two poets- 第4部分

〃Can　he　have　been　putting　money　by？〃　he　asked　himself。　〃Or　is　he　scheming　out；　at　this　moment；　some　way　of　not　paying　me？〃

With　this　notion　in　his　head；　he　tried　to　find　out　whether　David　had　any　money　with　him；　he　wanted　to　be　paid　something　on　account。　The　old　man's　inquisitiveness　roused　his　son's　distrust；　David　remained　close　buttoned　up　to　the　chin。

Next　day；　old　Sechard　made　the　apprentice　move　all　his　own　household　stuff　up　into　the　attic　until　such　time　as　an　empty　market　cart　could　take　it　out　on　the　return　journey　into　the　country；　and　David　entered　into　possession　of　three　bare；　unfurnished　rooms　on　the　day　that　saw　him　installed　in　the　printing…house；　without　one　sou　wherewith　to　pay　his　men's　wages。　When　he　asked　his　father；　as　a　partner；　to　contribute　his　share　towards　the　working　expenses；　the　old　man　pretended　not　to　understand。　He　had　found　the　printing…house；　he　said；　and　he　was　not　bound　to　find　the　money　too。　He　had　paid　his　share。　Pressed　close　by　his　son's　reasoning；　he　answered　that　when　he　himself　had　paid　Rouzeau's　widow　he　had　not　had　a　penny　left。　If　he；　a　poor；　ignorant　working　man；　had　made　his　way；　Didot's　apprentice　should　do　still　better。　Besides；　had　not　David　been　earning　money；　thanks　to　an　education　paid　for　by　the　sweat　of　his　old　father's　brow？　Now　surely　was　the　time　when　the　education　would　come　in　useful。

〃What　have　you　done　with　your　'polls？'　〃　he　asked；　returning　to　the　charge。　He　meant　to　have　light　on　a　problem　which　his　son　left　unresolved　the　day　before。

〃Why；　had　I　not　to　live？〃　David　asked　indignantly；　〃and　books　to　buy　besides？〃

〃Oh！　you　bought　books；　did　you？　You　will　make　a　poor　man　of　business。　A　man　that　buys　books　is　hardly　fit　to　print　them；〃　retorted　the　〃bear。〃

Then　David　endured　the　most　painful　of　humiliationsthe　sense　of　shame　for　a　parent；　there　was　nothing　for　it　but　to　be　passive　while　his　father　poured　out　a　flood　of　reasonssordid；　whining；　contemptible；　money…getting　reasonsin　which　the　niggardly　old　man　wrapped　his　refusal。　David　crushed　down　his　pain　into　the　depths　of　his　soul；　he　saw　that　he　was　alone；　saw　that　he　had　no　one　to　look　to　but　himself；　saw；　too；　that　his　father　was　trying　to　make　money　out　of　him；　and　in　a　spirit　of　philosophical　curiosity；　he　tried　to　find　out　how　far　the　old　man　would　go。　He　called　old　Sechard's　attention　to　the　fact　that　he　had　never　as　yet　made　any　inquiry　as　to　his　mother's　fortune；　if　that　fortune　would　not　buy　the　printing…house；　it　might　go　some　ways　towards　paying　the　working　expenses。

〃Your　mother's　fortune？〃　echoed　old　Sechard；　〃why；　it　was　her　beauty　and　intelligence！〃

David　understood　his　father　thoroughly　after　that　answer；　he　understood　that　only　after　an　interminable；　expensive；　and　disgraceful　lawsuit　could　he　obtain　any　account　of　the　money　which　by　rights　was　his。　The　noble　heart　accepted　the　heavy　burden　laid　upon　it；　seeing　clearly　beforehand　how　difficult　it　would　be　to　free　himself　from　the　engagements　into　which　he　had　entered　with　his　father。

〃I　will　work；〃　he　said　to　himself。　〃After　all；　if　I　have　a　rough　time　of　it；　so　had　the　old　man；　besides；　I　shall　be　working　for　myself；　shall　I　not？〃

〃I　am　leaving　you　a　treasure；〃　said　Sechard；　uneasy　at　his　son's　silence。

David　asked　what　the　treasure　might　be。

〃Marion！〃　said　his　father。

Marion；　a　big　country　girl；　was　an　indispensable　part　of　the　establishment。　It　was　Marion　who　damped　the　paper　and　cut　it　to　size；　Marion　did　the　cooking；　washing；　and　marketing；　Marion　unloaded　the　paper　carts；　collected　accounts；　and　cleaned　the　ink…balls；　and　if　Marion　had　but　known　how　to　read；　old　Sechard　would　have　put　her　to　set　up　type　into　the　bargain。



Old　Sechard　set　out　on　foot　for　the　country。　Delighted　as　he　was　with　his　sale　of　the　business；　he　was　not　quite　easy　in　his　mind　as　to　the　payment。　To　the　throes　of　the　vendor；　the　agony　of　uncertainty　as　to　the　completion　of　the　purchase　inevitably　succeeds。　Passion　of　every　sort　is　essentially　Jesuitical。　Here　was　a　man　who　thought　that　education　was　useless；　forcing　himself　to　believe　in　the　influence　of　education。　He　was　mortgaging　thirty　thousand　francs　upon　the　ideas　of　honor　and　conduct　which　education　should　have　developed　in　his　son；　David　had　received　a　good　training；　so　David　would　sweat　blood　and　water　to　fulfil　his　engagements；　David's　knowledge　would　discover　new　resources；　and　David　seemed　to　be　full　of　fine　feelings；　soDavid　would　pay！　Many　a　parent　does　in　this　way；　and　thinks　that　he　has　acted　a　father's　part；　old　Sechard　was　quite　of　that　opinion　by　the　time　that　he　had　reached　his　vineyard　at　Marsac；　a　hamlet　some　four　leagues　out　of　Angouleme。　The　previous　owner　had　built　a　nice　little　house　on　the　bit　of　property；　and　from　year　to　year　had　added　other　bits　of　land　to　it；　until　in　1809　the　old　〃bear〃　bought　the　whole；　and　went　thither；　exchanging　the　toil　of　the　printing　press　for　the　labor　of　the　winepress。　As　he　put　it　himself；　〃he　had　been　in　that　line　so　long　that　he　ought　to　know　something　about　it。〃

During　the　first　twelvemonth　of　rural　retirement；　Sechard　senior　showed　a　careful　countenance　among　his　vine　props；　for　he　was　always　in　his　vineyard　now；　just　as；　in　the　old　days；　he　had　lived　in　his　shop；　day　in；　day　out。　The　prospect　of　thirty　thousand　francs　was　even　more　intoxicating　than　sweet　wine；　already　in　imagination　he　fingered　the　coin。　The　less　the　claim　to　the　money；　the　more　eager　he　grew　to　pouch　it。　Not　seldom　his　anxieties　sent　him　hurrying　from　Marsac　to　Angouleme；　he　would　climb　up　the　rocky　staircases　into　the　old　city　and　walk　into　his　son's　workshop　to　see　how　business　went。　There　stood　the　presses　in　their　places；　the　one　apprentice；　in　a　paper　cap；　was　cleaning　the　ink…balls；　there　was　a　creaking　of　a　press　over　the　printing　of　some　trade　circular；　the　old　type　was　still　unchanged；　and　in　the　dens　at　the　end　of　the　room　he　saw　his　son　and　the　foreman　reading　books；　which　the　〃bear〃　took　for　proof…sheets。　Then　he　would　join　David　at　dinner　and　go　back　to　Marsac；　chewing　the　cud　of　uneasy　reflection。

Avarice；　like　love；　has　the　gift　of　second　sight；　instinctively　guessing　at　future　contingencies；　and　hugging　its　presentiments。　Sechard　senior　living　at　a　distance；　far　from　the　workshop　and　the　machinery　which　possessed　such　a　fascination　for　him；　reminding　him；　as　it　did；　of　days　when　he　was　making　his　way；　could　FEEL　that　there　were　disquieting　symptoms　of　inactivity　in　his　son。　The　name　of　Cointet　Brothers　haunted　him　like　a　dread；　he　saw　Sechard　&　Son　dropping　into　the　second　place。　In　short；　the　old　man　scented　misfortune　in　the　wind。

His　presentiments　were　too　well　founded；　disaster　was　hovering　over　the　house　of　Sechard。　But　there　is　a　tutelary　deity　for　misers；　and　by　a　chain　of　unforeseen　circumstances　that　tutelary　deity　was　so　ordering　matters　that　the　purchase…money　of　his　extortionate　bargain　was　to　be　tumbled　after　all　into　the　old　toper's　pouch。

Indifferent　to　the　religious　reaction　brought　about　by　the　Restoration；　indifferent　no　less　to　the　Liberal　movement；　David　preserved　a　most　unlucky　neutrality　on　the　burning　questions　of　the　day。　In　those　times　provincial　men　of　business　were　bound　to　profess　political　opinions　of　some　sort　if　they　meant　to　secure　custom；　they　were　forced　to　choose　for　themselves　between　the　patronage　of　the　Liberals　on　the　one　hand　or　the　Royalists　on　the　other。　And　Love；　moreover；　had　come　to　David's　heart；　and　with　his　scientific　preoccupation　and　finer　nature　he　had　not　room　for　the　dogged　greed　of　which　our　successful　man　of　business　is　made；　it　choked　the　keen　money…getting　instinct　which　would　have　led　him　to　study　the　differences　between　the　Paris　trade　and　the　business　of　a　provincial　printing…house。　The　shades　of　opinion　so　sharply　defined　in　the　country　are　blurred　and　lost　in　the　great　currents　of　Parisian　business　life。　Cointet　Brothers　set　themselves　deliberately　to　assimilate　all　shades　of　monarchical　opinion。　They　let　every　one　know　that　they　fasted　of　a　Friday　and　kept　Lent；　they　haunted　the　cathedral；　they　cultivated　the　society　of　the　clergy；　and　in　consequence；　when　books　of　devotion　were　once　more　in　demand；　Cointet　Brothers　were　the　first　in　this　lucrative　field。　They　slandered　David；　accusing　him　of　Liberalism；　Atheism；　and　what　not。　How；　asked　they；　could　any　one　employ　a　man　whose　father　had　been　a　Septembrist；　a　Bonapartist；　and　a　drunkard　to　boot？　The　old　man　was　sure　to　leave　plenty　of　gold　pieces　behind　him。　They　themselves　were　poor　men　with　families　to　support；　while　David　was　a　bachelor　and　could　do　as　he　pleased；　he　would　have　plenty　one　of　these　days；　he　could　afford　to　take　things　easily；　whereas　。　。　。　and　so　forth　and　so　forth。

Such　tales　against　David；　once　put　into　circulation；　produced　their　effect。　The　monopoly　of　the　prefectorial　and　diocesan　work　passed　gradually　into　the　hands　of　Cointet　Brothers；　and　before　long　David's　keen　competitors；　emboldened　by　his　inaction；　started　a　second　local　sheet　of　advertisements　and　announcements。　The　older　establishment　was　left　at　length　with　the　job…printing　orders　from　the　town；　and　the　circulation　of　the　Charente　Chronicle　fell　off　by　one…half。　Meanwhile　the　Cointets　grew　richer；　they　had　made　handsome　profi