Le Juif errant. English

  CHAPTER XIV. THE EVE OF A GREAT DAY.

  About two hours before the event last related took place at St. Mary'sConvent, Rodin and Abbe d'Aigrigny met in the room where we have alreadyseen them, in the Rue du Milieu-des-Ursins. Since the Revolution ofJuly, Father d'Aigrigny had thought proper to remove for the moment tothis temporary habitation all the secret archives and correspondence ofhis Order--a prudent measure, since he had every reason to fear that thereverend fathers would be expelled by the state from that magnificentestablishment, with which the restoration had so liberally endowed theirsociety. (11)

  Rodin, dressed in his usual sordid style, mean and dirty as ever, waswriting modestly at his desk, faithful to his humble part of secretary,which concealed, as we have already seen a far more importantoffice--that of Socius--a function which, according to the constitutionsof the Order, consists in never quitting his superior, watching hisleast actions, spying into his very thoughts, and reporting all to Rome.

  In spite of his usual impassibility, Rodin appeared visibly uneasy andabsent in mind; he answered even more briefly than usual to the commandsand questions of Father d'Aigrigny, who had but just entered the room.

  "Has anything new occurred during my absence?" asked he. "Are thereports still favorable?"

  "Very favorable."

  "Read them to me."

  "Before giving this account to your reverence," said Rodin, "I mustinform you that Morok has been two days in Paris."

  "Morok?" said Abbe d'Aigrigny, with surprise. "I thought, on leavingGermany and Switzerland, he had received from Friburg the order toproceed southward. At Nismes, or Avignon, he would at this moment beuseful as an agent; for the Protestants begin to move, and we fear areaction against the Catholics."

  "I do not know," said Rodin, "if Morok may not have had private reasonsfor changing his route. His ostensible reasons are, that he comes hereto give performances."

  "How so?"

  "A dramatic agent, passing through Lyons, engaged him and his menageriefor the Port Saint-Martin Theatre at a very high price. He says that hedid not like to refuse such an offer."

  "Well," said Father d'Aigrigny, shrugging his shoulders, "but bydistributing his little books, and selling prints and chaplets, aswell as by the influence he would certainly exercise over the pious andignorant people of the South or of Brittany, he might render services,such as he can never perform in Paris."

  "He is now below, with a kind of giant, who travels about with him. Inhis capacity of your reverence's old servant, Morok hoped to have thehonor of kissing your hand this evening."

  "Impossible--impossible--you know how much I am occupied. Have you sentto the Rue Saint-Francois?"

  "Yes, I have. The old Jew guardian has had notice from the notary. Tomorrow, at six in the morning, the masons will unwall the door, and,for the first time since one hundred and fifty years, the house will beopened."

  Father d'Aigrigny remained in thought for a moment, and then said toRodin: "On the eve of such a decisive day, we must neglect nothing,and call every circumstance to memory. Read me the copy of the note,inserted in the archives of the society, a century and a half ago, onthe subject of Rennepont."

  The secretary took the note from the case, and read as follows:

  "'This 19th day of February, 1682, the Reverend Father-ProvincialAlexander Bourdon sent the following advice, with these words in themargin: Of extreme importance for the future.

  "'We have just discovered, by the confession of a dying person to one ofour fathers, a very close secret.

  "'Marius de Rennepont, one of the most active and redoubtable partisansof the Reformed Religion, and one of the most determined enemies of ourHoly Society, had apparently re-entered the pale of our Mother Church,but with the sole design of saving his worldly goods, threatened withconfiscation because of his irreligious and damnable errors. Evidencehaving been furnished by different persons of our company to prove thatthe conversion of Rennepont was not sincere, and in reality covered asacrilegious lure, the possessions of the said gentleman, now considereda relapsed heretic, were confiscated by our gracious sovereign, hisMajesty King Louis XIV, and the said Rennepont was condemned to thegalleys for life.(12) He escaped his doom by a voluntary death; inconsequence of which abominable crime, his body was dragged upon ahurdle, and flung to the dogs on the highway.

  "'From these preliminaries, we come to the great secret, which is ofsuch importance to the future interests of our Society.

  "'His Majesty Louis XIV., in his paternal and Catholic goodness towardsthe Church in general, and our Order in particular, had granted to usthe profit of this confiscation, in acknowledgment of our services indiscovering the infamous and sacrilegious relapse of the said Rennepont.

  "'But we have just learned, for certain, that a house situated in Paris,No. 3, Rue Saint-Francois, and a sum of fifty thousand gold crowns, haveescaped this confiscation, and have consequently been stolen from ourSociety.

  "'The house was conveyed, before the confiscation, by means of a feignedpurchase, to a friend of Rennepont's a good Catholic, unfortunately, asagainst him we cannot take any severe measures. Thanks to the culpable,but secure connivance of his friend, the house has been walled up, andis only to be opened in a century and a half, according to the lastwill of Rennepont. As for the fifty thousand gold crowns, they have beenplaced in hands which, unfortunately, are hitherto unknown to us, inorder to be invested and put out to use for one hundred and fifty years,at the expiration of which time they are to be divided between the thenexisting descendants of the said Rennepont; and it is calculated thatthis sum, increased by so many accumulations, will by then have becomeenormous, and will amount to at least forty or fifty millions of livrestournois. From motives which are not known, but which are duly statedin a testamentary document, the said Rennepont has concealed from hisfamily, whom the edicts against the Protestants have driven out ofFrance, the investment of these fifty thousand crowns; and has onlydesired his relations to preserve in their line from generation togeneration, the charge to the last survivors, to meet in Paris, RueSaint-Francois, a hundred and fifty years hence, on February the 13th,1832. And that this charge might not be forgotten, he employed a person,whose description is known, but not his real occupation, to cause tobe manufactured sundry bronze medals, on which the request and date areengraved, and to deliver one to each member of the family--a measure themore necessary, as, from some other motive equally unknown, but probablyexplained in the testament, the heirs are to present themselves on theday in question, before noon, in person, and not by any attorney, orrepresentative, or to forfeit all claim to the inheritance. The strangerwho undertook to distribute the medals to the different members of thefamily of Rennepont is a man of thirty to thirty-six years of age, oftall stature, and with a proud and sad expression of countenance. He hasblack eyebrows, very thick, and singularly joined together. He isknown as JOSEPH, and is much suspected of being an active and dangerousemissary of the wretched republicans and heretics of the SevenUnited Provinces. It results from these premises, that this sum,surreptitiously confided by a relapsed heretic to unknown hands, hasescaped the confiscation decreed in our favor by our well-beloved king.A serious fraud and injury has therefore been committed, and we arebound to take every means to recover this our right, if not immediately,at least in some future time. Our Society being (for the greater gloryof God and our Holy Father) imperishable, it will be easy, thanks to theconnections we keep up with all parts of the world, by means of missionsand other establishments, to follow the line of this family of Rennepontfrom generation to generation, without ever losing sight of it--so thata hundred and fifty years hence, at the moment of the division of thisimmense accumulation of property, our Company may claim the inheritanceof which it has been so treacherously deprived, and recover it byany means in its power, fas aut nefas, even by craft or violence--ourCompany not being bound to act tenderly with the future detainers ofour goods, of which we have been maliciously deprived by an infamous andsacrilegious her
etic--and because it is right to defend, preserve,and recover one's own property by every means which the Lord may placewithin one's reach. Until, therefore, the complete restitution of thiswealth, the family of Rennepont must be considered as reprobate anddamnable, as the cursed seed of a Cain, and always to be watched withthe utmost caution. And it is to be recommended, that, every yearfrom this present date, a sort of inquisition should be held as to thesituation of the successive members of this family.'"

  Rodin paused, and said to Father d'Aigrigny: "Here follows the account,year by year, of the history of this family, from the year 1682, to ourown day. It will be useless to read this to your reverence."

  "Quite useless," said Abbe d'Aigrigny. "The note contains all theimportant facts." Then, after a moment's silence, he exclaimed, withan expression of triumphant pride: "How great is the power of theAssociation, when founded upon tradition and perpetuity! Thanks to thisnote, inserted in our archives a century and a half ago, this family hasbeen watched from generation to generation--our Order has always hadits eyes upon them, following them to all points of the globe, to whichexile had distributed them--and at last, to-morrow, we shall obtainpossession of this property, at first inconsiderable, but which ahundred and fifty years have raised to a royal fortune. Yes, we shallsucceed, for we have foreseen every eventuality. One thing only troublesme."

  "What is that?" asked Rodin.

  "The information that we have in vain tried to obtain from the guardianof the house in the Rue Saint-Francois. Has the attempt been once moremade, as I directed?"

  "It has been made."

  "Well?"

  "This time, as always before, the old Jew has remained impenetrable.Besides he is almost in his second childhood, and his wife not muchbetter."

  "When I think," resumed Father d'Aigrigny, "that for a century and ahalf, this house in the Rue Saint-Francois has remained walled up, andthat the care of it has been transmitted from generation to generationin this family of the Samuels--I cannot suppose that they have all beenignorant as to who were and are the successive holders of these funds,now become immense by accumulation."

  "You have seen," said Rodin, "by the notes upon this affair, that theOrder has always carefully followed it up ever since 1682. At differentperiods attempts have been made to obtain information upon subjectsnot fully explained in the note of Father Bourdon. But this race of Jewguardians has ever remained dumb, and we must therefore conclude thatthey know nothing about it."

  "That has always struck me as impossible; for the ancestor of theseSamuels was present at the closing of the house, a hundred and fiftyyears ago. He was according to the file, a servant or confidential clerkof De Rennepont. It is impossible that he should not have known manythings, the tradition of which must have been preserved in the family."

  "If I were allowed to hazard a brief observation," began Rodin, humbly.

  "Speak."

  "A few years ago we obtained certain information through theconfessional, that the funds were in existence, and that they had risento an enormous amount."

  "Doubtless; and it was that which called the attention of the ReverendFather-General so strongly to this affair."

  "We know, then, what probably the descendants of the family do not--theimmense value of this inheritance?"

  "Yes," answered Father d'Aigrigny, "the person who certified this factin confession is worthy of all belief. Only lately, the same declarationwas renewed; but all the efforts of the confessor could not obtain thename of the trustee, or anything beyond the assertion, that the moneycould not be in more honest hands."

  "It seems to me, then," resumed Rodin, "that we are certain of what ismost important."

  "And who knows if the holder of this enormous sum will appear to-morrow,in spite of the honesty ascribed to him? The nearer the moment the moremy anxiety increases. Ah!" continued Father d'Aigrigny, after a moment'ssilence, "the interests concerned are so immense that the consequencesof success are quite incalculable. However, all that it was possible todo, has been at least tried."

  To these words, which Father d'Aigrigny addressed to Rodin, as if askingfor his assent, the socius returned no answer.

  The abbe looked at him with surprise, and said: "Are you not of myopinion--could more have been attempted? Have we not gone to the extremelimit of the possible?"

  Rodin bowed respectfully, but remained mute.

  "If you think we have omitted some precaution," cried Father d'Aigrigny,with a sort of uneasy impatience, "speak out! We have still time. Oncemore, do you think it is possible to do more than I have done? All theother descendants being removed, when Gabriel appears to-morrow inthe Rue Saint-Francois, will he not be the only representative of thisfamily, and consequently the rightful possessor of this immense fortune?Now, according to his act of renunciation, and the provisions of ourstatutes, it is not to him, but to the Order, that these possessionsmust fall. Could I have acted better, or in any other manner? Speakfrankly!"

  "I cannot permit myself to offer an opinion on this subject," repliedRodin, humbly, and again bowing; "the success of the measures taken mustanswer your reverence."

  Father d'Aigrigny shrugged his shoulders, and reproached himself forhaving asked advice of this writing-machine, that served him fora secretary, and to whom he only ascribed three qualities--memory,discretion, and exactness.

  (11) This was an idle fear, for we read in the Constitutionnel, Feb. 1st1832, as follows: "When in 1822, M. de Corbiere abruptly abolished thatsplendid Normal School, which, during its few years' existence, hadcalled forth or developed such a variety of talent, it was decided,as some compensation, that a house in the Rue des Postes should bepurchased, where the congregation of the Holy Ghost should be locatedand endowed. The Minister of Marine supplied the funds for this purpose,and its management was placed at the disposal of the Society, which thenreigned over France. From that period it has held quiet possession ofthe place, which at once became a sort of house of entertainment, whereJesuitism sheltered, and provided for, the numerous novitiates thatflocked from all parts of the country, to receive instructions fromFather Ronsin. Matters were in this state when the Revolution ofJuly broke out, which threatened to deprive the Society of thisestablishment. But it will hardly be believed; this was not done. Itis true that they suppressed their practice, but they left them inpossession of the house in the Rue des Postes; and to this very day, the31st of January, 1832, the members of the Sacred Heart are housed at theexpense of government, during the whole of which time the Normal Schoolhas been without a shelter--and on its reorganization, thrust into adirty hole, in a narrow corner of the College of Louis the Great."

  The above appeared in the Constitutionnel, respecting the house inthe Rue des Posses. We are certainly ignorant as to the nature of thetransactions, since that period, that have taken place between thereverend fathers and the government; but we read further, in a recentlypublished article that appeared in a journal, in reference to theSociety of Jesus, that the house in the Rue des Postes, still forms apart of their landed property. We will here give some portions of thearticle in question.

  "The following is a list of the property belonging to this branch of

  Jesuits: Fr. House in the Rue de Postes, worth about 500,000 One in the Rue de Sevres, estimated at 300,000 Farm, two leagues from Paris.....150,000 House and church at Bourges..... 100,000 Notre Dame de Liesse, donation in 1843 60,000 Saint Acheul, House for Novitiates.. 400,000 Nantes, a house...........100,000 Quimper, ditto........... 40,000 Laval, house and church...... 150,000 Rennes, a house.......... 20,000 Vannes, ditto........... 20,000 Metz, ditto............ 40,000 Strasbourg............ 60,000 Rouen, ditto........... 15,000

  "By this it appears that these various items amount to little less thantwo millions. Teaching, moreover, is another important source of revenueto the Jesuits. The college at Broyclette alone brings in 200,000francs. The two provinces in France (f
or the general of the Jesuits atRome has divided France into two provinces, Lyons and Paris) possess,besides a large sum in ready money, Austrian bonds of more than 260,000francs. Their Propagation of Faith furnishes annually some 50,000francs; and the harvest which the priests collect by their sermonsamounts to 150,000 francs. The alms given for charity may be estimatedat the same figure, producing together a revenue of 540,000 francs. Now,to this revenue may be added the produce of the sale of the Society'sworks, and the profit obtained by hawking pictures. Each plate costs,design and engraving included, about 600 francs, off which are struckabout 10,000 copies, at 40 francs per thousand, and there is a furtherexpense of 250 francs to their publisher; and they obtain a net profitof 210 francs on every thousand. This, indeed, is working to advantage.And it can easily be imagined with what rapidity all these are sold. Thefathers themselves are the travellers for the Society, and it would bedifficult to find more zealous or persevering ones. They are always wellreceived, and do not know what it is to meet with a refusal. They alwaystake care that the publisher should be one of their own body. The firstperson whom they selected for this occupation was one of their members,possessing some money; but they were obliged, notwithstanding, to makecertain advances to enable him to defray the expenses of its firstestablishment. But, when they became fully convinced of the success oftheir undertaking, they suddenly called in these advances, which thepublisher was not in a condition to pay. They were perfectly aware ofthis, and superseded him by a wealthy successor, with whom they couldmake a better bargain; and thus, without remorse, they ruined theman, by thrusting him from an appointment of which they had morallyguaranteed the continuance."

  (12) Louis XIV., the great King, punished with the Galleys thoseProtestants who, once converted, often by force, afterwards returnedto their first belief. As for those Protestants who remained in France,notwithstanding the rigor of the edicts against them, they were deprivedof burial, dragged upon a hurdle, and given to the dogs.--E. S.