The Sorrows of an OfficialIl piacere di alzar la testa tutto l'anno e ben pagato da certi quartid'ora che bisogna passar. CASTIBut let us leave this little man to his little fears; why has he taken intohis house a man of feeling, when what he required was the soul of aflunkey? Why does he not know how to select his servants? The ordinaryprocedure of the nineteenth century is that when a powerful and noblepersonage encounters a man of feeling, he kills, exiles, imprisons or sohumiliates him that the other, like a fool, dies of grief. In this instance itso happens that it is not yet the man of feeling who suffers. The greatmisfortune of the small towns of France and of elected governments, likethat of New York, is an inability to forget that there exist in the worldpersons like M. de Renal. In a town of twenty thousand inhabitants,these men form public opinion, and public opinion is a terrible force in acountry that has the Charter. A man endowed with a noble soul, of generous instincts, who would have been your friend did he not live a hundred leagues away, judges you by the public opinion of your town,which is formed by the fools whom chance has made noble, rich andmoderate. Woe to him who distinguishes himself!

　　Immediately after dinner, they set off again for Vergy; but, two dayslater, Julien saw the whole family return to Verrieres.

　　An hour had not gone by before, greatly to his surprise, he discoveredthat Madame de Renal was making a mystery of something. She brokeoff her conversations with her husband as soon as he appeared, andseemed almost to wish him to go away. Julien did not wait to be toldtwice. He became cold and reserved; Madame de Renal noticed this, anddid not seek an explanation. 'Is she going to provide me with a successor?' thought Julien. 'Only the day before yesterday, she was so intimate with me! But they say that this is how great ladies behave. They are like kings, no one receives so much attention as the minister who, on going home, finds the letter announcing his dismissal.'

　　Julien remarked that in these conversations, which ceased abruptly onhis approach, there was frequent mention of a big house belonging to themunicipality of Verrieres, old, but large and commodious, and situatedopposite the church, in the most valuable quarter of the town. 'What connection can there be between that house and a new lover?' Julien askedhimself. In his distress of mind, he repeated to himself those charminglines of Francois I, which seemed to him new, because it was not a monthsince Madame de Renal had taught them to him. At that time, by howmany vows, by how many caresses had not each line been proved false!

　　Souvent femme varie Bien fol est qui s'y fie.

　　M. de Renal set off by post for Besancon. This journey was decidedupon at two hours' notice, he seemed greatly troubled. On his return, heflung a large bundle wrapped in grey paper on the table.

　　'So much for that stupid business,' he said to his wife.

　　An hour later, Julien saw the bill-sticker carrying off this large bundle;he followed him hastily. 'I shall learn the secret at the first street corner.'

　　He waited impatiently behind the bill-sticker, who with his fat brushwas slapping paste on the back of the bill. No sooner was it in its placethan Julien's curiosity read on it the announcement in full detail of thesale by public auction of the lease of that large and old house which recurred so frequently in M. de Renal's conversations with his wife. The assignation was announced for the following day at two o'clock, in thetown hall, on the extinction of the third light. Julien was greatly disappointed; he considered the interval to be rather short: how could all thepossible bidders come to know of the sale in time? But apart from this,the bill, which was dated a fortnight earlier and which he read from beginning to end in three different places, told him nothing.

　　He went to inspect the vacant house. The porter, who did not see himapproach, was saying mysteriously to a friend:

　　'Bah! It's a waste of time. M. Maslon promised him he should have itfor three hundred francs; and as the Mayor kicked, he was sent to theBishop's Palace, by the Vicar-General de Frilair.'

　　Julien's appearance on the scene seemed greatly to embarrass the twocronies, who did not say another word.

　　Julien did not fail to attend the auction. There was a crowd of peoplein an ill-lighted room; but everyone eyed his neighbours in a singular fashion. Every eye was fixed on a table, where Julien saw, on a pewterplate, three lighted candle-ends. The crier was shouting: 'Three hundredfrancs, gentlemen!'

　　'Three hundred francs! It is too bad!' one man murmured to another.

　　Julien was standing between them. 'It is worth more than eight hundred;I am going to cover the bid.'

　　'It's cutting off your nose to spite your face. What are you going to gainby bringing M. Maslon, M. Valenod, the Bishop, his terrible Vicar-General de Frilair and the whole of their gang down upon you?'

　　'Three hundred and twenty,' the other shouted.

　　'Stupid idiot!' retorted his neighbour. 'And here's one of the Mayor'sspies,' he added pointing at Julien.

　　Julien turned sharply to rebuke him for this speech; but the two Franc-Comtois paid no attention to him. Their coolness restored his own. Atthis moment the last candle-end went out, and the drawling voice of thecrier assigned the house for a lease of nine years to M. de Saint-Giraud,chief secretary at the Prefecture of ——, and for three hundred and thirtyfrancs.

　　As soon as the Mayor had left the room, the discussion began.

　　'That's thirty francs Grogeot's imprudence has earned for the town,'

　　said one.

　　'But M. de Saint-Giraud,' came the answer, 'will have his revenge onGrogeot, he will pass it on.'

　　'What a scandal,' said a stout man on Julien's left: 'a house for whichI'ld have given, myself, eight hundred francs as a factory, and then itwould have been a bargain.'

　　'Bah!' replied a young Liberal manufacturer, 'isn't M. de Saint-Giraudone of the Congregation? Haven't his four children all got bursaries? Poorman! The town of Verrieres is simply bound to increase his income withan allowance of five hundred francs; that is all.'

　　'And to think that the Mayor hasn't been able to stop it!' remarked athird. 'For he may be an Ultra, if you like, but he's not a thief.'

　　'He's not a thief?' put in another; 'it's a regular thieves' kitchen.

　　Everything goes into a common fund, and is divided up at the end of theyear. But there's young Sorel; let us get away.'

　　Julien went home in the worst of tempers; he found Madame de Renalgreatly depressed.

　　 'Have you come from the sale?' she said to him.

　　'Yes, Ma'am, where I had the honour to be taken for the Mayor's spy.'

　　'If he had taken my advice, he would have gone away somewhere.'

　　At that moment, M. de Renal appeared; he was very sombre. Dinnerwas eaten in silence. M. de Renal told Julien to accompany the childrento Vergy; they travelled in unbroken gloom. Madame de Renal tried tocomfort her husband.

　　'Surely you are accustomed to it, my dear.'

　　That evening, they were seated in silence round the domestic hearth;the crackle of the blazing beech logs was their sole distraction. It was oneof those moments of depression which are to be found in the most unitedfamilies. One of the children uttered a joyful cry.

　　'There's the bell! The bell!'

　　'Egad, if it's M. de Saint-Giraud come to get hold of me, on the excuseof thanking me, I shall give him a piece of my mind; it's too bad. It'sValenod that he has to thank, and it is I who am compromised. What amI going to say if those pestilent Jacobin papers get hold of the story, andmake me out a M. Nonante-Cinq?' 3A good-looking man, with bushy black whiskers, entered the room atthis moment in the wake of the servant.

　　'M. le Maire, I am Signor Geronimo. Here is a letter which M. leChevalier de Beauvaisis, attache at the Embassy at Naples, gave me foryou when I came away; it is only nine days ago,' Signor Geronimo added, with a sprightly air, looking at Madame de Renal. 'Signor deBeauvaisis, your cousin, and my good friend, Madame, tells me that youknow Italian.'

　　The good humour of the Neapolitan changed this dull evening intoone that was extremely gay. Madame de Renal insisted upon his takingsupper. She turned the whole house upside down; she wished at all coststo distract Julien's thoughts from the description of him as a spy whichtwice in that day he had heard ringing in his ear. Signer Geronimo was afamous singer, a man used to good company, and at the same time thebest of company himself, qualities which, in France, have almost ceasedto be compatible. He sang after supper a little duet with Madame de3.M. Marsan explains this allusion to a satire by Barthelemy at the expense of theMarseilles magistrate Merindol, who in sentencing him to a fine had made use of theCommon Southern expression 'Nonante-cinq' for 'Quatre-vingt-quinze.

　　 Renal. He told charming stories. At one o'clock in the morning the children protested when Julien proposed that they should go to bed.

　　'Just this story,' said the eldest.

　　'It is my own, Signorino,' replied Signer Geronimo. 'Eight years ago Iwas, like you, a young scholar in the Conservatorio of Naples, by which Imean that I was your age; for I had not the honour to be the son of theeminent Mayor of the beautiful town of Verrieres.'

　　This allusion drew a sigh from M. de Renal, who looked at his wife.

　　'Signer Zingarelli,' went on the young singer, speaking with a slightlyexaggerated accent which made the children burst out laughing, 'SignorZingarelli is an exceedingly severe master. He is not loved at the Conservatorio; but he makes them act always as though they loved him. I escaped whenever I could; I used to go to the little theatre of San Carlino,where I used to hear music fit for the gods: but, O heavens, how was I toscrape together the eight soldi which were the price of admission to thepit? An enormous sum,' he said, looking at the children, and the childrenlaughed again. 'Signer Giovannone, the Director of San Carlino, heardme sing. I was sixteen years old. "This boy is a treasure," he said.

　　'"Would you like me to engage you, my friend?" he said to me one day.

　　'"How much will you give me?"'"Forty ducats a month." That, gentlemen, is one hundred and sixtyfrancs. I seemed to see the heavens open.

　　'"But how," I said to Giovannone, "am I to persuade the strictZingarelli to let me go?"'"Lascia fare a me."'

　　'Leave it to me!' cried the eldest of the children.

　　'Precisely, young Sir. Signor Giovannone said to me: "First of all, caro,alittle agreement." I signed the paper: he gave me three ducats. I had never seen so much money. Then he told me what I must do.

　　'Next day, I demanded an interview with the terrible Signer Zingarelli.

　　His old servant showed me into the room.

　　'"What do you want with me, you scapegrace?" said Zingarelli.

　　'"Maestro" I told him, "I repent of my misdeeds; never again will Ibreak out of the Conservatorio by climbing over the iron railings. I amgoing to study twice as hard."'"If I were not afraid of spoiling the finest bass voice I have ever heard,I should lock you up on bread and water for a fortnight, you scoundrel." '"Maestro" I went on, "I am going to be a model to the whole school,credete a me. But I ask one favour of you, if anyone comes to ask for me tosing outside, refuse him. Please say that you cannot allow it."'"And who do you suppose is going to ask for a good for nothing likeyou? Do you think I shall ever allow you to leave the Conservatorio? Doyou wish to make a fool of me? Off with you, off with you!" he said, aiming a kick at my hindquarters, "or it will be bread and water in a cell."'An hour later, Signer Giovannone came to call on the Director.

　　'"I have come to ask you to make my fortune," he began, "let me haveGeronimo. If he sings in my theatre this winter I give my daughter inmarriage."'"What do you propose to do with the rascal?" Zingarelli asked him. "Iwon't allow it. You shan't have him; besides, even if I consented, hewould never be willing to leave the Conservatorio; he's just told me sohimself."'"If his willingness is all that matters," said Giovannone gravely, producing my agreement from his pocket, "carta canta! Here is hissignature."'Immediately Zingarelli, furious, flew to the bell-rope: "Turn Geronimoout of the Conservatorio," he shouted, seething with rage. So out theyturned me, I splitting my sides with laughter. That same evening, I sangthe aria del Moltiplico. Polichinelle intends to marry, and counts up on hisfingers the different things he will need for the house, and loses countafresh at every moment.'

　　'Oh, won't you, Sir, please sing us that air?' said Madame de Renal.

　　Geronimo sang, and his audience all cried with laughter.

　　Signor Geronimo did not go to bed until two in the morning, leavingthe family enchanted with his good manners, his obliging nature and hisgay spirits.

　　Next day M. and Madame de Renal gave him the letters which he required for the French Court.

　　'And so, falsehood everywhere,' said Julien. 'There is Signor Geronimoon his way to London with a salary of sixty thousand francs. But for thecleverness of the Director of San Carlino, his divine voice might not havebeen known and admired for another ten years, perhaps … Upon mysoul, I would rather be a Geronimo than a Renal. He is not so highly honoured in society, but he has not the humiliation of having to grant leaseslike that one today, and his is a merry life.'

　　 One thing astonished Julien: the weeks of solitude spent at Verrieres,in M. de Renal's house, had been for him a time of happiness. He had encountered disgust and gloomy thoughts only at the dinners to which hehad been invited; in that empty house, was he not free to read, write,meditate, undisturbed? He had not been aroused at every moment fromhis radiant dreams by the cruel necessity of studying the motions of abase soul, and that in order to deceive it by hypocritical words or actions.

　　'Could happiness be thus within my reach? … The cost of such a life isnothing; I can, as I choose, marry Miss Elisa, or become Fouque's partner … But the traveller who has just climbed a steep mountain, sits downon the summit, and finds a perfect pleasure in resting. Would he behappy if he were forced to rest always?'

　　Madame de Renal's mind w............