Volume II Part 78 (2/2)
Versailles was a beautiful spot, but I had only compli M de la Ville I went to an inn to get so down, an abbe of excellent appearance, just like dozens of other French abbes, accosted ether I always thought the coranted his request; and as soon as he sat down he couished manner in which I had been treated by M de la Ville
”I was there writing a letter,” said he, ”and I could hear all the obliging things the abbe said to you May I ask, sir, how you obtained access to him?”
”If you really wish to know, I may be able to tell you”
”It is pure curiosity on , fro your pardon”
”Certainly, with pleasure”
Having thus shut the mouth of the curious impertinent, he confined his conversation to ordinary andno further business at Versailles, I ed to be of h a ht irls I told hi to Paris in a public conveyance--far fro a question of permission--I should be only too happy to have the pleasure of his co to call on each other, and I went to Silvia's and took supper there The agreeable mistress of the house complimented me on my noble acquaintances, and made ot back to , I found a note from M du Vernai, who requested me to come to the military school at eleven o'clock on the next day, and later in the evening Calsabigi cae sheet of paper containing all the calculations pertaining to the lottery
Fortune seemed to be in my favour, for this tabular state, therefore, to follow the instructions which I pretended to receive indifferently I went to the an M
d'Alembert had been requested to be present as an expert in arithmetical calculations If M du Vernai had been the only person to be consulted, this step would not have been necessary; but the council contained soive in The conference lasted three hours
After my speech, which only lasted half an hour, M de Courteuil su objections which I refuted with the greatest ease I finally told the would volunteer to conduct the lottery on the understanding that it was to win every tiive such an undertaking they should turn him out of the rooreeuery
This had its effect, for nobody replied; and M du Vernai remarked that if the worst came to the worst the lottery could be suppressed At this I knewa docuave them, took their leave, and Ifroi careeable news that the affair was settled, and that all that anting was the publication of the decree
”I ao to M de Boulogne's every day, and get you appointed chief adot for myself”
I took care not to leave a stone unturned in this direction, as I knew that, with the great, pros The decree appeared a week after Calsabigi was made superintendent, with an allowance of three thousand francs for every drawing, a yearly pension of four thousand francs for us both, and the chief of the lottery His share was a er one than reater claim than I I sold five of the six offices that had been allotted to reat style in the Rue St Denis, puttingItalian, who had been valet to the Prince de la Catolica, the a was fixed, and notice was given that the winning nu at the chief office
With the idea of drawing custo nature would be paid atThis dreds to my office and considerably increased my profits, as I had six per cent on the receipts A nuh to coains, but he sent theet the better of me they had only to do as I did--if they had thea ht me the nuhteen thousand francs to pay, for which I gave hi of it I thus ave hi, and all this I let him keep for himself
The total receipts amounted to two millions, and the administration made a profit of six hundred thousand francs, of which Paris alone had contributed a hundred thousand francs This ell enough for a first attei at M du Vernai's, and I had the pleasure of hearing hihteen or twenty ternes, and although they were small they increased the reputation of the lottery, and it was easy to see that the receipts at the next draould be doubled The ood hui said that my idea had insured h it would ruin the other receivers
”I have played similar strokes myself,” said M du Vernai, ”and have mostly succeeded; and as for the other receivers they are at perfect liberty to follow M Casanova's example, and it all tends to increase the repute of an institution which e to hi a terne of forty thousand francs obliged me to borrow ed to deliver over , I had to pay out of my own funds, and was not repaid for a week
In all the great houses I went to, and at the theatres, as soon as I was seen, everybody gaveme to lay it out as I liked and to send thee toabout ave to people to choose froold This was an ie which I enjoyed to the exclusion of the other receivers ere not in society, and did not drive a carriage like e tohere ed by the state they keep I found I was thus able to go into any society, and to get credit everywhere
I had hardly been a month in Paris when my brother Francis, hom I had parted in 1752, arrived from Dresden with Madame Sylvestre He had been at Dresden for four years, taken up with the pursuit of his art, having copied all the battle pieces in the Elector's Galley We were both of us glad to reat friends could do for him with the Academicians, he replied with all an artist's pride that he was ed to me, but would rather not have any other patrons than his talents ”The French,” said he, ”have rejectedthem ill-will on that account, for I would reject enius I reckon on a better reception this time”
His confidence pleased me, and I complimented him upon it, for I have always been of the opinion that truejustice to itself
Francis painted a fine picture, which on being exhibited at the Louvre, was received with applause The Acadeht the picture for twelve thousand francs, my brother became famous, and in twenty-six years he made almost a million of money; but in spite of that, foolish expenditure, his luxurious style of living, and two bad es, were the ruin of him