, 1872-12-01
EUGEMlE GKANDET:


family, it 1s necessary to giro. IN antlcipatory
look at the operations carried on ct Paris by the
goodman through Des Gcasslns. a month
after the banker left Grandet possessed Ger
tl6cate Of ownetsbip Of Teates to the amount OF
one hundred thousand iyres, bought at lustt
eighty francs. The information afforded a.
his death By his inventory never cast the slightest
light On the methods Lis distrust suggested to
him for exchanging the price Of the certificate
for the certificate itself. Mr.. Cruchot thought
TINT Nanon was, unknowingly, the faithful In
strrment for carrying the money. About that
tirae, the servant was absent for five days. under
the presence Of fixing something at Froidfond
as if the goodman was capable Of allowing my
thing to set ont Of order. So far as the affairs
Of the firm OF William Grandet Ecre concerned,
all the calculations OF tho cooper we're realized.
As everybody knows, the Bank Of France pos
sesses tie most accurate information relative to
the great fortunes OF Paris and the departments.
Tie names Of Des GrassinB and Of Felix Grandet,
of sau.nur, we're known there, and enjoyed that
respect gr.nied to 1aoneyed celebrities who are
supported by immense landed estates free from
mortgages. The arrival Of the saumur banker
charged, it WAS said, with settling for honor's
sake, the affairs Of the firm Of Grandet Of Paris,
"as enough to save the. ghost Of
the merchant from the ghame Of
5roicsts. T..e taking OF Of the seals
,sas done in the presence OF the creditors, End
sLo family notary set regularly to work to in
-e-.to1y the estate. Presently Des GrasEina
o:lloi together tie creditors, who unanimously
elected Is liquidators the Saumur banker, to-
Ee:Lcr :Tith Francis Keller, the head Of wealthy
hos.lo aid one Of the principal parties interest,"
Cd, and extended to them all the powers necee-
cay to 6aveboth tie honor of the family and the
deus. Tho credit Of Grandet Of sau1nur, the
oor,ee he difuzed in the hearts Of tho
creditors through Des Grassins facilitated these
tcsi1sactlons7 there was not single recelcitrant
among the creditors. No one thought of carry
lng over MS debt to the profit end 1oas account.
ea,.s ed each ' 9ne said t. himself 'Grandet Of
fariEians had paid the notes which we're out, and
Eept then in their portfolios. First result
which the cooper wished to obtain. Nine months
tributed II per cent to esch creditor. This
amount was produced by the eale Of tho
securities, possessions goods, and ali the effects
Of the late William Grandet and which WAS made
With scrupu1ous faithfulness. Tho most rigid
honesty governed this liquidation. The credi-
tors took pleasure in recognizing the admirable
cad unquestionable honor OF the Grandets.
When these praises had circulated a suitable
length of time, the creditors asked for the rest
Of their money. They had to write joint letter
to Grandet.
ssHere We are,' said the old cooper. throwing
The Letter into the frei *'patience, my little
In reply to the propositions contained in that
letter, Grandet Of Saumur required the deposit
ing with the Notary Of ell the evidences Of in
d4btedness outstanding against his brothers es-
tate, accompanying them with receipt
for Payments already made, under pre-
tence Of balancing the accounts, and correctly
determining the condition Of the estate. This
ocpoE.t ralsea thousand difficulties. Gen
e1t-ly, creditor is kind Of maniac. To-day
resdy to agree, tomorrow he wants to put every
th-cg to tire spd sword: later, be becomes ultra
good,natured To-day his wife is in good tenn
hcrne, and he does not want to lose penny to-
n;oErov it rains. LIE cannot SO out, be is 1sela:-
eho'1; e'h:,?e';;; lie says .yas" to all propositions
Ssn a2 n!es BE- ead ,a,.u matter; tho
=: he end of the month, be wants to sseeai6 .ec
you. TIE butcher! Tie creditor is Ika those
GpalToWs On whose long tails little children ere
'ncreed to try 70 pat q grain Of salt; but the
crealtor applies this figure to his debt, which lie
can neye: grasp. Grsndet had watched the al
n,osE5ezic variations Of creditors and those Of
e2:ea1atioaE soas got angry and absolutely re-
t,sd 70 make the deposit. ss Good this works
veil, l,,tajd G,andet. rubbing his hands, as he
:ca ! tt''e letters Dss Grassins wrote him on that
chi: at condition thatthe rights should be dis
:->:i: F;ased -. that they. would renoupce
80 OF them, and even reaerve
-; Ct having tho bankruptcy
: ,'s:7r II Sau1nur consented to al the reserra-
=: --sletsd or. In consideration of this con-
II y. ito lnilder creditors brought the
Ht>t':tt &c cnes to terms. The deposit was made,
-:s q nes s0Rs5nas, Glsszns, s foeeing ua
TX 2c:-i:-ce months after the death Of
" r.s t;sandet many business men, carried
= .-.t ~ he rush Of business in Paris, had for
- .o L1v II begin to believe that tho forty
-:1:. rer cent is all shall get cut Of that.'
r.! 22ol:tr :ad reckoned on the power of time,
>.-;::'. said he, is 8 good fellow At the
, Cadet fiat for ten per cent on
IT.. t7:o million four hundred thousand
1-::.2s sE:ll due by the firm OF Grandet he had
:14Iceu l:le creditors to surrender their eTideu-
Tat Tic notary and broker, whose alarming
failures had caused his brothers. death, sill
Eso5, t5sy. did! and might have become
E o'd sec and them that in it order Tas ae ss
the sum of The indebtedness At the end OF the
Fourth year, the deficit was definitely determined
to be 1900, 900 fraucs. There were conferences,
tha creditors, and between Grandet and the
iquldators. In Tord being strongly urged
to pay, Grandet Of saunur replied to The
two Gquidators. about the ninth month Of this
IN the Indies, had notified him Of his intention
Of paying his fathers depts in their entirety he
c7uld nos take it upon himself to settle them
traudulently, without having consulted him; he
awaited a reply. The creditors toward the mid
He OF the fifth year, we're still held at bay by
hose words, in their entirety" occa-
5iona1ly uttered BY tie sublime cooper, who
.aughed in his sleeve. and never said s|these
,AR1s1ASs!" without auowing Bhrewd emile,
nd an oath, to Escape him. But the creditors
re reserved for q fortune unbeard Of in the
-nnAls Of commerce. They viii be found in the
POSITION in which Grandet had kept tlem, at the
ime when the events Of this history oblige them
oreappear in it.
When the rentes had risen to us, Father |
frandet sold, and got from Paris about 400, 900
anc6 in gold, which rejoined in his casks tho
10000 francs Of compound interest his certif- |
tes had drawn him. Des Grassins remained
Paris. This is why: Firstly, he was elected
eputy; then he fell IN love, he, tie
lumur existence, with F1orine one of the
,ettiest actresses Of Msdame's theatre, and the
larternaster, broke out again in the banker. !
is useless to speak Of his conduct it YVES de- |
Led at 6auuur to be excessively immoral. |
is wife was very fortunate in obtaining sep-
r+r- II in