A Start in Life [67]
of Oscar's own pretended
reception:--
This day, Monday, November 25th, 1822, after a session held
yesterday at the rue de la Cerisaie, Arsenal quarter, at the house
of Madame Clapart, mother of the candidate-basochien Oscar Husson,
we, the undersigned, declare that the repast of admission
surpassed our expectations. It was composed of radishes, pink and
black, gherkins, anchovies, butter and olives for hors-d'oeuvre; a
succulent soup of rice, bearing testimony to maternal solicitude,
for we recognized therein a delicious taste of poultry; indeed, by
acknowledgment of the new member, we learned that the gibbets of a
fine stew prepared by the hands of Madame Clapart herself had been
judiciously inserted into the family soup-pot with a care that is
never taken except in such households.
Item: the said gibbets inclosed in a sea of jelly.
Item: a tongue of beef with tomatoes, which rendered us all
tongue-tied automatoes.
Item: a compote of pigeons with caused us to think the angels had
had a finger in it.
Item: a timbale of macaroni surrounded by chocolate custards.
Item: a dessert composed of eleven delicate dishes, among which we
remarked (in spite of the tipsiness caused by sixteen bottles of
the choicest wines) a compote of peaches of august and mirobolant
delicacy.
The wines of Roussillon and those of the banks of the Rhone
completely effaced those of Champagne and Burgundy. A bottle of
maraschino and another of kirsch did, in spite of the exquisite
coffee, plunge us into so marked an oenological ecstasy that we
found ourselves at a late hour in the Bois de Boulogne instead of
our domicile, where we thought we were.
In the statutes of our Order there is one rule which is rigidly
enforced; namely, to allow all candidates for the privilege of
Basoche to limit the magnificence of their feast of welcome to the
length of their purse; for it is publicly notorious that no one
delivers himself up to Themis if he has a fortune, and every clerk
is, alas, sternly curtailed by his parents. Consequently, we
hereby record with the highest praise the liberal conduct of
Madame Clapart, widow, by her first marriage, of Monsieur Husson,
father of the candidate, who is worthy of the hurrahs which we
gave for her at dessert.
To all of which we hereby set our hands.
[Signed by all the clerks.]
Three clerks had already been deceived by the Book, and three real
"receptions of welcome," were recorded on this imposing register.
The day after the arrival of each neophyte, the little sub-clerk (the
errand-boy and "gutter-jumper") laid upon the new-comer's desk the
"Archives Architriclino-Basochiennes," and the clerks enjoyed the
sight of his countenance as he studied its facetious pages. Inter
pocula each candidate had learned the secret of the farce, and the
revelation inspired him with the desire to hoax his successor.
We see now why Oscar, become in his turn participator in the hoax,
called out to the little clerk, "Forward, the book!"
Ten minutes later a handsome young man, with a fine figure and
pleasant face, presented himself, asked for Monsieur Desroches, and
gave his name without hesitation to Godeschal.
"I am Frederic Marest," he said, "and I come to take the place of
third clerk."
"Monsieur Husson," said Godeschal to Oscar, "show monsieur his seat
and tell him about the customs of the office."
The next day the new clerk found the register lying on his desk. He
took it up, but after reading a few pages he began to laugh, said
nothing to the assembled clerks, and laid the book down again.
"Messieurs," he said, when the hour of departure came at five o'clock,
"I have a cousin who is head clerk of the notary Maitre Leopold
Hannequin; I will ask his advice as to what I ought to do for my
welcome."
reception:--
This day, Monday, November 25th, 1822, after a session held
yesterday at the rue de la Cerisaie, Arsenal quarter, at the house
of Madame Clapart, mother of the candidate-basochien Oscar Husson,
we, the undersigned, declare that the repast of admission
surpassed our expectations. It was composed of radishes, pink and
black, gherkins, anchovies, butter and olives for hors-d'oeuvre; a
succulent soup of rice, bearing testimony to maternal solicitude,
for we recognized therein a delicious taste of poultry; indeed, by
acknowledgment of the new member, we learned that the gibbets of a
fine stew prepared by the hands of Madame Clapart herself had been
judiciously inserted into the family soup-pot with a care that is
never taken except in such households.
Item: the said gibbets inclosed in a sea of jelly.
Item: a tongue of beef with tomatoes, which rendered us all
tongue-tied automatoes.
Item: a compote of pigeons with caused us to think the angels had
had a finger in it.
Item: a timbale of macaroni surrounded by chocolate custards.
Item: a dessert composed of eleven delicate dishes, among which we
remarked (in spite of the tipsiness caused by sixteen bottles of
the choicest wines) a compote of peaches of august and mirobolant
delicacy.
The wines of Roussillon and those of the banks of the Rhone
completely effaced those of Champagne and Burgundy. A bottle of
maraschino and another of kirsch did, in spite of the exquisite
coffee, plunge us into so marked an oenological ecstasy that we
found ourselves at a late hour in the Bois de Boulogne instead of
our domicile, where we thought we were.
In the statutes of our Order there is one rule which is rigidly
enforced; namely, to allow all candidates for the privilege of
Basoche to limit the magnificence of their feast of welcome to the
length of their purse; for it is publicly notorious that no one
delivers himself up to Themis if he has a fortune, and every clerk
is, alas, sternly curtailed by his parents. Consequently, we
hereby record with the highest praise the liberal conduct of
Madame Clapart, widow, by her first marriage, of Monsieur Husson,
father of the candidate, who is worthy of the hurrahs which we
gave for her at dessert.
To all of which we hereby set our hands.
[Signed by all the clerks.]
Three clerks had already been deceived by the Book, and three real
"receptions of welcome," were recorded on this imposing register.
The day after the arrival of each neophyte, the little sub-clerk (the
errand-boy and "gutter-jumper") laid upon the new-comer's desk the
"Archives Architriclino-Basochiennes," and the clerks enjoyed the
sight of his countenance as he studied its facetious pages. Inter
pocula each candidate had learned the secret of the farce, and the
revelation inspired him with the desire to hoax his successor.
We see now why Oscar, become in his turn participator in the hoax,
called out to the little clerk, "Forward, the book!"
Ten minutes later a handsome young man, with a fine figure and
pleasant face, presented himself, asked for Monsieur Desroches, and
gave his name without hesitation to Godeschal.
"I am Frederic Marest," he said, "and I come to take the place of
third clerk."
"Monsieur Husson," said Godeschal to Oscar, "show monsieur his seat
and tell him about the customs of the office."
The next day the new clerk found the register lying on his desk. He
took it up, but after reading a few pages he began to laugh, said
nothing to the assembled clerks, and laid the book down again.
"Messieurs," he said, when the hour of departure came at five o'clock,
"I have a cousin who is head clerk of the notary Maitre Leopold
Hannequin; I will ask his advice as to what I ought to do for my
welcome."