Mercadet Part 15

Mercadet I know that.

Pierquin I now offer you a thousand crowns for them.

Mercadet That is either too much or too little! Anything for which you will give that sum must be worth infinitely more. Some one is waiting for me in the other room. I will bid you good-evening.

Pierquin I will give you four thousand francs.

Mercadet No!

Pierquin Five--six thousand.

Mercadet If you wish to play cards, keep to the gambling table. Why do you wish to recover this paper?

Pierquin Michonnin has insulted me. I wish to take vengeance on him; to send him to jail.

Mercadet (rising) Six thousand francs worth of vengeance! You are not a man to indulge in luxuries of that kind.

Pierquin I a.s.sure you--

Mercadet Come, now, my friend, consider that for a satisfactory defamation of character the code won't charge you more than five or six hundred francs, and the tax on a blow is only fifty francs--

Pierquin I swear to you--

Mercadet Has this Michonnin come into a legacy? And are the forty-seven thousand francs of these vouchers actually worth forty-seven thousand francs? You should post me on this subject and then we'll cry halves!

Pierquin Very well, I agree. The fact of it is, Michonnin is to be married.

Mercadet What next! And with whom, pray?

Pierquin With the daughter of some nabob--an idiot who is giving her an enormous dowry.

Mercadet Where does Michonnin live?

Pierquin Do you want to issue a writ? He is without a fixed abode in Paris. His furniture is held under the name of a friend; but his legal domicile must be in the neighborhood of Bordeaux, in the village of Ermont.

Mercadet Stay a while. I have some one here from that region. I can get exact information in a moment--and then we can begin proceedings.

Pierquin Send me the paper, and leave the business to me--

Mercadet I shall be very glad to do so. They shall be put into your hands in return for a signed agreement as to the sharing of the money. I am at present altogether taken up with the marriage of my daughter.

Pierquin I hope everything is going on well.

Mercadet Wonderfully well. My son-in-law is a gentleman and, in spite of that, he is rich. And, although both rich and a gentleman, he is clever into the bargain.

Pierquin I congratulate you.

Mercadet One word with you before you go. You said, Michonnin, of Ermont, in the neighborhood of Bordeaux?

Pierquin Yes, he has an old aunt somewhere about there! A good woman called Bourdillac, who sc.r.a.pes along on some six hundred francs a year, but to whom he gives the t.i.tle of Marchioness of Bourdillac. He pretends that her health is delicate and that she has a yearly income of forty thousand francs.

Mercadet Thank you. Good-evening--

Pierquin Good-evening. (goes out)

Mercadet (ringing) Justin!

Justin Did you call, sir?

Mercadet Ask M. de la Brive to speak with me for a moment. (Justin goes out.)

Mercadet Here is a windfall of twenty-three thousand francs! We shall be able to arrange things famously for Julie's marriage.

SCENE EIGHTH

Mercadet, De la Brive and Justin.

De la Brive (to Justin, handing him a letter) Here, deliver this letter. And this is for yourself.

Justin (aside) A louis! Mademoiselle will be sure to have a happy home. (Exit.)

De la Brive You wish to speak with me, my dear father-in-law?

Mercadet Yes. You see I already treat you without ceremony. Please to take a seat.

De la Brive (sitting on a sofa) I am grateful for your confidence.

Mercadet I am seeking information with regard to a debtor, who, like you, lives in the neighborhood of Bordeaux.

De la Brive I know every one in that district.

Mercadet It is said he has relations there.

De la Brive Relations! I have none but an old aunt.

Mercadet (p.r.i.c.king up his ears) An--old aunt--?

De la Brive Whose health--

Mercadet (trembling) Is--is--delicate?

De la Brive And her income is forty thousand francs.

Mercadet (quite overcome) Good Lord! The very figure!