Gobsek image. The image of Gobsek in the story of the same name by Honore de Balzac. Balzac "Gobsek": a detailed analysis of the story and the protagonist Who wrote the gobsek
Memoirists left us a description of the appearance of this short man with a lion's mane of hair, easily wearing his fullness, bursting with energy. His golden-brown eyes were well remembered, "expressing everything as clearly as a word", "eyes that could see through walls and the heart", "before which the eagles had to lower their pupils ..."
While Balzac sought recognition, contemporaries did not yet suspect that his works in decades and centuries would be considered the most reliable and most fascinating evidence of his era. The first to understand this are his friends George Sand, Victor Hugo.
Gobsek - means "swallowing dry food", in an approximate translation - "liver". So Balzac will rename his story in the process of work, which in 1830 still bore the moralizing title "The Dangers of Debauchery." Her hero, an old usurer, living alone and poor, without family or affection, unexpectedly reveals himself as the ruler of hundreds of human destinies, one of the few uncrowned kings of Paris. He owns gold, and money is the key to all human dramas. How many unfortunate people come to beg him for money: “... a young girl in love, a merchant on the verge of bankruptcy, a mother trying to hide her son's misdeed, an artist without a piece of bread, a nobleman who has fallen out of favor ... shook ... with the power of his word. .. ". Gobsek takes monstrous interest. Sometimes his victims lost their temper, screamed, then there was silence, “like in a kitchen when a duck is slaughtered in it.”3
In the image of the usurer, the artistic vision of a person characteristic of Balzac was fully expressed. He did not draw mediocre, average people of this or that social class, profession, but he necessarily endowed them with outstanding personal qualities, a bright personality. Gobsek is shrewd and prudent, like a diplomat, he has a philosophical mind, an iron will, and a rare energy. He does not just accumulate wealth, the main thing is that he knows well the value of his clients, ruined, degraded aristocrats who, for the sake of a luxurious life, "steal millions, sell their homeland." In relation to them, he is right and feels like a just avenger.
In the past, Gobsek spent years wandering in colonial India, full of romantic vicissitudes. He knows people and life, sees the most secret springs of the social mechanism. But the thick, sparkling colors of Balzac contribute to his exposure. The perverting power of money was manifested in the very personality of Gobsek: imagining that gold rules the world, he exchanged all human joys for money-grubbing, turning into a miserable maniac by the end of his life. The story ends with a stunning picture of the rotting of various valuables hidden by the miser in his home. This heap, where decomposing gourmet foods and precious objects of art are mixed, is a grandiose symbol of the destructive power of acquisitiveness, the inhumanity of the bourgeois order of life and thought.
Frame from the film "Gobsek" (1987)
The lawyer Derville tells the story of the usurer Gobsek in the salon of the Vicomtesse de Granlie, one of the most noble and wealthy ladies in the aristocratic Faubourg Saint-Germain. One day, in the winter of 1829/30, two guests stayed with her: the young handsome Count Ernest de Resto and Derville, who is easily accepted only because he helped the mistress of the house to return the property confiscated during the Revolution.
When Ernest leaves, the viscountess reprimands her daughter Camilla: one should not show affection to the dear count so frankly, because not a single decent family will agree to intermarry with him because of his mother. Although now she behaves impeccably, she caused a lot of gossip in her youth. In addition, she is of low birth - her father was a grain merchant Goriot. But worst of all, she squandered her fortune on her lover, leaving the children penniless. Count Ernest de Resto is poor, and therefore not a match for Camille de Granlier.
Derville, sympathetic to the lovers, intervenes in the conversation, wanting to explain to the viscountess the true state of affairs. He starts from afar: in his student years he had to live in a cheap boarding house - there he met Gobsek. Even then, he was a deep old man of a very remarkable appearance - with a “moon face”, yellow eyes like a ferret, a sharp long nose and thin lips. His victims sometimes lost their temper, cried or threatened, but the usurer himself always kept his composure - he was a “man-bill”, a “golden idol”. Of all the neighbors, he maintained relations only with Derville, to whom he once revealed the mechanism of his power over people - the world is ruled by gold, and the usurer owns the gold. For edification, he tells how he collected a debt from a noble lady - fearing exposure, this countess without hesitation handed him a diamond, because her lover received the money on her bill. Gobsek guessed the future of the Countess from the face of a fair-haired handsome man - this dandy, spendthrift and player is able to ruin the whole family.
After graduating from a law course, Derville received a position as a senior clerk in the attorney's office. In the winter of 1818/19, he was forced to sell his patent - and asked for one hundred and fifty thousand francs. Gobsek lent money to the young neighbor, taking only thirteen percent from him "for friendship" - he usually took at least fifty. At the cost of hard work, Derville managed to get even with his debt in five years.
Once, the brilliant dandy Count Maxime de Tray begged Derville to set him up with Gobsek, but the usurer flatly refused to give a loan to a man who had debts of three hundred thousand, and not a centime for his soul. At that moment, a carriage drove up to the house, the Comte de Tray rushed to the exit and returned with an unusually beautiful lady - according to the description, Derville immediately recognized in her the countess who issued the bill four years ago. This time she has pledged magnificent diamonds. Derville tried to prevent the deal, but as soon as Maxim hinted that he was going to commit suicide, the unfortunate woman agreed to the onerous terms of the loan.
After the lovers left, the countess's husband broke into Gobsek demanding the return of the mortgage - his wife had no right to dispose of the family jewels. Derville managed to settle the matter amicably, and the grateful usurer gave the count advice: to transfer all his property to a reliable friend through a fictitious sale transaction is the only way to save at least children from ruin. A few days later, the count came to Derville to find out what he thought about Gobsek. The lawyer replied that in the event of an untimely death, he would not be afraid to make Gobsek the guardian of his children, for in this miser and philosopher there live two creatures - vile and sublime. The count immediately decided to transfer all rights to the property to Gobsek, wanting to protect him from his wife and her greedy lover.
Taking advantage of a pause in the conversation, the viscountess sends her daughter to bed - a virtuous girl does not need to know to what a fall a woman who has transgressed certain boundaries can reach. After the departure of Camille, there is no need to hide the names - the story is about the Countess de Resto. Derville, having never received a counter receipt about the fictitiousness of the transaction, learns that the Comte de Resto is seriously ill. The Countess, sensing a trick, does her best to prevent the attorney from approaching her husband. The denouement comes in December 1824. By this time, the Countess was already convinced of the meanness of Maxime de Tray and broke up with him. She so zealously looks after her dying husband that many are inclined to forgive her former sins - in fact, she, like a predatory beast, lies in wait for her prey. The count, unable to get a meeting with Derville, wants to hand over the documents to his eldest son - but his wife cuts off this path too, trying to influence the boy with caress. In the last terrible scene, the Countess begs for forgiveness, but the Count remains adamant. That same night he dies, and the next day Gobsek and Derville come to the house. A terrible sight appears before their eyes: in search of a will, the countess made a real rout in the office, not even ashamed of the dead. Hearing the steps of strangers, she throws papers addressed to Derville into the fire - the count's property thereby undividedly passes into the possession of Gobsek.
The usurer rented out a mansion, and began to spend the summer like a lord - in his new estates. To all Derville's pleas to take pity on the repentant countess and her children, he replied that misfortune is the best teacher. Let Ernest de Resto know the value of people and money - then it will be possible to return his fortune. Having learned about the love of Ernest and Camille, Derville once again went to Gobsek and found the old man dying. The old miser bequeathed all his wealth to his sister's great-granddaughter - a public girl nicknamed "Spark". He instructed his executor Derville to dispose of the accumulated food supplies - and the lawyer really discovered huge stocks of rotten pate, moldy fish, and rotten coffee. By the end of his life, Gobsek's stinginess turned into mania - he did not sell anything, being afraid to sell too cheap. In conclusion, Derville reports that Ernest de Resto will soon regain his lost fortune. The viscountess replies that the young count must be very rich - only in this case he can marry Mademoiselle de Granlier. However, Camille is not at all obliged to meet with her mother-in-law, although the countess was not ordered to attend receptions - after all, she was received at Madame de Beausean's house.
retold
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Gobseck (Nominative Heading Type) Honore de Balzac
The story was written in 1830 and subsequently included in the collected works of "The Human Comedy".
The story "Gobsek" did not immediately find its final form and place in the "Human Comedy"; it belongs to the works, the very history of creation of which sheds light on the formation of the titanic Balzac idea.
It first appeared (in April 1830) under the heading "The Perils of Debauchery" in the first volume of Scenes from a Private Life. The first chapter of this work a little earlier, in February 1830, was published in the form of an essay in the magazine Fashion and was called The Pawnbroker. In 1835, the story was included in a new edition of "Scenes of Parisian Life" and was entitled "Papa Gobsek." And finally, in the landmark year 1842, Balzac included her in the "Scenes of Private Life" of the first edition of the "Human Comedy" under the title "Gobsek".
Initially, the story was divided into chapters: "The Pawnbroker", "The Lawyer" and "The Death of a Husband". This division corresponds to the main thematic episodes that make up the work: the story of the usurer Gobsek, the years of apprenticeship and the beginning of the career of the solicitor Derville, the love drama of Anastasi de Resto, which largely led to the premature death of her husband.
Genre story
The story "Gobsek" refers to the epic, since the story is the average type of epic, and not only for this reason.
1. The plot is not focused on one central event: stories from the life of Gobsek associated with Derville and the de Resto family, but on a whole series of events covering a significant part of Gobsek's life, for example, his childhood and youth.
2. The epic, in turn, reproduces, captures not only what is being told, but also the narrator, in this case it is Derville - the attorney. He is a young man who has made a career out of his hard work and professional integrity. Derville is “a man of high honesty” (this is how the heroes of the work speak of him). He is a friend of Gobsek.
3. Free organization of time and space in the story. The author covers a significant part of Gobsek's life, taking him, along with readers, to the places of his youth and childhood.
4. The story is written in prose, which is also typical for the epic.
The main theme is the theme of the power of money (eternal), which is just the same and is confirmed throughout the whole work, not only by individual events (instead of belated repentance, the Countess burned the papers, thinking that this was a changed will of her husband. After such scenes, you begin to understand why Gobsek hated their heirs.), but also by individual characters (Maxim de Tray and others.)
In addition to the theme of the power of money, there are a number of other themes in the story, such as: the theme of seclusion and alienation of a person (Gobsek) from society, the theme of human and social vices, etc. etc.
The leading motive of the work is the motive of power
1. The motive of the power of money over a person and society
2. The motive of the power of one person over the fate of other people (The power of the usurer over Anastasi, and in the future her son Ernesto)
There are also motives
The motive of adultery
Countess Anastasi cheating on Count with Maxime de Tray
Treasure search motive
“He tried everything to get rich, even tried to find the notorious treasure - gold buried by a tribe of savages somewhere in the vicinity of Buenos Aires.”
Motif of friendship between an old man and a young man
The motive of human loneliness
The motive of stinginess and other human vices
The motive-character of the philosopher
The motive-character of a hard worker (Fanny Malvo)
Motif-character of a beautiful girl (Anastasi de Resto)
The motive-character of a young man-tempter
The motive of contemplation by a person from the outside world
motive for loss of reason
The problems that the author describes in the story were so relevant and exciting that he repeatedly returned to them, gradually polishing his idea. The protagonist of the story is the usurer Gobsek, who profits from the fact that he gives a loan at interest.
The problem of O. de Balzac's story belongs to such a type as social, namely the problem of the power of money over society and a person separately, but this is only part of the problem, as a consequence of the first problem, a second, no less important one can be distinguished: the degradation of the human personality and morality under the influence of this power.
It was an era of despondency in the best human features, in normal human relationships built on trust and respect. The world and society were imagined by many French people of that time as a big mechanism, which is controlled by money and power. Interestingly, the images of the story "Gobsek" are not one-dimensional. They were not unambiguous contemporaries of Balzac: many of them had an analytical mind, were able to think independently, and were a non-overlapping personality. Nevertheless, the big mechanism, the machine, which is controlled by gold, was launched, and it grinded the fate of people or the fate of entire families in its millstones.
In his story, Balzac protests against this image of society. The writer rightly considers it erroneous, unnatural, unhealthy. Balzac emphasizes that neither relations with people, nor society, nor the state, and realistic images can be built on the foundations; - love, decency, nobility. They should retreat...but, unfortunately, they don't.
1. Conflict between the individual and society
This is a conflict between "Papa Gobsek" and the society in which he lives.
He is detached from it. This is a lonely person, who, however, consciously does not seek to society. Gobsek takes extremely high interest from his clients, taking advantage of their predicament, in fact ruining them. He does not believe in human honesty, decency, love and friendship. This characterizes Gobsek as a callous and heartless person.
2. Social conflict
Pushing aside the nobility by the bourgeoisie and the disintegration of the family as a consequence of the power of monetary relations. (Gobsek family de Resto)
3. Between a father and his children
“... But children!.. Let them be happy at least... Children, children!...
I only have one child! - exclaimed the count, in despair stretching out his withered hands to his son.
4. Family household
Within the de Resto family
5. Ideological or philosophical
1. Dramatic
2. Tragic (personal)
Tragedy of the family of the Comte de Resto, his wife and their children
“This girl seemed like a fairy of loneliness.
Before me, no doubt, was a girl who was forced by necessity to work without straightening her back - probably the daughter of some honest farmer: on her face one could still see the small freckles characteristic of peasant girls. Something good, truly virtuous emanated from her. It was as if I entered into an atmosphere of sincerity, purity of soul, and somehow it even became easier for me to breathe. Poor bastard!"
The story is life-like, since it lacks any fantastic elements, it is the story of ordinary people who lived at that time, the pushing aside of the nobility by the bourgeoisie. People who have the flaws and virtues of ordinary mortal people who live their lives as part of society, who are obliged to work in order to survive ...
The realism of Balzac is manifested in the story primarily in the disclosure of characters and phenomena typical of the French society of the Restoration era. In this work, the author sets himself the goal of showing the true essence of both the nobility and the bourgeoisie. The approach to the depiction of the surrounding life in Gobsek becomes more analytical, as it is based primarily on the study of the phenomena of real life by means of art, and his conclusions about society as a whole follow from this analysis.
The artist shows the decline and decay of the old French aristocracy, (Maxime de Tray, Resto family). De Tray is shown as an ordinary gigolo, a man without honor and without conscience, who does not hesitate to profit at the expense of a woman who loves him and his own children. “In your veins, instead of blood, there is dirt,” the usurer throws contemptuously in the face of Maxime de Tray. Count Resto is much more sympathetic, but even in him the author emphasizes such an unattractive trait as a weakness of character. He loves a woman who is clearly unworthy of him, and, not having survived her betrayal, falls ill and dies.
Characteristics of the narrator and manner of presenting the material
a) The narrator does not pretend to be completely objective, as he expresses himself and his attitude towards Gobsek. You could say even more: they were friends. Derville helps readers understand the legal terms and concepts mentioned in the work.
· Gobsek and Derville are people of the same profession.
· Thanks to Derville, we see Gobsek as if “from the inside” (what is he like in everyday life, what are his human passions and weaknesses, we learn his background and views on life).
· Derville is a decent person, so we can trust his opinion.
b) the figure of Derville did not go beyond the framework of the story, the narrator did not interfere in the events, Gobsek was in the center of the story, and only Gobsek.
Story style
The style is expressive, since the personality of the narrator is displayed in the story: Derville is a lawyer. He is a young man who has made a career out of his hard work and professional integrity. Derville is “a man of high honesty” (this is how the heroes of the work speak of him). He is a friend of Gobsek.
The style of speech also expresses the personality of Derville, as an educated person and belonging to such a profession as a lawyer. Successful person, honest and decent.
The plot and the plot of the story "Gobsek" coincide.
Plot type multiline
The line of Derville, Gobsek and the de Resto family
Line of Derville and Vicomtesse de Granlier
Line of history and life of Gobseck himself
The plot is dynamic. External.
plot components:
2.exposure
3.string
4.development of action
5.climax
6. interchange
Plot organization techniques used in the story:
Reception of a retrospective
Reception of retardation
Reception of the ring organization
Receiving concurrency
Reception of forecasting
“I have no doubt that he will become an outstanding figure. And when "this young man" is in power, wealth itself will come into his hands.
Character composition
One central (main) and minor characters
The work contains such types of chronotope as discrete and conditional
The view is specific.
Chronotopic space - close, open.
Chronotopic time - terrestrial, historical
The speech of this work is very rich and rich, expressive and accessible to every reader, there is also a huge number of expressive and visual techniques in the work, here are some of them
a man-promissory note, a man-machine, a golden idol, a hand-written handsome man, a cold look, a heartbreaking smile, lean legs.
Comparisons:
as if you were going, like a minister of some nabob, like a dandy from the Chaussé d'Antin, like a ferret, as if repenting of his "talkativeness", as if swollen, as if entering an atmosphere as cold as ice.
Metaphors:
soundless laughter, a haze of gaiety, her eyes sparkled, energy was in full swing in her, glory thundered, burning eyes, unbridled frankness.
Hyperbolas:
a whole hundred smells mixed up, and such a roar, as if a hundred voices were shouting at once, capable of
swallow a millionth fortune, huge interest, huge wealth, the most courteous and most harmless, the youngest dandy
Litotes: down to the smallest, the smallest bank loan,
Metonymy:
who sleep on silk
Paraphrase:
clawed paw of inevitability (i.e. horror and fear, despair)
a crowd of all servants (i.e. servants)
in all naked nakedness (i.e. in all its glory)
went with her pimples (i.e. scared)
Oxymoron:
silent laughter
Lexical figures:
Professionalisms: promissory note, solicitor, junior clerk, protest a promissory note, tax
Figures in O. de Balzac's story are very rare, unfortunately, I could not find them.
balzac gobsek story
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And refers to "Scenes from a Private Life". The main characters in it are the old usurer Gobsek, the attorney Derville and the count de Resto family.
The main theme of the work- passion. It is explored in the story on two levels: on the one hand, Gobsek studies human passions (love of wealth, power, women, selfish selfishness, etc.), on the other hand, Balzac himself explores the nature of the old usurer and shows us that even under the mask of a person wise in life can hide one all-consuming and everything-destroying passion - a craving for gold, for accumulation, for constant enrichment.
The life story of Jean Esther van Gobseck, the son of a Jewess and a Dutchman, is presented to the reader through the story of the attorney Derville, who decided to reassure the young girl Camille de Granlie regarding the brilliant position of her beloved Count Ernest de Resto.
Derville met Gobseck when he was a student. The old usurer was 76 years old at the time. The story in the salon of the Viscountess de Grandlier Derville leads a few days after the death of the 89-year-old Gobsek.
Thirteen years of acquaintance allowed the lawyer to make friends and penetrate the secrets of the soul of an adamant usurer who inspires horror throughout Paris. The first impression of Gobsek (by the way, this character has a speaking surname: translated from French, “Gobsek” is “Zhivoglot”) is created colorful description of his appearance, each feature of which metaphorically correlates with wealth, old age or cunning.
The old usurer's face, with its "yellowish pallor," similar to "the color of silver from which the gilding has peeled off," reminds Derville "moon face". Gobsek's eyes "small and yellow, like a ferret", nose - long with a sharp tip, lips - thin, "like the alchemists", facial features - "motionless, impassive, seemed to be cast in bronze". When the usurer raises his tattered cap, his eyes open "stripe of bare skull, yellow as old marble". “All his actions were measured, like the movements of a pendulum. It was some kind of automatic man who was wound up daily. ”. At first, Derville could not even tell how old Gobsek was, since the latter looked either aged to the point of time, or well preserved for all eternity.
art space, in which there is a Parisian usurer, to match his prudent and cold nature. Things in his room are worn and tidy, and the fire in the fireplace does not flare up at full capacity even in winter. Gobseck's room is in a damp house without a yard, with windows overlooking the street. It is no different from the rest of the building, each of which, with its arrangement, reminds Derville of a monastic cell.
The feeling of contentment with the past day and inner joy in Gobseck could only be seen by rubbing his hands and changing the position of the wrinkles on his face. Having been a cabin boy in his youth and having experienced a lot of dangers, in his old age the usurer reached a state of peculiar wisdom: he made his own conclusion about life and began to live in accordance with it. Existence, according to Gobsek - "only a habit to a favorite environment". Moral rules are different for different nations, internal passions are destructive for people, and only the instinct of self-preservation is the only thing that is valuable in life. Standing firmly on one's feet in a world immersed in vanity is only possible with the help of gold. It gives everything - wealth, power, position, the favor of women. Passions are best studied and profited from them. The last two things are the main entertainment of Gobsek.
The usurer treats his clients as a means of profit. Gobsek cannot perceive vicious people differently. Only simple, honest, hardworking personalities, such as the seamstress Fanny Malvo, cause participation in it. At the same time, Gobsek helps only those who can return the money taken from him with interest. In Derville, the usurer is captivated by his youth (Gobsek believes that up to thirty years people still retain their reserve of honesty and nobility), knowledge (Gobsek uses his advice), sober mind, desire to work and the ability to clearly express one's thoughts without playing on feelings, but reasoning logically.
Participation in the inheritance affairs of the count de Resto family Gobsek explains simply: he agreed to help the unfortunate father because he trusted him "no tricks". The wife of the Comte de Resto, the beautiful Anastasi, squandered the fortune of the family day after day, lowering it to the young lover Maxime de Tray, and something had to be done about it. Artistic image of the heroine is devoid of unambiguity: she is both an unhappy woman who succumbed to love passion, and a cheating wife (the younger children of Anastasi are not from her husband), and an unstoppable miser striving for wealth, and, perhaps, a good mother, equally wishing good to all children.
For all his rationality, Gobsek, on the verge of death, faces one on one with his individual passion - he dies without leaving behind a will (oral, given in words to Derville - does not count), in a house packed to capacity with rotting delicacies, money and the last the heap of gold he had received, hidden by infirmity in the ashes of the fireplace.
- Summary of the novel by Honore de Balzac "Gobsek"
Baron Barch de Penoin
Of all the former pupils of the College of Vendôme, it seems that you and I alone chose the literary field - it was not for nothing that we were fond of philosophy at an age when we were supposed to be carried away only by the pages of De viris. We met again when I was writing this story, and you were working on your excellent writings on German philosophy. So, we both did not change our calling. I hope you will be as pleased to see your name here as I am pleased to put it.
Your old school friend
de Balzac
Once, in the winter of 1829-1830, two guests who did not belong to her family sat up in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier until one in the morning. One of them, a handsome young man, heard the chiming of the mantel clock and hastened to take his leave. When the wheels of his carriage rattled in the yard, the viscountess, seeing that only her brother and a friend of the family were left, finishing the picket game, went up to her daughter; the girl stood by the fireplace and seemed to be carefully examining the through pattern on the screen, but, undoubtedly, she listened to the noise of the cabriolet driving away, which confirmed her mother's fears.
Camille, if you continue to treat the Comte de Restaud as you did this evening, I will have to refuse him the house. Listen to me, baby, if you believe in my tender love for you, let me guide you in life. At seventeen, a girl cannot judge either the past or the future, or some of the demands of society. I will point out to you only one circumstance: Monsieur de Resto has a mother, a woman capable of swallowing a millionth fortune, a person of low birth - her maiden name was Goriot, and in her youth she caused a lot of talk about herself. She treated her father very badly and, really, does not deserve such a good son as Monsieur de Restaud. The young count adores her and supports her with filial devotion, worthy of all praise. And how he cares about his sister, about his brother! In a word, his behavior is simply excellent, but, - added the viscountess with a sly look, - while his mother is alive, parents in no respectable family will dare to entrust this dear young man with the future and dowry of their daughter.
I caught a few words from your conversation with Mademoiselle de Grandlier, and I really want to intervene in it! exclaimed the aforementioned family friend. - I won, count, - he said, referring to his partner. - I leave you and hasten to help your niece.
This is truly the rumor of a real solicitor! exclaimed the viscountess. - Dear Derville, how could you hear what I said to Camille? I whispered to her very quietly.
I understood everything from your eyes,” answered Derville, sitting down by the fireplace in a deep armchair.
Camille's uncle sat down beside his niece, and Madame de Grandlier settled herself in a low, reclining armchair between her daughter and Derville.
It is time for me, Viscountess, to tell you a story that will make you change your mind about the position in the light of Count Ernest de Restaud.
History?! Camille exclaimed. - Hurry up, Mr. Derville!
The lawyer cast a glance at Madame de Grandlier, from which she realized that this story would be of interest to her. Vicomtesse de Granlier, by wealth and nobility of the family, was one of the most influential ladies in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and, of course, it may seem surprising that some Parisian lawyer decided to speak to her so naturally and behave in her salon easily, but explain it is very easy. Madame de Grandlier, returning to France with the royal family, settled in Paris and at first lived only on the assistance assigned to her by Louis XVIII from the amounts of the civil list - an unbearable situation for her. Solicitor Derville accidentally discovered the formal irregularities committed at the time by the Republic in the sale of the Granlier mansion, and declared that this house was to be returned to the viscountess. On her behalf, he led the process in court and won it. Emboldened by this success, he started a slanderous litigation with a shelter for the elderly and achieved the return of her forest land in Lisne. Then he approved her ownership of several shares of the Orleans Canal and rather large houses, which the emperor donated to public institutions. Madame de Grandlier's fortune, restored by the dexterity of the young solicitor, gave her about sixty thousand francs a year, and then the emigrants' compensation law arrived, and she received a huge amount of money. This lawyer, a man of high integrity, knowledgeable, modest and well-mannered, became a friend of the Grandlier family. By his behavior towards Madame de Grandlier, he achieved honor and clientele in the best houses of the Faubourg Saint-Germain, but did not take advantage of their goodwill, as some ambitious person would do. He even turned down the offer of the viscountess, who urged him to sell his office and move to the judiciary, where, under her patronage, he could make a career extremely quickly. With the exception of Madame de Grandlier's house, where he sometimes spent evenings, he was in society only to maintain connections. He considered himself lucky that, zealously defending the interests of Madame de Grandlier, he also showed his talent, otherwise his office would be in danger of decaying, he did not have the slyness of a true lawyer. Since Count Ernest de Restaud had appeared in the house of the Viscountess, Derville, guessing Camille's sympathy for this young man, became a regular in Madame de Granlie's salon, like a dandy from the Chaussé d'Antin, who had just gained access to the aristocratic society of the Faubourg Saint-Germain. A few days before the evening described, he met Mademoiselle de Granlier at a ball and said to her, pointing with his eyes at the count:
It is a pity that this young man does not have two or three million. Is it true?
Why "sorry"? I don't consider it a misfortune, she replied. - Mr. de Resto is a very gifted, educated person, in good standing with the minister to whom he is seconded. I have no doubt that he will become an outstanding figure. And when "this young man" is in power, wealth itself will come into his hands.
Yes, but if only he were already rich now!
If he were rich ... - Camilla repeated, blushing, - well, all the girls dancing here would dispute him with each other, - she added, pointing to the participants in the quadrille.
And then, - remarked the lawyer, - Mademoiselle de Granlier would not be the only magnet that attracts his eyes. You seem to blush - why not? Are you indifferent to him? Well, tell...
Camille jumped up from her chair.
She is in love with him, Derville thought.
From that day on, Camilla showed special attention to the lawyer, realizing that Derville approved of her penchant for Ernest de Resto. And until then, although she knew that her family owed much to Derville, she had more respect for him than friendly affection, and in her treatment of him there was more courtesy than warmth. There was something in her manner and tone of voice that indicated the distance set between them by social etiquette. Gratitude is a debt that children are not very willing to accept as an inheritance from their parents.
Derville paused, collecting his thoughts, and then began like this:
This evening reminded me of one romantic story, the only one in my life ... Well, you're laughing, it's funny for you to hear that a lawyer can have some kind of novels. But after all, I was once twenty-five years old, and in these young years I had already seen enough of many amazing things. I will first have to tell you about one character in my story, which you, of course, could not know - we are talking about a certain usurer. I don’t know if you can imagine from my words the face of this person, which I, with the permission of the Academy, am ready to name moon face, for its yellowish pallor resembled the color of silver, from which the gilding had peeled off. My pawnbroker's hair was perfectly straight, always neatly combed and heavily grayed - ash gray. His features, motionless, impassive, like those of Talleyrand, seemed to be cast in bronze. His eyes, small and yellow, like those of a ferret, and almost without eyelashes, could not stand bright light, so he protected them with a large visor of a shabby cap. The sharp tip of a long nose, pitted with mountain ash, looked like a gimlet, and the lips were thin, like those of alchemists and ancient old men in the paintings of Rembrandt and Metsu. This man spoke quietly, softly, never got excited. His age was a mystery: I could never understand whether he had grown old before his time, or whether he was well preserved and would remain youthful for all eternity. Everything in his room was worn and tidy, from the green cloth on the desk to the rug in front of the bed, just like in the cold abode of a lonely old maid who cleans and waxes the furniture all day. In winter, in the fireplace, his firebrands smoldered a little, covered with a heap of ashes, never flaring up in flames. From the first minute of awakening to the evening coughing fits, all his actions were measured, like the movements of a pendulum. It was some kind of automaton man who was wound up daily. If you touch a woodlice crawling on paper, it will instantly stop and freeze; in the same way, this man, during a conversation, suddenly fell silent, waiting until the noise of the carriage passing under the windows subsided, as he did not want to strain his voice. Following the example of Fontenelle, he conserved vital energy, suppressing all human feelings in himself. And his life passed as silently as the sand in an old hourglass pours in a trickle. Sometimes his victims were indignant, raised a frantic cry, then suddenly there was dead silence, as in a kitchen when a duck is slaughtered in it. By evening, the man-promissory note became an ordinary person, and the ingot of metal in his chest became a human heart. If he was satisfied with the day that had passed, he rubbed his hands, and from the deep wrinkles that furrowed his face, as if a haze of cheerfulness rose, it’s really impossible to describe in other words his mute smile, the play of facial muscles, which probably expressed the same sensations, like the soundless laughter of Leatherstocking. Always, even in moments of the greatest joy, he spoke in monosyllables and maintained restraint. This is the kind of neighbor that chance sent me when I lived in the Rue Des Grais, when I was then only a junior clerk in a solicitor's office and a law student in my last year. In this gloomy, damp house there is no courtyard, all the windows face the street, and the layout of the rooms resembles the arrangement of monastic cells: they are all the same size, in each of its only door opens into a long, semi-dark corridor with small windows. Yes, this building was indeed once a monastery hotel. In such a gloomy dwelling, the lively playfulness of some secular rake would immediately fade away, even before he entered my neighbor's house; the house and its occupant were a match for each other - just like a rock and an oyster clinging to it. The only person with whom the old man, as they say, maintained a relationship was me. He looked in to ask me for a light, to take a book or a newspaper to read, he allowed me to go into his cell in the evenings, and sometimes we talked if he was disposed to this. Such signs of trust were the fruit of a four-year neighborhood and my exemplary behavior, which, due to lack of money, in many ways resembled the lifestyle of this old man. Did he have family and friends? Was he poor or rich? Nobody could answer these questions. I have never seen money in his hands. His fortune, if he had any, was probably kept in the vaults of the bank. He himself collected bills and ran all over Paris for this on thin, lean, like a deer's legs. By the way, once he suffered for his excessive caution. By chance, he had gold with him, and suddenly the double napoleondore somehow fell out of his vest pocket. The lodger, who followed the old man down the stairs, picked up the coin and handed it to him.
