The Lesser Bourgeoisie

f this history an immense event had

, the quarter in which this dramatic impossibility stands is convinced that its prosperity depends upon it; so that more than once the mayor and

rded if they are given ever so small a share in the administration of that enterprise. It was at some crisis in its affairs that Minard, in his capacity as mayor of the 11th arrondissement, had been

rse, to the exclusion of Minard junior and also of Felix the professor, the prejudice hitherto manifested by Minard pere against old Phellion was transformed into an unequivocal disposition towards friendly cordiality; there is nothing that binds and soothes like the fe

he was now the head, he immediately thought of Phellion. As for the great citizen, he felt, on the day w

of Phellion's solemnity had accepted the high and sacred mission which was offered to him. He said

ised at his hesitation, "is an alarming task, but to judge

ionian tribe intended to push him. From the observations of Barniol, his son-in-law, and also by his own personal inspiration, he became persuaded that by his vote, always given to works of irreproachable morality, and by his firm determination to bar the way to all plays that mothers of families could not take their daughters to witness, he was called upon to render the most signal services to morals and public order. Phellion, to use his own expression, had therefore

ittee, had nearly approached the point of tearing each other's hair out. Twice Phellion had risen to speak, and his hearers were astonished at the quantity of metaphors the speech of a major of the National Guard could contain wh

inded me of 'The Death of Hector,' by the late Luce de Lancival

really fine lines in it, and I admit to you that I think this s

are mere witticisms, which have nothing in

any other things, he is not a little puffed up. Since their emigration to the Madeleine quarter it seems to me that not only the Sieur Collevil

very rich by the purchase of that property where they have gone to live that we ought to forgive them for a little intoxica

government positions have not disdained to come, yet I am not puffed up with prid

r yourself by your high commercial talents; our friends, on the contrary, so lately embarked

ayor rather "caustic," he made as if he intended to take leave of him. In o

bourg?" asked Minard, not allowi

ent to meet Madame Phellion and the littl

adame Phellion; and I shall get the fresh air at the same time, for, in spite of h

new establishment of the Thuilliers, and he did not attempt to renew the subject; but when

gan, "what did you think

whole affair was dull; it hadn't the gaiety of our old meetings in the Latin quarter. And then, didn't it strike you, as it did me, that Madame and Mademo

Phellion, intervening. "The name

my dear; but to me it n

ian name. Our own name, if we wanted to discuss it,

the good and the bad weather in the Thuilliers' home, where does she come from, I'd like to know? How did such a fine lady,-for she has good manners and a very distinguished air, no one denies her that,-how came she to fall

e original cause of the intimacy between Mada

use; she occupies the entres

ce; the matter came to nothing, for Francoise, our woman, who thought of marrying, changed her mind. You must know, fair lady, tha

, of whom one may truly say, 'Incessu patuit dea'; which in French w

manage the new house herself, that little fellow, who hasn't all the ascendancy over her mind he thinks he has, couldn't persuade her to move the family into the splendid apartment wher

day, one wants a prospect of greater pleasure than can be found in that salon. When one thinks that, except

at good Brigitte. She'd have seen two more candles to light. Five-franc pieces are her music. So, when la Peyrade and Thuillier insisted that she should move into the apartment in the Place de

from the summits of society, luxury infiltrates itself, sooner or

me de Godollo, for, they tell me, her apartment is very coquettishly furnished; and to coax Mademoiselle Brigitte into the same path of elegance she made a proposal to her as follows: 'A friend of mine,' she said, 'a Russian princess for whom one of the first upholsterers has just made splendid furniture, is suddenly recalled to Russ

nificence displayed before our eyes last n

ance was not so much the desire to renew her shabby furniture as the idea of doing an excellent strok

said Phellion. "Madame la Ressource is a character in

er to buy the house, it was by this clever jockeying about the furniture that the foreign countess got upon the footing with Brigitte that you now s

o the interest she took in the conversation, "it did seem to me that the great lady a

y makes him uneasy. The Thuilliers he got cheaply; for, between ourselves you know, there's not much in Thuillier himself

been taking airs of authority in the house which are quite intolerable; he behaves openly as the son-in-law; and you know very

is waning. In the first place, he won't find every day for his dear, good friend,

se very cheap?" said Madame

hungry; but he begins to perceive that Monsieur de la Peyrade, when it becomes a question of getting him that mouthful, hasn't his former opportunity to make dupes of us. That is why the family is turning more and more to Madame de Godollo, who seems to have some very high acquaintances in the political world. Besides all this, i

are cruel," said Madame Phel

who arranged the menu of that dinner; in short, she is the providence of the parvenu colony, which, without her intervention, would have made the whole quarter laugh at it. And-now this is a very noticeable thing-instead of being a parasite like la Peyrade, this Hungarian lady, who seems to have a fortune of her own, prove

ked Madame Phellion, "of this ma

find pleasure in doing good for its own sake. This lady may have seen in our good friends a set of people about to enter blindly into a sphere they knew nothing about, and having encour

ures, the dear husband!" cried Minard;

is neither my intentio

neatly that the Thuilliers are geese, and that

that they were lacking, perhaps, in that form of experience, and that this noble lady has placed at their service her knowledg

la Peyrade, there is something more than want of experience; there is, it must be said, blund

thing may be said of the offence to which you seem to make allusion. Madame Colleville granting favors to Monsieur de la Peyrade, and all the while intending to give him her daughter? No

o remind you that Madame Colleville is excessively light-min

us; I think that, little by little, we have allowed this

the hand and shaking it; "but they are honorable illusions, and I envy them. Mad

party too