Mercadet Part 16

De la Brive The Marchioness, you see, will be a good woman to have on hand. I mean the Marchioness--

Mercadet (vehemently rus.h.i.+ng at him) Of Bourdillac, sir!

De la Brive How is this? Do you know her name?

Mercadet Yes, and yours too!

De la Brive The devil you do!

Mercadet You are head over ears in debt; your furniture is held in another man's name; your old aunt has a pittance of six hundred francs; Pierquin, who is one of your smallest creditors, has forty-seven thousand francs in notes of hand from you. You are Michonnin, and I am the idiotic nabob!

De la Brive (stretching himself at full length on the sofa) By heavens! You know just as much about it as I do!

Mercadet Well--I see that once more the devil has taken a hand in my game.

De la Brive (aside, rising to his feet) The marriage is over! I am no longer a socialist; I shall become a communist.

Mercadet And I have been just as easily deceived, as if I had been on the Exchange.

De la Brive Show yourself worthy of your reputation.

Mercadet M. Michonnin, your conduct is more than blameworthy!

De la Brive In what particular? Did I not say that I had debts?

Mercadet We'll let that pa.s.s, for any one may have debts; but where is your estate situated.

De la Brive In the Landes.

Mercadet And of what does it consist?

De la Brive Of sand wastes, planted with firs.

Mercadet Good to make toothpicks.

De la Brive That's about it.

Mercadet And it is worth?

De la Brive Thirty thousand francs.

Mercadet And mortgaged for--

De la Brive Forty-five thousand!

Mercadet And you had the skill to effect that?

De la Brive Why, yes--

Mercadet d.a.m.nation! But that was pretty clever! And your marshes, sir?

De la Brive They border on the sea--

Mercadet They are part of the ocean!

De la Brive The people of that country are evil-minded enough to say so. That is what hinders my loans!

Mercadet It would be very difficult to issue ocean shares! Sir, I may tell you, between ourselves, that your morality seems to me--

De la Brive Somewhat--

Mercadet Risky.

De la Brive (in anger) Sir! (calming himself) Let this be merely between ourselves!

Mercadet You gave a friend a bill of sale of your furniture, you sign your notes of hand with the name of Michonnin, and you call yourself merely De la Brive--

De la Brive Well, sir, what are you going to do about it?

Mercadet Do about it? I am going to lead you a pretty dance--

De la Brive Sir, I am your guest! Moreover, I may deny everything-- What proofs have you?

Mercadet What proofs! I have in my hands forty-seven thousand francs' worth of your notes.

De la Brive Are they signed to the order of Pierquin?

Mercadet Precisely so.

De la Brive And you have had them since this morning?

Mercadet Since this morning.

De la Brive I see. You have given worthless stock in exchange for valueless notes.

Mercadet Sir!

De la Brive And, in order to seal the bargain, Pierquin, one of the least important of your creditors, has given you a delay of three months.

Mercadet Who told you that?

De la Brive Who? Who? Pierquin himself, of course, as soon as he learned I was going to make an arrangement--

Mercadet The devil he did!

De la Brive Ah! You were going to give two hundred thousand francs as a dowry to your daughter, and you had debts to the amount of three hundred and fifty thousand! Between ourselves it looks like you who had been trying to swindle the son-in-law, sir--

Mercadet (angrily) Sir! (calming himself) This is merely between ourselves, sir.