Volume II Part 3 (1/2)
”No, not now!” exclaimed Morel, placing himself before the door, remembering that Louise was still in ignorance of the death of the little girl; ”wait, I must speak to you. Now, about this money?”
”Stay!” said Malicorne, as he finished counting the gold, and while putting it in his pocket; ”sixty-four, sixty-five--that will just make thirteen hundred francs. Have you no more than that, my little dear?”
”Why, you only owe thirteen hundred francs?” said Louise, addressing her father, with a stupefied air.
”Yes,” said the lapidary.
”Stop!” rejoined the catchpole; ”the bill is for thirteen hundred francs. Well, the bill is paid; but the expenses? Without the execution, they are already eleven hundred and forty francs.”
[Footnote: We append some curious facts about imprisonment for debt, taken from ”_Le Pauvre Jacques_,” a paper published by the Society of Christian Morality Prison Committee:--
”A protest and a warrant is legally set down as at 4 francs 35 centimes for the first, and 4 francs 70 centimes for the other, but is generally increased by the warrant-officers to 10fr. 40c., and 16fr.
40c. respectively. Thus 26fr. 80c. illegally obtained for what should have been but 9fr. 50c. The law sets down bailiff fees thus:--Stamp and registry, 3fr. 50c.; hackney-coach, 5fr.; arresting and imprisonment, 60fr. 25c.; turnkey's fee, 8fr. Total 76fr. 75c. One bill of charges taken as the average of those sent in by sheriffs'
officers, swells the above to 240 francs!”
In the same paper is this paragraph:--
”M---, bailiff, has written to desire correction of the article on the Hanged Woman. He did not kill her, he says. We did not say that he did _kill_ that unfortunate woman. We reprint that article:--
”M---, bailiff, having writ out for a cabinet-maker in the Rue de la Lune, was seen by the latter from the house windows. He called out to his wife.--'I am lost, for there they come to arrest me!' His wife heard this, and fastened the door, while her husband hid him self in the loft. The bailiff called in a locksmith. The wife's room door was forced, and they found the woman had hanged herself! The sight of the corpse did not delay or prevent the officer hunting for the husband.
'I arrest you.' 'I have no money.' 'To prison, then.' 'Very well, let me give my wife good-bye.' 'That be hanged, like she is herself. She's dead.' What can you complain of, M---? we only print your own words, which minutely and blackly paint this frightful picture.”
This same paper quotes three or four hundred facts, of which the following is a fair sample:--
”On collection of a 300 franc debt a warrant-officer charged 964 francs! The debtor, a workman with five children, lay seven months in prison.”
For two reasons, the present writer quotes from ”_Le Pauvre Jacques_,” firstly, to show that the chapter just read falls below reality; and again, to prove that, if merely in a philanthropic point of view, the maintenance of such a state of things (the exorbitance of extras, illegally extorted by public servants,) often paralyzes the most generous intentions. For instance, with 1,000 francs there might be three or four honest though unfortunate workmen restored to their families from a prison whither petty debts of 250 or 500 francs had driven them; but these sums being tripled by a shameful exaggeration of costs, the most charitable persons often recoil from doing a good deed at the thought of two-thirds of their bounty merely going to sheriffs and their officers. And yet, there are few hards.h.i.+ps more worthy of relief than those befalling such unfortunate people as we speak of.]
”Gracious heaven!” cried Louise; ”I thought it was only thirteen hundred francs in all! But, sir, we will very soon pay you the remainder; this is a pretty good sum on account--is it not, father?”
”Soon!--very well; bring the money to the office, and we will then let your father go. Come, let's be off.”
”You will take him away?”
”At once. This is on account. When the rest is paid, he will be free.
Go on, Bourdin; let us get out of this.”
”Mercy! mercy!” shrieked Louise.
”Oh, what a row! here it is--the old game over again: it is enough to make one sweat in the depth of winter--on my honor!” said the bailiff, in a brutal tone. Then advancing toward Morel, he continued: ”If you don't come along at once, I will take you by the collar, and bundle you down. This wind-up is beastly!”
”Oh, poor father! when I had hoped to save you!” said Louise, overwhelmed.
”No, no! hope nothing for me! Heaven is not just!” cried the lapidary, in a voice of deep despair, and stamping his feet with rage.
”Peace! heaven is just! There is Providence for honest men!” said a soft, yet manly voice.
The same instant Rudolph appeared at the door of the little recess, from whence he had, unseen, witnessed the greater part of the scenes we have just related. He was very pale, and deeply moved. At this sudden interposition, the bailiffs drew back with surprise; while Morel and his daughter stared at the prince vacantly. Taking from his pocket a small parcel of folded bank notes, Rudolph selected three, and giving them to Malicorne, said to him: ”Here are two thousand five hundred francs; give back to this girl the money you have just received from her.”
More and more surprised, the bailiff took the notes hesitatingly, examined them very suspiciously, turning them over and over, and finally pocketed them. But as his alarm and surprise began to subside, so did his natural coa.r.s.eness return, and eying Rudolph from head to foot with an impertinent stare, he exclaimed, ”Your notes are good; but how came the likes of you with so large a sum? I hope, at least, it is your own!” added he.