Parisians in the Country
d not stir as the two ladies entered with Gaudissart. His thoughts were running on the casks of wine. He was a sp
the strongly marked jawbone, the hollow cheeks, and the oblong tendency of all these lines, together with his unnaturally long and flat chi
bout! Here is a gentleman whom my husband sends to you, and you must liste
oked at Gaudissart, made him a sign to sit
versation, and interpose if it became necessary. They were hardly installed before Monsieur Ver
ess been in business
s, interrupting him. "I pacificated C
gone to Calabria!" whi
dissart, "we shall quick
triking the attitude taken by a man
aying before you the material advantages of this enterprise, whose psychological aspects it would be a waste of time to explain to you. Listen! Of all kinds of social wealth, is not time the most precious? To economize time is, consequently, to become wealthy. Now, is there anything that consumes so much t
hat's right,"
omizing time, but of giving it a price, a quotation; of representing in a pecuniary sense those products developed by time which presumably you possess in the region of your intellect; of representing also the moral qualities with which you are endowed, and which are, Monsieur, living forces,-as living as a cataract, as a steam-engine of three, ten, twenty, fifty horse-power. Ha! this is progress! the movement onward to a better state of things; a movement bor
nter," said
u are a painter; you have a glorious future, aGaudissart, thinking he meant to go away; but
ssart, going on with his phrases, "but you a
elf," said
, then, you-painter, artist, man of letters, statesman of the future-you reckon upon your t
e a hundred th
them in the long run through your works of art, your writings, or your fortunate speculations during your lifetime. But, as I have already had the honor
and," said
mpany which recognizes in you a value of
nter," said
ur family, your heirs, if, by reason of your death, the hopes foundered on your intellectual capital s
d the lunatic, sharp
I see that Monsieur u
d the Territorial Bank in the Rue des
nizes and esteems in himself, it is of course necessary that each should pay a certain premium, three per cent; an annual due of thre
ve," said
e we, after all? Book-keepers in the great Bureau of Intellect. Monsieur, I don't apply these remarks to you, but I meet on all sides men who make it a business to teach new ideas and disclose chains of rea
sked the
s the qualities which are estimated in your policy
atte
the anxieties you were dragging about with you in the shape of wife and children who might otherwise be left destitute at your death. If you attain
a fine
e against poverty; or, if you like it better, the discounting, the cashing, of talent. For talent, Monsieur, is a bi
ury!" cried
thought Gaudissart, "I must catch him with other chaff. I'l
glass of wine?"
re," replied
ns. You are here at the very head of Vouvray," he continue
the vintage of 1819. The good-man filled a glass with cir
laimed the commercial traveller. "S
r vintage has not been good enough for the Dutch and Belgian markets, to mix it with wines grown in the neighborhood of Paris, and call it Bordeaux. But what you are drinking just now, my good Monsieur, is a wine for kings, the pure Head of Vouvray,-that's it's name. I have two puncheons, o
at we were saying," i
st, intellectual capital, capital wine,-all the same etymology, don't you see? h
ntellectual capital through your
"Would you like to buy my puncheons
issart, "of the results of insurance and the employmen
down, and fell once
u die the capital will be paid to
t discu
s there wer
s quib
that suicide is one of those
" said the
short discussion on this point, I will say, once for all, that deat
at all!" cried Margaritis. "My bank
an. "Nothing at all? What do you call sickness, and afflictions
points," sai
ht to master it, and will master it some day with a brush, a chisel, with words, ideas, theories, systems. Civilization is atrocious! It denies bread to the men who give it luxury. It starves them on sneers and curses, the beggarly rascal! My words may be strong, but I shall not retract them. Well, this great but neglected man comes to us;
or that," interp
use he can give security. Well, Monsieur, is not that a great gulf to bridge over in our social system? But that is only one aspect of our work. We insure debtors by another scheme of policies and premiums. We offer annuities at rates graduated according to ages, on a sliding-scale infinitely more advantageous than what are called tontines, which
rned it. You must line your inside with velvet if you are going to pump at it like
of it all?" said Gaudiss
but I like the discounts I get at my Terr
lend upon landed property and redeem it on a large scale. But that is a narrow idea compared to our system of consolidating hopes,-consolidating hopes! coagulating, so
th his glass at his lips. "I like progres
tch the whole sentence. "The 'Times' is a bad n
ourse! Wife! wife! where is the newspape
said Gaudissart, changing his attack,
thing about that, tell me w
icio
r himself and filled Gaudissart's glass. "Well, Monsieur, I have two pu
all the commodities I-But allow me to tell you about their noble newspaper. You, who have understood
id Margar
rfectly. Your wine is very good, Mons
there is a man from Paris who co
Monsieur. The 'Globe,' o
e over it," sa
e head of every great man. Genius will make itself known; but sometimes it happens that great men, in spite of their gifts, remain obscure. Such was very nearly the case with Saint-
d the fool, fall
was sent to proclaim the equality of man in the sight of God. But what is the fact? Equality up to our day has been an 'ignus fatuus,' a chimera. Saint-Si
ated?" asked
dual progress, a social co-ordination in which each man shall receive the full worth of his individual labor, in which no man shall be
vants?" demand
vants if they have no
the good of y
gher point of view: you must take a general survey of humanity. Here
said the fool, who th
stirred, roused you, then, my dear sir, the 'Globe' newspaper,-noble name which proclaims its mission,-the 'Globe' is an organ, a guide, who will
y drink
ghest style; I may say, in prophetic style. Superb
orkmen who pull things down want win
ore, Monsieur, when they pull down with one hand and bu
, two puncheons, three hundred bottle
dn't be a bad thing: they give more for worse wines-(Good! I've got him!" thought Gaudissart, "he wants to sell me wine which I want; I'll master him)-W
said the madman; "I a
ughly comprehend the insura
roug
easured the full impo
e; on
to himself and not to t
rent qualities which need development, or for the protection of their families against a precarious future. Now, if you will subscribe to the 'Globe,' and give me your personal assistance in this district
d on th
e its interests
dvan
nd
nd
subscribe, don't y
thing, for life,"
, clear type, well set up; what I call 'good nap.' None of your botched stuff, cotton and wool, trumpery; flimsy rubbish that rips if you look a
me," said
s a trifle,-e
uit me," said
ave got grandchildren? There's the 'Children's
hildren. That suits me very well: a fine idea! intellec
, Monsieur," s
e hi
to push me in
e dist
your app
hav
r, I take your wine
hundred
pany, but a hundred to me. I enable you
twenty,"-"cent vingt" ("
al pun
ons. About
etter! why, y
the fool. "Come out
to row and hillock to hillock among the vines. The three ladies and Monsieur Vernier, left to themselves, went off into fits of laught
n hadn't carried hi
h the eager step of men who were in ha
r of the Parisian, da
d wrote an order for the delivery of the two casks of wine. Margaritis, having carefully read it over, c
all have the honor to call for you to-morrow. Meantime, send the wine at once to
procal. He therefore required his promised supporter to sign a bond (which the lunatic carefully
issart departed in high feather
ng of t
d his mo