A Zola Dictionary Part 24

MARSY (COMTE DE), Minister of the Interior before Eugene Rougon, who succeeded him on his appointment as President of the Corps Legislatif.

Marsy, who was said to be the son of a queen, was brilliant, immoral, and unscrupulous. He was the chief political opponent of Eugene Rougon and had great influence at the Court of Napoleon III. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

MARTY (M.), a master at the Lycee Bonaparte, who was being ruined by the extravagance of his wife, and was obliged to double his salary by giving private lessons, in order to meet the constantly growing household expenses. Au Bonheur des Dames.

MARTY (MADAME), wife of the preceding, was a woman of about thirty-five years of age, whose face, never beautiful, was now much marked by small-pox. She had a perfect mania for spending money on clothes, and never visited "The Ladies' Paradise" without buying innumerable articles for which she had no need. As a result of her extravagance, her husband was nearly ruined, and was forced to increase his earnings by giving private lessons. Au Bonheur des Dames.

MARTY (VALENTINE), daughter of the preceding, a young girl of fourteen years of age, who was used by her mother as an excuse for some of her extravagance, as she dressed her like herself, with all the fas.h.i.+onable novelties of which she submitted to the irresistible seduction. Au Bonheur des Dames.

MASCART (PERE), a blind paralytic to whom Angelique showed much kindness. Le Reve.

Ma.s.sACRE, one of the dogs of old Soulas, the shepherd. It shared the hatred of its master of La Cognette. La Terre.

Ma.s.sIAS, a frequenter of the Paris Bourse, where he gained a living by bringing business to stockbrokers, from whom he received a commission on each transaction. He was employed by Saccard after the foundation of the Universal Bank, and by speculating in the shares he made a considerable fortune. With the downfall of the inst.i.tution, he lost everything, and found himself in debt for a large sum. By borrowing from friends, and pledging his entire life, he paid his debts and started afresh.

L'Argent.

Ma.s.sICOT, a tradesman of Pla.s.sans who was enrolled and armed by Pierre Rougon to deliver the Town Hall from the Republicans who had occupied it. He was so excited that when he got into the building he fired in the air without knowing he had done so. La Fortune des Rougon.

Ma.s.sON (COLONEL), commander of the troops which crushed the Republican rising in 1851. La Fortune des Rougon.

MATHIAS, an old hunchback who worked on the farm of La Borderie. La Terre.

MATHIEU, a large dog which belonged to the Chanteaus at Bonneville and was a great favourite of the family. The death of this animal greatly accelerated the unreasoning fear of inevitable mortality with which the mind of Lazare Chanteau was becoming obsessed. La Joie de Vivre.

MATHILDE, an actress at the Theatre des Varietes. Nana.

MATIGNON, a draper in Paris, whose shop was near that of Baudu. Au Bonheur des Dames.

MAUDIT (ABBE), Vicar of Saint-Roch, Paris, he counted among his paris.h.i.+oners the Josserands and the Duveyriers. Though well aware of the immorality that went on in his parish, he recognized the impossibility of stopping it, and did what he could to hide it under the cloak of religion. When the scandal arose about Madame Auguste Vabre, he was approached by her relations, and at their request acted as intermediary between the husband and wife. Pot-Bouille.

MAUGENDRE (M.), father of Madame Jordan; was a retired awning manufacturer who had made a considerable fortune from his business.

He disapproved of his daughter's marriage, and refused to give her any dowry, on the pretext that she would have his fortune intact when he was dead and gone. He was a careful man, averse from speculation, but having on one occasion made a small venture, he gradually became imbued with the craze. The phenomenal success of the Universal Bank induced him to purchase its shares more and more wildly, until, when the crash came, he was so deeply committed as to be ruined. Jordan, who by this time had met with some success in literature, came to his a.s.sistance. L'Argent.

MAUGENDRE (MADAME), wife of the preceding, was at first bitterly opposed to the small speculations entered into by her husband. She soon got infected with the craze, and became even more reckless than he, urging him to involve himself more and more deeply in the fortunes of the Universal Bank. L'Argent.

MAUGENDRE (MARCELLE). See Madame Marcelle Jordan.

MAURIAC (BARON DE), starter at the racecourse of Longchamp. Nana.

MAURIN, a hatter of Pla.s.sans, who was selected by the Republicans of that town as their candidate. At the election he only received about fifteen hundred votes against the rival candidate. M. Delangre. La Conquete de Pla.s.sans.

MAURIN, a notary at Tulettes, who was also Mayor of the Commune. It was he who drew up the certificate of death of Antoine Macquart from spontaneous combustion.

MAZAUD, a broker on the Paris Bourse, who succeeded on the death of his uncle to one of the largest businesses in the city. He was young and pleasant-looking, with such remarkable activity and intuition that he soon came into the first rank. He was also a.s.sisted by the fact that he did business with all the great bankers, and was reputed to have a second cousin employed at the Havas News Agency. After the foundation of the Universal Bank, he became the official broker of that inst.i.tution, and the great gamble in its shares resolved itself into a duel between him and Jacoby, the one buying for Saccard and the other selling for Gundermann. Mazaud did not speculate on his own account, but the failure of the bank led to so many of his clients being unable to meet their differences that he was ruined. After putting his affairs in order so far as possible, he committed suicide. L'Argent.

MAZAUD (MADAME), wife of the preceding. She married for love, and brought to her husband a considerable fortune. She had two children, a girl and a boy. The suicide of her husband completely overwhelmed her with grief. L'Argent.

MAZEL, a famous master at the School of Arts, and the last rampart of elegant conventionality. The first year that the Hanging Committee of the _Salon_ was elected by the artists themselves, Mazel was chosen president. In the selection of pictures he was susceptible to influence, and was guided more by the name of the artist than by the quality of the work. L'Oeuvre.

MECHAIN, proprietor of a racing-stable. Hazard, one of his horses, ran in the Grand Prix de Paris. Nana.

MECHAIN (MADAME), a woman in the employment of Busch, the money-lender and debt collector. She a.s.sisted him in tracing debtors, and in the purchase of securities of bankrupt companies. She was a cousin of Rosalie Chavaille, mother of Victor Saccard, on whose death she was left with the boy to bring up. On discovering the paternity of Victor some years later, she and Busch attempted to blackmail Saccard, but without success, though they had previously got a considerable sum from Caroline Hamelin, who wished to save Saccard from annoyance. L'Argent.

MEGOT (JUSTINE), a young maid-servant of Renee Saccard. She had a son to Maxime Rougon in 1857, and was sent to live in the country with the child on a small annuity. La Curee.

Three years later she married Anselme Thomas, a harness-maker at Pla.s.sans. They had two children, and would have lived happily but for the husband's dislike to her eldest child, Charles Rougon. Her conduct after marriage was exemplary in every way. Le Docteur Pascal.

MEHUDIN (MADAME), originally came from Rouen to Paris, where she ever afterwards remained in the fish trade. As her two daughters, Louise and Claire, got on badly together, she ultimately divided her business between them, Louise going to the general fish-market, while Claire installed herself among the fresh-water fish. "From that time the old mother, although she pretended to have retired from business altogether, would flit from one stall to the other, still interfering in the selling of the fish, and causing her daughters continual annoyance by the foul insolence with which she at times spoke to customers." Le Ventre de Paris.

MEHUDIN (CLAIRE), the second daughter of Madame Mehudin, was an idle, fair-complexioned girl, with a gentle manner. She had, however, a strong will, and was invariably at loggerheads with others. When Florent became Inspector at the Fish Market, Claire took his part against her mother and sister, but afterwards went to the opposite extreme when his relations with Louise had become friendly. It appeared that she had a real affection for him, however, as after his arrest she a.s.saulted her sister in the belief that she had given information to the police. Le Ventre de Paris.

MEHUDIN (LOUISE), commonly called La Normande. She was a beautiful woman who had at one time been engaged to be married to a clerk in the corn-market. He was, however, accidentally killed, leaving Louise with a son, who was known in the market by the nickname of _Muche_. When Florent was first appointed Inspector in the Fish Market, Louise, who had quarrelled with his sister-in-law, Lisa, did everything she could to annoy him. Afterwards, partly gratified by his kindness to her son, and partly to annoy Madame Lisa Quenu, she became reconciled to him. Le Ventre de Paris.

MEINHOLD (MADAME DE), a lady well-known in the Society of the Second Empire. She was a friend of Madame de Lauwerens and of the Saccards. La Curee.

MELANIE, cook in the employment of the Gregoires, with whom she had been for thirty years. Germinal.

MELANIE, the servant of Denizet, the examining magistrate at Rouen. The latter was anxious for promotion, in order that his old servant might be better fed and consequently better tempered. La Bete Humane.

MELIE, niece of the Fancheurs. She was a girl from the village of Bennecourt, who waited on Claude Lantier and Christine in their cottage there, and greatly amused them by her stupidity. After the death of the Fancheurs, the inn came into the possession of Melie, but soon lost favour on account of its dirt and disorder. L'Oeuvre.

MENU (MADEMOISELLE), aunt of f.a.n.n.y Menu, who lived with her. She had been an embroideress for thirty years, but her sight failed and she was obliged to give up work. Fortunately she received a small legacy from a relative, and on this, added to the earnings of her niece, she was able to live. Pot-Bouille.

MENU (f.a.n.n.y), a young girl who was protected by Narcisse Bachelard.

As he on one occasion found her with Gueulin, his nephew, under compromising circ.u.mstances, he insisted on their marriage, and gave her a handsome dowry. Pot-Bouille.

MERLE, usher at the Council of State. He was appointed by Eugene Rougon, through the influence of Madame Correur. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

MES BOTTES, the sobriquet of one of Coupeau's companions. He was a heavy drinker and an enormous eater, and on account of the latter gift he was occasionally asked by his friends to join such parties of pleasure as paid by contract for their entertainment, in order that they might watch the landlord's face lengthen at the rapid disappearance of food.

Chiefly for this reason, he was asked to the Coupeaus' wedding party.

L'a.s.sommoir.

MEYER, owner of a Viennese bakery in Faubourg Poissonniere. The Coupeaus bought their bread from him in order to please Lantier. L'a.s.sommoir.

MICHELIN (M.), a surveyor of the Munic.i.p.al Council. "His wife, a pretty woman, occasionally called to apologize to her husband's chiefs for his absence, when he stayed away through ill-health. He was often ill, but he obtained promotion at each illness." In order to secure Saccard's influence, Michelin a.s.sisted him in getting exorbitant prices for land sold to the city. La Curee.

MICHELIN (MADAME), wife of the preceding. By means of her good looks and a determination to get on at any cost, she secured the influence of her husband's superiors, and got rapid promotion for him in the office of the Munic.i.p.al Council. La Curee.

MIETTE, the pet name of Marie Chantegreil. (q.v.).

MIETTE, one of the peasant girls of Les Artaud who a.s.sisted to decorate the church for the festival of the Virgin. La Faute de l'Abbe Mouret.

MIGNON, a man who, beginning life as a bricklayer, had ama.s.sed a fortune by speculations in building land during the early days of the Second Empire. Along with Charrier, his partner, he had many business dealings with Aristide Saccard. La Curee.

MIGNON, husband of an actress at the Theatre des Varietes. When Rose married him he was leader of the orchestra at a cafe concert where she sang. They were the best of friends, and lived together on the earnings of the wife, who exploited her beauty not less than her talents. Mignon was always on the best of terms with his wife's lovers, even a.s.sisting them occasionally to deceive her, with the view of bringing them back in penitence later on. Nana.

MIGNON (CHARLES), younger son of the preceding. Nana.

MIGNON (HENRI), elder son of Mignon. Along with his brother Charles he was educated at a boarding-school. Nana.