To stand at the corner of some dark street, and rush upon the firstman that comes along, demanding, "Your money or your life," is but apoor business, devoid4 of all prestige, and long since given up tochivalrous natures.
A man must be something worse than a simpleton to still ply3 histrade on the high-roads, exposed to all sorts of annoyances5 on thepart of the gendarmes6, when manufacturing and financial enterprisesoffer such a magnificently fertile field to the activity ofimaginative people.
And, in order to thoroughly7 understand the mode of proceeding8 inthis particular field, it is sufficient to open from time to time acopy of "The Police Gazette," and to read some trial, like that, forinstance, of one Lefurteux, ex-president of the Company for theDrainage and Improvement of the Orne Swamps.
This took place less than a month ago in one of the police-courts.
The Judge to the Accused - Your profession?
M.Lefurteux - President of the company.
Question - Before that what were you doing?
Answer - I speculated at the bourse.
Q - You had no means?
A - I beg your pardon: I was making money.
Q - And it was under such circumstances that you had the audacityto organize a company with a capital stock of three million offrancs, divided in shares of five hundred francs?
A - Having discovered an idea, I did not suppose that I was forbiddento work it up.
Q - What do you call an idea?
A - The idea of draining swamps, and making them productive.
Q - What swamps? Yours never had any existence, except in yourprospectus.
A - I expected to buy them as soon as my capital was paid in.
Q - And in the mean time you promised ten per cent to yourstockholders.
A-That's the least that draining operations ever pay.
Q - You have advertised?
A - Of course.
Q - To what extent?
A - To the extent of about sixty thousand francs.
Q - Where did you get the money?
A - I commenced with ten thousand francs, which a friend of mine hadlent me; then I used the funds as they came in.
9 - In other words, you made use of the money of your first dupes toattract others?
A - Many~people thought it was a good thing.
Q - Who? Those to whom you sent your prospectus9 with a plan of yourpretended swamps?
A - Excuse me. Others too.
Q - How much money did you ever receive?
A - About six hundred thousand francs, as the expert has stated.
Q - And you have spent the whole of the money?
A - Permit me? I have never applied10 to my personal wants any thingbeyond the salary which was allowed me by the By-laws.
Q - How is it, then, that, when you were arrested, there were onlytwelve hundred and fifty francs found in your safe, and that amounthad been sent you through the post-office that very morning? Whathas become of the rest?
A - The rest has been spent for the good of the company.
Q - Of course! You had a carriage?
A - It was allowed to me by Article 27 of the By-laws.
9 - For the good of the company too, I suppose.
A - Certainly. I was compelled to make a certain display. The headof an important company must endeavor to inspire confidence.
The Judge, with an Ironical11 Look - Was it also to inspire confidencethat you had a mistress, for whom you spent considerable sums ofmoney?
The Accused, in a Tone of Perfect Candor12 - Yes, sir.
After a pause of a few moments, the judge resumes,Q - Your offices were magnificent. They must have cost you a greatdeal to furnish.
A - On the contrary, sir, almost nothing. The furniture was allhired. You can examine the upholsterer.
The upholsterer is sent for, and in answer to the judge's questions,"What M. Lefurteux has stated," he says, "is true. My specialty13 isto hire office-fixtures14 for financial and other companies. I furnishevery thing, from the book-keepers' desks to the furniture for thepresident's private room: from the iron safe to the servant's livery.
In twenty-four hours, every thing is ready, and the subscribers cancome. As soon as a company is organized, like the one in question,the officers call on me, and, according to the magnitude of thecapital required, I furnish a more or less costly15 establishment. Ihave a good deal of experience, and I know just what's wanted.
When M. Lefurteux came to see me, I gauged16 his operation at a glance.
Three millions of capital, swamps in the Orne, shares of five hundredfrancs, small subscribers, anxious and noisy.
"'Very well,' I said to him, 'it's a six-months' job. Don't go intouseless expenses. Take reps for your private office: that's goodenough.'"The Judge, in a tone of Profound Surprise - You told him that?
The Upholsterer, in the Simple Accent of an Honest Man - Exactly asI am telling your Honor. He followed my advice; and I sent him redhot the furniture and fixtures which had been used by the RiverFishery Company, whose president had just been sent to prison forthree years.
When, after such revelations, renewed from week to week, withinstructive variations, purchasers may still be found for the sharesof the Tiffla Mines, the Bretoneche Lands, and the Forests ofFormanoid, is it to be wondered that the Mutual17 Credit Company foundnumerous subscribers?
It had been admirably started at that propitious18 hour of theDecember coup19 d'etat, when the first ideas of mutuality20 werebeginning to penetrate21 the financial world.
It had lacked neither capital nor powerful patronage22 at the start,and had been at once admitted to the honor of being quoted at thebourse.
Beginning business ostensibly as an accommodation bank formanufacturers and merchants, the Mutual Credit had had, for a numberof years, a well-determined specialty.
But gradually it had enlarged the circle of its operations, alteredits by-laws, changed its board of directors; and at the end theoriginal subscribers would have been not a little embarrassed totell what was the nature of its business, and from what sources itdrew its profits.
All they knew was, that it always paid respectable dividends23; thattheir manager, M. de Thaller, was personally very rich; and thatthey were willing to trust him to steer24 clear of the code.
There were some, of course, who did not view things in quite sofavorable a light; who suggested that the dividends were suspiciouslylarge; that M. de Thaller spent too much money on his house, hiswife, his daughter, and his mistress.
One thing is certain, that the shares of the Mutual Credit Societywere much above par1, and were quoted at 580 francs on that Saturday,when, after the closing of the bourse, the rumor25 had spread thatthe cashier. Vincent Favoral, had run off with twelve millions.
"What a haul!" thought, not without a feeling of envy, more thanone broker26, who, for merely one-twelfth of that amount would havegayly crossed the frontier. It was almost an event in Paris.
Although such adventures are frequent enough, and not taken muchnotice of, in the present instance, the magnitude of the amountmore than made up for the vulgarity of the act.
Favoral was generally pronounced a very smart man; and some personsdeclared, that to take twelve millions could hardly be calledstealing.
The first question asked was,"Is Thaller in the operation? Was he in collusion with his cashier?""That's the whole question.""If he was, then the Mutual Credit is better off than ever:
otherwise, it is gone under.""Thaller is pretty smart.""That Favoral was perhaps more so still."This uncertainty27 kept up the price for about half an hour. But soonthe most disastrous28 news began to spread, brought, no one knewwhence or by whom; and there was an irresistible29 panic.
From 425, at which price it had maintained itself for a time, theMutual Credit fell suddenly to 300, then 200, and finally to 150francs.
Some friends of M. de Thaller, M. Costeclar, for instance, hadendeavored to keep up the market; but they had soon recognized thefutility of their efforts, and then they had bravely commenceddoing like the rest.
The next day was Sunday. From the early morning, it was reported,with the most circumstantial details, that the Baron30 de Thallerhad been arrested.
But in the evening this had been contradicted by people who hadgone to the races, and who had met there Mme. de Thaller and herdaughter, more brilliant than ever, very lively, and very talkative.
To the persons who went to speak to them,"My husband was unable to come," said the baroness31. "He is busywith two of his clerks, looking over that poor Favoral's accounts.
It seems that they are in the most inconceivable confusion. Whowould ever have thought such a thing of a man who lived on bread andnuts? But he operated at the bourse; and he had organized, under afalse name, a sort of bank, in which he has very foolishly sunklarge sums of money.
And with a smile, as if all danger had been luckily averted,"Fortunately," she added, "the damage is not as great as has beenreported, and this time, again, we shall get off with a good fright."But the speeches of the baroness were hardly sufficient to quietthe anxiety of the people who felt in their coat-pockets theworthless certificates of Mutual Credit stock.
And the next day, Monday, as early as eight o'clock, they began toarrive in crowds to demand of M. de Thaller some sort of anexplanation.
They were there, at least a hundred, huddled32 together in thevestibule, on the stairs, and on the first landing, a prey33 to themost painful emotion and the most violent excitement; for they hadbeen refused admittance.
To all those who insisted upon going in, a tall servant in livery,standing34 before the door, replied invariably, "The office is notopen, M. de Thaller has not yet come."Whereupon they uttered such terrible threats and such loudimprecations, that the frightened concierge35 had run, and hid himselfat the very bottom of his lodge36.
No one can imagine to what epileptic contortions37 the loss of moneycan drive an assemblage of men, who has not seen a meeting ofshareholders on the morrow of a great disaster, with their clinchedfists, their convulsed faces, their glaring eyes, and foaming39 lips.
They felt indignant at what had once been their delight. They laidthe blame of their ruin upon the splendor40 of the house, thesumptuousness of the stairs, the candelabras of the vestibule, thecarpets, the chairs every thing.
" And it is our money too," they cried, "that has paid for all that!"Standing upon a bench, a little short man was exciting transportsof indignation by describing the magnificence of the Baron deThaller's residence, where he had once had some dealings.
He had counted five carriages in the carriage-house, fifteen horsesin the stables, and Heaven knows how many servants.
He had never been inside the apartments, but he had visited thekitchen; and he declared that he had been dazzled by the numberand brightness of the saucepans, ranged in order of size overthe furnace.
Gathered in a group under the vestibule, the most sensible deploredtheir rash confidence.
"That's the way," concluded one, "with all these adventurous41 affairs.""That's a fact. There's nothing, after all, like government bonds.""Or a first mortgage on good property, with subrogation of the wife'srights."But what exasperated42 them, all was not to be admitted to the presenceof M. de Thaller, and to see that servant mounting guard beforethe door.
"What impudence," they growled43, "to leave us on the stairs! - we whoare the masters, after all.""Who knows where M. de Thaller may be?""He is hiding, of course.""No matter: I will see him," clamored a big fat man, with abrick-colored face, "if I shouldn't stir from here for a week.""You'll see nothing at all," giggled44 his neighbor. "Do you supposethey don't have back-stairs and private entrances in this infernalshop?""Ah! if I believed any thing of the kind," exclaimed the big manin a voice trembling with passion. "I'd soon break in some of thesedoors: it isn't so hard, after all."Already he was gazing at the servant with an alarming air, when anold gentleman with a discreet45 look, stepped up to him, and inquired,"Excuse me, sir: how many shares have you?""Three," answered the man with the brick-colored face.
The other sighed.
"I have two hundred and fifty," he said. "That's why, being atleast as interested as yourself in not losing every thing, I beg ofyou to indulge in no violent proceedings46."There was no need of further speaking.
The door which the servant was guarding flew open. A clerk appeared,and made sign that he wished to speak.
"Gentlemen," he began, "M. de Thaller has just come; but he is justnow engaged with the examining judge."Shouts having drowned his voice, he withdrew precipitately47.
"If the law gets its finger in," murmured the discreet gentleman,"good-by!""That's a fact," said another. "But we will have the preciousadvantage of hearing that dear baron condemned49 to one year'simprisonment, and a fine of fifty francs. That's the regular rate.
He wouldn't get off so cheap, if he had stolen a loaf of bread froma baker50.""Do you believe that story about the judge?" interrupted rudely thebig man.
They had to believe it, when they saw him appear, followed by acommissary of police and a porter, carrying on his back a load ofbooks and papers. They stood aside to let them pass; but there wasno time to make any comments, as another clerk appeared immediatelywho said,"M. de Thaller is at your command, gentlemen. Please walk in."There was then a terrible jamming and pushing to see who would getfirst into the directors' room, which stood wide open.
M. de Thaller was standing against the mantel-piece, neither palernor more excited than usual, but like a man who feels sure ofhimself and of his means of action. As soon as silence was restored,"First of all, gentlemen," he began, "I must tell you that the boardof directors is about to meet, and that a general meeting of thestockholders will be called."Not a murmur48. As at the touch of a magician's wand, the dispositionsof the shareholders38 seemed to have changed.
"I have nothing new to inform you of," he went on. "What happensis a misfortune, but not a disaster. The thing to do was to savethe company; and I had first thought of calling for funds.""Well," said two or three timid voices, "If it was absolutelynecessary -""But there is no need of it.""Ah, ah!""And I can manage to carry every thing through by adding to ourreserve fund my own personal fortune."This time the hurrahs and the bravos drowned the voice.
M. de Thaller received them like a man who deserves them, and,more slowly,"Honor commanded it," he continued. "I confess it, gentlemen, thewretch who has so basely deceived us had my entire confidence. Youwill understand my apparent blindness when you know with whatinfernal skill he managed."Loud imprecations burst on all sides against Vincent Favoral. Butthe president of the Mutual Credit proceeded,"For the present, all I have to ask of you is to keep cool, andcontinue to give me your confidence.""Yes, yes!
"The panic of night before last was but a stock-gambling manoeuvre,organized by rival establishments, who were in hopes of taking ourclients away from us. They will be disappointed, gentlemen. Wewill triumphantly51 demonstrate our soundness; and we shall come outof this trial more powerful than ever."It was all over. M. de Thaller understood his business. Theyoffered him a vote of thanks. A smile was beaming upon the samefaces that were a moment before contracted with rage.
One stockholder alone did not seem to share the general enthusiasm:
he was no other than our old friend. M. Chapelain, the ex-lawyer.
"That fellow, Thaller, is just capable of getting himself out ofthe scrape," he grumbled52. "I must tell Maxence."
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1
par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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ply
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| v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲 | |
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devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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annoyances
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| n.恼怒( annoyance的名词复数 )；烦恼；打扰；使人烦恼的事 | |
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gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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7
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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8
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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prospectus
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| n.计划书；说明书；慕股书 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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ironical
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| adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的 | |
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candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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specialty
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| n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长 | |
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fixtures
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| （房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动 | |
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15
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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16
gauged
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| adj.校准的；标准的；量规的；量计的v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的过去式和过去分词 )；估计；计量；划分 | |
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17
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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coup
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| n.政变；突然而成功的行动 | |
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mutuality
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| n.相互关系，相互依存 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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dividends
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| 红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金 | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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broker
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| n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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baroness
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| n.男爵夫人，女男爵 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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concierge
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| n.管理员；门房 | |
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lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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contortions
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| n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 ) | |
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shareholders
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| n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 ) | |
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39
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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44
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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46
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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47
precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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49
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
baker
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| n.面包师 | |
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51
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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52
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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