Part 4 (1/2)
The introduction of these t personages into this history and that mysterious affinity of names and sentiments, merit some attention on the part of both historian and reader We will then enter into so Messieurs Malicorne and Manicamp Malicorne, we know, had made the journey to Orleans in search of the brevet destined for Mademoiselle de Montalais, the arrival of which had produced such a strong feeling at the castle of Blois At that ular person was this M de Manica felloays poor, always needy, although he dipped his hand freely into the purse of M le Comte de Guiche, one of the best furnished purses of the period M le Comte de Guiche had had, as the coentleman, vassal-born, of the house of Gramont M de Manicamp, with his tact and talent had created himself a revenue in the opulent family of the celebrated marechal Froe, lent his mane and complaisance to the follies of the Comte de Guiche If his noble companion had stolen some fruit destined for Mada's eye, Manicauilty of the crime committed, and received the punish on the innocent But this was the way this syste such mean habiliments as his paternal fortunes entitled hi noble of fifty thousand livres a year It was not that he was mean in character or humble in spirit; no, he was a philosopher, or rather he had the indifference, the apathy, the obstinacy which banish from man every sentiment of the supernatural His sole ambition was to spend ulf Three or four times every year he drained the Cohly drained, when he had turned out his pockets and his purse before hiht before paternal munificence would refill those pockets and that purse, Manicay, he went to bed, re and sold his handso in bed, he did not want theth, the purse of the Coain, and when once filled, overflowed into that of De Manicaain, and recommenced the sa his new clothes for a quarter of what they orth, had rendered our hero sufficiently celebrated in Orleans, a city where, in general, we should be puzzled to say why he came to pass his days of penitence Provincial debauches, petits- the admirers of these splendid toilettes, our friend Malicorne was conspicuous; he was the son of a syndic of the city, of whom M de Conde, always needy as a De Conde, often borrowed money at enormous interest M Malicorne kept the paternal money-chest; that is to say, that in those ti the exah interest for short ter six hundred livres furnished by the generosity of the syndic; so that Malicorne was the king of the gay youth of Orleans, having two thousand four hundred livres to scatter, squander, and waste on follies of every kind But, quite contrary to Manicamp, Malicorne was terribly ambitious He loved from ambition; he spent money out of ambition; and he would have ruined himself for ambition Malicorne had deterht cost, and for this, whatever price it did cost, he had given himself a mistress and a friend The arded love; but she was of a noble family, and that was sufficient for Malicorne The friend had little or no friendshi+p, but he was the favorite of the Co's brother; and that was sufficient for Malicorne Only, in the chapter of charges, Madeloves, and sweets, a thousand livres De Manicamp cost-money lent, never returned-from twelve to fifteen hundred livres per annu left for Malicorne Ah! yes, we arebox He e, upon which he preserved theto himself, from the coffers of the syndic, half a dozen year's profits, that is to say, fifteen thousand livres, swearing to himself-observe, quite to himself-to repay this deficiency as soon as an opportunity should present itself The opportunity was expected to be the concession of a good post in the household of Monsieur, when that household would be established at the period of his e This juncture had arrived, and the household was about to be established A good post in the faiven by the credit, and on the recommendation of a friend, like the Comte de Guiche, is worth at least twelve thousand livres per annum; and by the means which M Malicorne had taken to ht rise to twenty thousand Then, when once an incumbent of this post, he would marry Mademoiselle de Montalais Mademoiselle de Montalais, of a half noble family, not only would be dowered, but would ennoble Malicorne But, in order that Madee patrihter, should be suitably dowered, it was necessary that she should belong to soer Madame was covetous And in order that the wife should not be of one party whilst the husband belonged to the other, a situation which presents serious inconveniences, particularly with characters like those of the future consorts-Malicorne had i the central point of union the household of Monsieur, the king's brother Mademoiselle de Montalais would be maid of honor to Madame M Malicorne would be officer to Monsieur
It is plain the plan was formed by a clear head; it is plain, also, that it had been bravely executed Malicorne had asked Manicamp to ask a brevet of maid of honor of the Comte de Guiche; and the Coned it without hesitation The constructive plan of Malicorne-for we may well suppose that the combinations of a mind as active as his were not confined to the present, but extended to the future-the constructive plan of Malicorne, we say, was this:-To obtain entrance into the household of Madaent, young, handso; to learn, byhousehold; whilst he, Malicorne, and his friend Manicamp, should, between the community It was by these ht be acquired at one and the same time Malicorne was a vile name; he who bore it had too ht be purchased; and Malicorne of so more nobly on the ear
It was not iht be hunted up by the heralds for this naht it not come froreat misfortune, and baptized the soil with the blood it had spilt? Certes, this plan presented itself bristling with difficulties: but the greatest of all was Madeiddy, free, prudish, a virgin arrapes, she soers, or with a single puff fro lips, the edifice which had exhausted Malicorne's patience for a month
Love apart, Malicorne was happy; but this love, which he could not help feeling, he had the strength to conceal with care; persuaded that at the least relaxing of the ties by which he had bound his Protean feh at hi with desire, when she advanced to tempt him, he had the art to appear ice, persuaded that if he opened his ar at him On her side, Montalais believed she did not love Malicorne; whilst, on the contrary, in reality she did Malicorne repeated to her so often his protestation of indifference, that she finished, so him; and then she believed she detested Malicorne If she tried to bring him back by coquetry, Malicorne played the coquette better than she could But what made Montalais hold to Malicorne in an indissoluble fashi+on, was that Malicorne always came cram full of fresh news froht to Blois a fashi+on, a secret, or a perfu, but, on the contrary, required to be supplicated to receive the favors he burned to obtain On her side, Montalais was no miser with stories By her means, Malicorne learnt all that passed at Blois, in the faer Madame; and he related to Manica, which the latter, out of idleness, took ready-made to M de Guiche, who carried them to Monsieur
Such, in tords, was the woof of petty interests and petty conspiracies which united Blois with Orleans, and Orleans with Pairs; and which was about to bring into the last nareat a revolution, the poor little La Valliere, as far fro on the are future she was reserved As to the good man, Malicorne-we speak of the syndic of Orleans-he did not see more clearly into the present than others did into the future; and had no suspicion as he walked, every day, between three and five o'clock, after his dinner, upon the Place Sainte-Catherine, in his gray coat, cut after the fashi+on of Louis XIII and his cloth shoes with great knots of ribbon, that it was he as paying for all those bursts of laughter, all those stolen kisses, all those whisperings, all those little keepsakes, and all those bubble projects which forth, from the palais of Blois to the Palais Royal
Chapter V: Manicamp and Malicorne
Malicorne, then, left Blois, as we have said, and went to find his friend, Manicamp, then in temporary retreat in the city of Orleans It was just at thethe last decent clothing he had left He had, a fortnight before, extorted from the Comte de Guiche a hundred pistoles, all he had, to assist in equipping hio and meet Madame, on her arrival at Le Havre He had drawn from Malicorne, three days before, fifty pistoles, the price of the brevet obtained for Montalais He had then no expectation of anything else, having exhausted all his resources, with the exception of selling a handsoold, which had been the admiration of the court But to be able to sell this suit, the last he had left,-as we have been forced to confess to the reader-Manicaed to take to his bed No - but sleep to take the place of repasts, companies and balls It has been said-”He who sleeps, dines;” but it has never been affirmed-He who sleeps, plays-or, He who sleeps, dances Manica, for a week at least, was, consequently, very sad; he was expecting a usurer, and saw Malicorne enter A cry of distress escaped hi can describe, ”is that you again, dear friend?”
”Humph! you are very polite!” said Malicorne
”Ay, but look you, I was expecting money, and, instead of ht you so You are very welcome, my dear friend!”
And he held out his hand, not for the hand of Malicorne, but for the purse Malicorne pretended to be ave him his hand
”And the money?” said Manicamp
”My dear friend, if you wish to have it, earn it”
”What must be done for it?”
”Earn it, parbleu!”
”And after what fashi+on?”
”Oh! that is rather trying, I warn you”
”The devil!”
”You o iet up!” said Manica himself in his bed, complacently, ”oh, no, thank you!”
”You have sold all your clothes?”
”No, I have one suit left, the handsomest even, but I expect a purchaser”
”And the chausses?”
”Well, if you look, you will see them on that chair”
”Very well! since you have sos into the first and your back into the other; have a horse saddled, and set off”
”Not I”
”And why not?”
”Morbleu! don't you know, then, that M de Guiche is at Etaht he was at Paris You will then only have fifteen leagues to go, instead of thirty”
”You are a wonderfully clever fellow! If I were to ride fifteen leagues in these clothes, they would never be fit to put on again; and, instead of selling theed to take fifteen”
”Sell them for whatever you like, but I must have a second commission of maid of honor”
”Good! for whom? Is Montalais doubled, then?”
”Vile fellow!-It is you who are doubled You s up two fortunes-mine, and that of M le Comte de Guiche”
”You should say, that of M le Comte de Guiche and yours”
”That is true; honor where it is due; but I return to ”
”Prove me that”
”My friend, there will only be twelve maids of honor for madame; I have already obtained for you what twelve hundred wo for, and for that I was forced to employ all my diplomacy”
”Oh! yes, I know you have been quite heroic, my dear friend”
”We knoe are about,” said Manica, I pro”
”What? To call yourself Malicorne the First?”
”No; to make you superintendent of my finances; but that is not the question now”
”Unfortunately”
”The present affair is to procure for me a second place of maid of honor”