so.""Look here,Taboureau,deliver that barley and be very quick about it,or make up your mind to be respected by nobody in the future.Even if you gained the day in a case like this,you would be looked upon as an unscrupulous man who does not keep to his word,and is not bound by promises,or by honor,or----""Go on,there is nothing to be afraid of;tell me that I am a scamp,a scoundrel,a thief outright.You can say things like that in business without insulting anybody,M.le Maire.'Tis each for himself in business,you know.""Well,then,why deliberately put yourself in a position in which you deserve to be called by such names?""But if the law is on my side,sir?""But the law will certainly NOT be on your side.""Are you quite sure about it,sir?Certain sure?For you see it is an important matter.""Certainly I am.Quite sure.If I were not at dinner,I would have down the code,and you should see for yourself.If the case comes on,you will lose it,and you will never set foot in my house again,for Ido not wish to receive people whom I do not respect.Do you understand?You will lose your case.""Oh!no,not at all,I shall not lose it,sir,"said Taboureau."You see,sir,it is this way;it is the man from Saint-Laurent who owes MEthe barley;I bought it of him,and now he refuses to deliver it.Ijust wanted to make quite certain that I should gain my case before going to any expense at court about it."Genestas and the doctor exchanged glances;each concealed his amazement at the ingenious device by which the man had sought to learn the truth about this point of law.

"Very well,Taboureau,your man is a swindler;you should not make bargains with such people.""Ah!sir,they understand business,those people do.""Good-bye,Taboureau.""Your servant,gentlemen.""Well,now,"remarked Benassis,when the usurer had gone,"if that fellow were in Paris,do you not think that he would be a millionaire before very long?"After dinner,the doctor and his visitor went back to the salon,and all the rest of the evening until bedtime they talked about war and politics;Genestas evincing a most violent dislike of the English in the course of conversation.

"May I know whom I have the honor of entertaining as a guest?"asked the doctor.

"My name is Pierre Bluteau,"answered Genestas;"I am a captain stationed at Grenoble.""Very well,sir.Do you care to adopt M.Gravier's plan?In the morning after breakfast he liked to go on my rounds with me.I am not at all sure that you would find anything to interest you in the things that occupy me--they are so very commonplace.For,after all,you own no land about here,nor are you the mayor of the place,and you will see nothing in the canton that you cannot see elsewhere;one thatched cottage is just like another.Still you will be in the open air,and you will have something to take you out of doors.""No proposal could give me more pleasure.I did not venture to make it myself,lest I should thrust myself upon you."Commandant Genestas (who shall keep his own name in spite of the fictitious appellation which he had thought fit to give himself)followed his host to a room on the first floor above the salon.

"That is right,"said Benassis,"Jacquotte has lighted a fire for you.

If you want anything,there is a bell-pull close to the head of the bed.""I am not likely to want anything,however small,it seems to me,"exclaimed Genestas."There is even a boot-jack.Only an old trooper knows what a boot-jack is worth!There are times,when one is out on a campaign,sir,when one is ready to burn down a house to come by a knave of a boot-jack.After a few marches,one on the top of another,or above all,after an engagement,there are times when a swollen foot and the soaked leather will not part company,pull as you will;I have had to lie down in my boots more than once.One can put up with the annoyance so long as one is by oneself."The commandant's wink gave a kind of profound slyness to his last utterance;then he began to make a survey.Not without surprise,he saw that the room was neatly kept,comfortable,and almost luxurious.

"What splendor!"was his comment."Your own room must be something wonderful.""Come and see,"said the doctor;"I am your neighbor,there is nothing but the staircase between us."Genestas was again surprised when he entered the doctor's room,a bare-looking apartment with no adornment on the walls save an old-fashioned wall-paper of a yellowish tint with a pattern of brown roses over it;the color had gone in patches here and there.There was a roughly painted iron bedstead,two gray cotton curtains were suspended from a wooden bracket above it,and a threadbare strip of carpet lay at the foot;it was like a bed in a hospital.By the bed-head stood a rickety cupboard on four feet with a door that continually rattled with a sound like castanets.Three chairs and a couple of straw-bottomed armchairs stood about the room,and on a low chest of drawers in walnut wood stood a basin,and a ewer of obsolete pattern with a lid,which was kept in place by a leaden rim round the top of the vessel.This completed the list of the furniture.

The grate was empty.All the apparatus required for shaving lay about in front of an old mirror suspended above the painted stone chimney-piece by a bit of string.The floor was clean and carefully swept,but it was worn and splintered in various places,and there were hollows in it here and there.Gray cotton curtains bordered with a green fringe adorned the two windows.The scrupulous cleanliness maintained by Jacquotte gave a certain air of distinction to this picture of simplicity,but everything in it,down to the round table littered with stray papers,and the very pens on the writing-desk,gave the idea of an almost monastic life--a life so wholly filled with thought and feeling of a wider kind that outward surroundings had come to be matters of no moment.An open door allowed the commandant to see the smaller room,which doubtless the doctor seldom occupied.It was scarcely kept in the same condition as the adjoining apartment;a few dusty books lay strewn about over the no less dusty shelves,and from the rows of labeled bottles it was easy to guess that the place was devoted rather to the dispensing of drugs than scientific studies.

"Why this difference between your room and mine,you will ask?"said Benassis."Listen a moment.I have always blushed for those who put their guests in the attics,who furnish them with mirrors that distort everything to such a degree that any one beholding himself might think that he was smaller or larger than nature made him,or suffering from apoplectic stroke or some other bad complaint.Ought we not to do our utmost to make a room as pleasant as possible during the time that our friend can be with us?Hospitality,to my thinking,is a virtue,a pleasure,and a luxury;but in whatever light it is considered,nay,even if you regard it as a speculation,ought not our guest or our friend to be made much of?Ought not every refinement of luxury to be reserved for him?

"So the best furniture is put into your room,where a thick carpet is laid down;there are hangings on the walls,and a clock and wax candles;and for you Jacquotte will do her best,she has no doubt brought a night-light,and a pair of new slippers and some milk,and her warming-pan too for your benefit.I hope that you will find that luxurious armchair the most comfortable seat you have ever sat in,it was a discovery of the late cure's;I do not know where he found it,but it is a fact that if you wish to meet with the perfection of comfort,beauty,or convenience,you must ask counsel of the Church.

Well,I hope that you will find everything in your room to your liking.You will find some good razors and excellent soap,and all the trifling details that make one's own home so pleasant.And if my views on the subject of hospitality should not at once explain the difference between your room and mine,to-morrow,M.Bluteau,you will arrive at a wonderfully clear comprehension of the bareness of my room and the untidy condition of my study,when you see all the continual comings and goings here.Mine is not an indoor life,to begin with.Iam almost always out of the house,and if I stay at home,peasants come in at every moment to speak to me.My body and soul and house are all theirs.Why should I worry about social conventions in these matters,or trouble myself over the damage unintentionally done to floors and furniture by these worthy folk?Such things cannot be helped.Luxury properly belongs to the boudoir and the guest-chamber,to great houses and chateaux.In short,as I scarcely do more than sleep here,what do I want with superfluities of wealth?You do not know,moreover,how little I care for anything in this world."They wished each other a friendly good-night with a warm shake of the hand,and went to bed.But before the commandant slept,he came to more than one conclusion as to the man who hour by hour grew greater in his eyes.