A Start in Life [77]
I have hid him
better if there had been anything else in it?"
"There, take your five hundred francs, you scamp!" said Cardot to his
nephew, "and remember, that's the last penny you'll ever get from me.
Go and make it up with your master if you can. I'll return the
thousand francs which you borrowed of mademoiselle; but I'll never
hear another word about you."
Oscar disappeared, not wishing to hear more. Once in the street,
however, he knew not where to go.
Chance which destroys men and chance which saves them were both making
equal efforts for and against Oscar during that fateful morning. But
he was doomed to fall before a master who forgave no failure in any
affair he had once undertaken. When Mariette reached home that night,
she felt alarmed at what might happen to the youth in whom her brother
took interest and she wrote a hasty note to Godeschal, telling him
what had happened to Oscar and inclosing a bank bill for five hundred
francs to repair his loss. The kind-hearted creature went to sleep
after charging her maid to carry the little note to Desroches' office
before seven o'clock in the morning. Godeschal, on his side, getting
up at six and finding that Oscar had not returned, guessed what had
happened. He took the five hundred francs from his own little hoard
and rushed to the Palais, where he obtained a copy of the judgment and
returned in time to lay it before Desroches by eight o'clock.
Meantime Desroches, who always rose at four, was in his office by
seven. Mariette's maid, not finding the brother of her mistress in his
bedroom, came down to the office and there met Desroches, to whom she
very naturally offered the note.
"Is it about business?" he said; "I am Monsieur Desroches."
"You can see, monsieur," replied the maid.
Desroches opened the letter and read it. Finding the five-hundred-
franc note, he went into his private office furiously angry with his
second clerk. About half-past seven he heard Godeschal dictating to
the second head-clerk a copy of the document in question, and a few
moments later the good fellow entered his master's office with an air
of triumph in his heart.
"Did Oscar Husson fetch the paper this morning from Simon?" inquired
Desroches.
"Yes, monsieur."
"Who gave him the money?"
"Why, you did, Saturday," replied Godeschal.
"Then it rains five-hundred-franc notes," cried Desroches. "Look here,
Godeschal, you are a fine fellow, but that little Husson does not
deserve such generosity. I hate idiots, but I hate still more the men
who will go wrong in spite of the fatherly care which watches over
them." He gave Godeschal Mariette's letter and the five-hundred-franc
note which she had sent. "You must excuse my having opened it," he
said, "but your sister's maid told me it was on business. Dismiss
Husson."
"Poor unhappy boy! what grief he has caused me! " said Godeschal,
"that tall ne'er-do-well of a Georges Marest is his evil genius; he
ought to flee him like the plague; if not, he'll bring him to some
third disgrace."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Desroches.
Godeschal then related briefly the affair of the journey to Presles.
"Ah! yes," said the lawyer, "I remember Joseph Bridau told me that
story about the time it happened. It is to that meeting that we owe
the favor Monsieur de Serizy has since shown in the matter of Joseph's
brother, Philippe Bridau."
At this moment Moreau, to whom the case of the Vandernesse estate was
of much importance, entered the office. The marquis wished to sell the
land in parcels and the count was opposed to such a sale. The land-
agent received therefore the first fire of Desroches' wrath against
his ex-second clerk and all the threatening prophecies which he
fulminated against him. The result was that this most sincere friend
and protector of the unhappy youth came to the conclusion that his
vanity
better if there had been anything else in it?"
"There, take your five hundred francs, you scamp!" said Cardot to his
nephew, "and remember, that's the last penny you'll ever get from me.
Go and make it up with your master if you can. I'll return the
thousand francs which you borrowed of mademoiselle; but I'll never
hear another word about you."
Oscar disappeared, not wishing to hear more. Once in the street,
however, he knew not where to go.
Chance which destroys men and chance which saves them were both making
equal efforts for and against Oscar during that fateful morning. But
he was doomed to fall before a master who forgave no failure in any
affair he had once undertaken. When Mariette reached home that night,
she felt alarmed at what might happen to the youth in whom her brother
took interest and she wrote a hasty note to Godeschal, telling him
what had happened to Oscar and inclosing a bank bill for five hundred
francs to repair his loss. The kind-hearted creature went to sleep
after charging her maid to carry the little note to Desroches' office
before seven o'clock in the morning. Godeschal, on his side, getting
up at six and finding that Oscar had not returned, guessed what had
happened. He took the five hundred francs from his own little hoard
and rushed to the Palais, where he obtained a copy of the judgment and
returned in time to lay it before Desroches by eight o'clock.
Meantime Desroches, who always rose at four, was in his office by
seven. Mariette's maid, not finding the brother of her mistress in his
bedroom, came down to the office and there met Desroches, to whom she
very naturally offered the note.
"Is it about business?" he said; "I am Monsieur Desroches."
"You can see, monsieur," replied the maid.
Desroches opened the letter and read it. Finding the five-hundred-
franc note, he went into his private office furiously angry with his
second clerk. About half-past seven he heard Godeschal dictating to
the second head-clerk a copy of the document in question, and a few
moments later the good fellow entered his master's office with an air
of triumph in his heart.
"Did Oscar Husson fetch the paper this morning from Simon?" inquired
Desroches.
"Yes, monsieur."
"Who gave him the money?"
"Why, you did, Saturday," replied Godeschal.
"Then it rains five-hundred-franc notes," cried Desroches. "Look here,
Godeschal, you are a fine fellow, but that little Husson does not
deserve such generosity. I hate idiots, but I hate still more the men
who will go wrong in spite of the fatherly care which watches over
them." He gave Godeschal Mariette's letter and the five-hundred-franc
note which she had sent. "You must excuse my having opened it," he
said, "but your sister's maid told me it was on business. Dismiss
Husson."
"Poor unhappy boy! what grief he has caused me! " said Godeschal,
"that tall ne'er-do-well of a Georges Marest is his evil genius; he
ought to flee him like the plague; if not, he'll bring him to some
third disgrace."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Desroches.
Godeschal then related briefly the affair of the journey to Presles.
"Ah! yes," said the lawyer, "I remember Joseph Bridau told me that
story about the time it happened. It is to that meeting that we owe
the favor Monsieur de Serizy has since shown in the matter of Joseph's
brother, Philippe Bridau."
At this moment Moreau, to whom the case of the Vandernesse estate was
of much importance, entered the office. The marquis wished to sell the
land in parcels and the count was opposed to such a sale. The land-
agent received therefore the first fire of Desroches' wrath against
his ex-second clerk and all the threatening prophecies which he
fulminated against him. The result was that this most sincere friend
and protector of the unhappy youth came to the conclusion that his
vanity