FLIGHT FROM LONDON TO BERLIN - Chapter XVII
My Cure--Daturi is Beaten by Some Soldiers--I Leave Wesel for
Brunswick--Redegonde--Brunswick--The Hereditary Prince--The Jew--
My Stay at Wolfen-Buttel The Library--Berlin Calsabigi and the Berlin
Lottery--Mdlle. Belanger
At Supper-time, the doctor, his mother, and one of his sisters came
to see me. All of them bore the love of their kind written on their
features; they assured me that I should have all possible care at
their hands. When the ladies were gone the doctor explained his
treatment. He said that he hoped to cure me by the exhibition of
sudorifices and mercurial pills, but he warned me I must be very
careful in my diet and must not apply myself in any way. I promised
to abide by his directions, and he said that he would read me the
newspaper himself twice a week to amuse me, and by way of a beginning
he informed me that the famous Pompadour was dead.
Thus I was condemned to a state of perfect rest, but it was not the
remedies or the abstinence I dreaded most; I feared the effects of
ennui; I thought I should die of it. No doubt the doctor saw the
danger as well as myself, for he asked me if I would mind his sister
coming and working in my room occasionally with a few of her friends.
I replied that, despite my shame of shewing myself to young ladies in
such a condition, I accepted her offer with delight. The sister was
very grateful for what she was pleased to call my kindness, for my
room was the only one which looked in the street, and as everyone
knows girls are very fond of inspecting the passers-by. Unfortunately
this arrangement turned out ill for Daturi. The poor young man had
only received the education of a mountebank, and it was tiresome for
him to pass all his time in my company. When he saw that I had
plenty of friends, he thought I could dispense with his society, and
only thought of amusing himself. On the third day towards the
evening he was carried home covered with bruises. He had been in the
guard-room with the soldiers, and some quarrel having arisen he had
got a severe beating. He was in a pitiable state; all over blood and
with three teeth missing. He told me the story with tears, and
begged me to take vengeance on his foes.
I sent my doctor to General Bekw----, who said that all he could do
was to give the poor man a bed in the hospital. Baturi had no bones
broken, and in a few days was quite well, so I sent him on to
Brunswick with a passport from General Salomon. The loss of his
teeth secured him from the conscription; this, at any rate, was a
good thing.
The treatment of the young doctor was even more successful than he
had anticipated, for in a month I was perfectly well again, though
terribly thin. The worthy people of the house must have taken an
idea of me not in the least like myself; I was thought to be the most
patient of men, and the sister and her young lady friends must have
considered me as modesty personified; but these virtues only resulted
from my illness and my great depression. If you want to discover the
character of a man, view him in health and freedom; a captive and in
sickness he is no longer the same man.
I gave a beautiful dress to the sister, and twenty louis to the
doctor, and both seemed to me extremely satisfied.
On the eve of my departure I received a letter from Madame du Rumain,
who had heard I was in want from my friend Baletti, and sent me a
bill of exchange on Amsterdam for six hundred florins. She said I
could repay her at my convenience, but she died before I was able to
discharge the debt.
Having made up my mind to go to Brunswick, I could not resist the
temptation to pass through Hanover, for whenever I thought of
Gabrielle I loved her still. I did not wish to stop any length of
time, for I was poor and I had to be careful of my health. I only
wished to pay her a flying visit on the estate which her mother had
at Stocken, as she had told me. I may also say that curiosity was a
motive for this visit.
I had decided to start at day-break in my new carriage, but the fates
had ordained it otherwise.
The English general wrote me a note asking me to sup with him,
telling me that some Italians would be present, and this decided me
to stay on, but I had to promise the doctor to observe strict
temperance.
My surprise may be imagined when I saw the Redegonde and her
abominable mother. The mother did not recognize me at first, but
Redegonde knew me directly, and said,--
"Good Heavens! how thin you have become!"
I complimented her on her beauty, and indeed she had improved
wonderfully.
"I have just recovered from a dangerous illness," said I, "and I am
starting for Brunswick at day-break tomorrow."
"So are we," she exclaimed, looking at her mother.
The general, delighted to find that we knew each other, said we could
travel together.
"Hardly, I think," I replied, "unless the lady-mother has changed her
principles since I knew her."
"I am always the same," she said, dryly enough; but I only replied
with a glance of contempt.
The general held a bank at faro at a small table. There were several
other ladies and some officers, and the stakes were small. He
offered me a place, but I excused myself, saying that I never played
while on a journey.
At the end of the deal the general returned to the charge, and
said,--
"Really, chevalier, this maxim of yours is anti-social; you must
play."
So saying he drew several English bank notes from his pocket-book,
telling me they were the same I had given him in London six months
ago.
"Take your revenge," he added; "there are four hundred pounds here."
"I don't want to lose as much as that," I replied, "but I will risk
fifty pounds to amuse you."
With this I took out the bill of exchange that Madame du Rumain had
sent me.
The general went on dealing, and at the third deal I found I was
fifty guineas to the good, and with that I was satisfied. Directly
afterwards supper was announced, and we went into the dining-room.
Redegonde, who had learnt French admirably, kept everybody amused.
She had been engaged by the Duke of Brunswick as second singer, and
she had come from Brussels. She bemoaned her journey in the
uncomfortable post-chaise, and expressed a fear that she would be ill
by the time she got to her journey's end.
"Why, there's the Chevalier Seingalt all alone in a most comfortable
carriage," said the general.
Redegonde smiled.
"How many people will your carriage hold?"
"Only two."
"Then it's out of the question, for I never let my daughter travel
alone with anybody."
A general burst of laughter, in which Redegonde joined, seemed to
confuse the mother in some degree; but like a good daughter Redegonde
explained that her mother was always afraid of her being
assassinated.
The evening passed away in pleasant conversation, and the younger
singer did not need much persuasion to seat herself at the piano,
where she sang in a manner that won genuine applause.
When I wanted to go the general begged me to breakfast with him,
saying that the post-chaise did not go till twelve, and that this act
of politeness was due to my young fellow-countrywoman. Redegonde
joined in, reproaching me with my behaviour at Turin and Florence,
though she had nothing really to complain of. I gave in, and feeling
that I wanted rest I went to bed.
The next morning, at nine o'clock, I took leave of the worthy doctor
and his family and walked to the general's, giving orders that my
carriage should be brought round as soon as it was ready.
In half an hour Redegonde and her mother arrived, and I was
astonished to see them accompanied by the brother who had been my
servant at Florence.
When breakfast was over my carriage stood at the door, and I made my
bow to the general and all the company, who were standing in the hall
to see me off. Redegonde came down the steps with me, and asked if
my carriage was comfortable, and then got into it. I got in after
her without the slightest premeditation, and the postillion, seeing
the carriage full, gave a crack with his whip and we were off,
Redegonde shrieking with laughter. I was on the point of telling him
to stop, but seeing her enjoyment of the drive I held my tongue, only
waiting for her to say, "I have had enough." But I waited in vain,
and we had gone over half a league before she said a word.
"I have laughed, and laugh still," she said, "when I think of what my
mother will say at this freak of mine. I had no intentions in
getting into the carriage, and I am sure you cannot have told the
postillion to drive on."
"You may be quite sure of that."
"All the same my mother will believe it to be a deeply-laid plan, and
that strikes me as amusing."
"So it is; I am quite satisfied, certainly. Now you are here you had
better come on with me to Brunswick; you will be more comfortable
than in a villainous stage coach."
"I should be delighted, but that would be pushing matters too far.
No, we will stop at the first stage and wait for the coach."
"You may do so if you please, but you will excuse my waiting."
"What! you would leave me all alone?"
"You know, dear Redegonde, that I have always loved you, and I am
ready to take you with me to Brunswick; what more can I say?"
"If you love me you will wait with me and restore me to my mother,
who must be in despair."
"In spite of my devotion I am afraid I cannot do so."
Instead of turning sulky the young madcap began to laugh again; and I
determined she should come with me to Brunswick.
When we got to the end of the stage there were no horses ready. I
arranged matters with the postillion, and after baiting the horses we
set out once more. The roads were fearful, and we did not come to
the second posting-stage till nightfall.
We might have slept there, but not wishing to be caught up by the
coach and to lose my prize, I ordered fresh horses and we resumed our
journey in spite of Redegonde's tears and supplications. We
travelled all night and reached Lippstadt in the early morning, and
in spite of the unseasonableness of the hour I ordered something to
eat. Redegonde wanted a rest, as indeed did I, but she had to give
way when I said caressingly that we could sleep at Minden. Instead
of scolding me she began to smile, and I saw she guessed what she had
to expect; in fact, when we got to Minden we had supper, and then
went to bed together as man and wife, and stayed in bed for five
hours. She was quite kind, and only made me entreat her for form's
sake.
We got to Hanover and put up at an excellent inn where we had a
choice meal, and where I found the waiter who was at the inn in
Zurich when I waited on the ladies at table. Miss Chudleigh had
dined there with the Duke of Kingston, and they had gone on to
Berlin.
We had a beautiful French bed in which to spend the night, and in the
morning we were awakened by the noise of the stage coach. Redegonde
not wishing to be surprised in my arms rang the bell and told the
waiter by no means to admit the lady who would come out of the coach
and ask to be shewn in directly; but her precaution was vain, for, as
the waiter went out, the mother and son came in, and we were taken in
'flagrante delicto'.
I told them to wait outside, and getting up in my shirt I locked the
door. The mother began to abuse me and her daughter, and threatened
me with criminal proceedings if I did not give her up. Redegonde,
however, calmed her by telling her the story, and she believed, or
pretended to believe, it was all chance; but she said,--
"That's all very well; but you can't deny, you little slut, that you
have been sleeping with him."
"Oh, there's no harm in that, for you know, dear mamma, nobody does
anything asleep."
Without giving her the time to reply she threw her arms round her
neck and promised to go on with her in the coach.
After things had been thus settled, I dressed myself, and gave them
all a good breakfast, and went on my way to Brunswick, where I
arrived a few hours before them.
Redegonde had deprived me of my curiosity to see Gabrielle; besides,
in the condition I was in, my vanity would have suffered grievously.
As soon as I had settled in a good inn I sent for Daturi, who came
immediately, elegantly dressed, and very anxious to introduce to me a
certain Signor Nicolini, theatrical manager. This Nicolini
understood his craft perfectly, and was high in favour with the
prince to whom his daughter Anna was mistress. He gave me a
distinguished and a cordial greeting, and was very anxious that I
should stay with him, but I was able to escape the constraint of such
an arrangement without giving him any offense. I accepted his offer
to take my meals at his table, which was furnished by an excellent
cook and surrounded by a distinguished company. Here was no
gathering of men of title, with the cold and haughty manners of the
Court, all were talented, and such company to my mind was delightful.
I was not well, and I was not rich, or else I should have made a
longer stay at Brunswick, which had its charms for me. But we will
not anticipate, though as old age steals on a man he is never tired
of dwelling again and again on the incidents of his past life, in
spite of his desire to arrest the sands which run out so quickly.
The third day after my arrival at Brunswick, Redegonde knowing that I
was dining at Nicolini's came there too. Everybody had found out,
somehow or other, that we had travelled from Wesel to Hanover
together, and they were at liberty to draw whatever conclusions they
pleased.
Two days later the crown prince arrived from Potsdam on a visit to
his future bride, the daughter of the reigning duke, whom he married
the year after.
The Court entertained in the most magnificent manner, and the
hereditary prince, now the reigning duke, honoured me with an
invitation. I had met his highness at an assembly in Soho Square,
the day after he had been made a London citizen.
It was twenty-two years since I had been in love with Daturi's
mother. I was curious to see the ravages which time had worked on
her, but I had reason to repent of my visit, for she had grown
terribly ugly. She knew it herself, and a blush of shame appeared on
those features which had once been fair.
The prince had an army of six thousand foot in good condition. This
army was to be reviewed on a plain at a little distance from the
town, and I went to see the spectacle, and was rewarded by having
rain dripping down my back the whole time. Among the numerous
spectators were many persons of fashion, ladies in handsome dresses,
and a good sprinkling of foreigners. I saw the Honourable Miss
Chudleigh, who honoured me by addressing me, and asked me, amongst
other questions, how long I had left London. She was dressed in
Indian muslin, and beneath it she only wore a chemise of fine
cambric, and by the time the rain had made her clothes cling to her
body she looked more than naked, but she did not evince any
confusion. Most of the ladies sheltered themselves from the rain
under elegant tents which had been erected.
The troops, who took no notice of the weather, executed their
manoeuvres, and fired their muskets in a manner which seemed to
satisfy good judges.
There was nothing further to attract me at Brunswick, and I thought
of spending the summer at Berlin, which I concluded would be more
amusing than a small provincial town. Wanting an overcoat I bought
the material from a Jew, who offered to discount bills of exchange
for me if I had any. I had the bill which Madame du Rumain had sent
me, and finding that it would be convenient for me to get it
discounted, I gave it to the Israelite, who cashed it, deducting
commission at the ordinary rate of two per cent. The letter was
payable to the order of the Chevalier de Seingalt, and with that name
I endorsed it.
I thought no more of the matter, but early the next day the same Jew
called on me, and told me that I must either return him his money, or
give sureties for the amount till he had ascertained whether the bill
was a forgery or not.
I was offended at this piece of impertinence, and feeling certain
that the bill was a good one I told the fellow that he might set his
mind at rest and let me alone, as I should not give him any sureties.
"I must either have the money or the surety," said he, "and if you
refuse I will have you arrested; your character is well known."
This was too much for me, and raising my cane I gave him a blow on
the head which he must have felt for many a long day. I then dressed
and dined with Nicolini, without thinking or speaking of this
disagreeable incident.
The next day as I was taking a walk outside the town walls, I met the
prince on horseback, followed by a single groom. I bowed to him as
he passed, but he came up to me and said,--
"You are leaving Brunswick, chevalier?"
"In two or three days, your highness."
"I heard this morning that a Jew has brought a complaint against you
for beating him because he asked you to give him security for a bill
of exchange which he was afraid of."
"My lord, I cannot answer for the effects of my indignation against a
rascal who dared to come and insult me in my own house, but I do know
that if I had given him security I should have impugned my own
honour. The impertinent scoundrel threatened to have me arrested,
but I know that a just Government rules here, and not arbitrary
power."
"You are right; it would be unjust to have you arrested, but he is
afraid for his ducats."
"He need not be afraid, my lord, for the bill is drawn by a person of
honour and of high station in society."
"I am delighted to hear it. The Jew said he would never have
discounted the bill if you had not mentioned my name."
"That's a lie! Your highness' name never passed, my lips."
"He also says that you endorsed the bill with a false name."
"Then he lies again, for I signed myself Seingalt, and that name is
mine."
"In short, it is a case of a Jew who has been beaten, and is afraid
of being duped. I pity such an animal, and I must see what I can do
to prevent his keeping you here till he learns the fate of the bill
at Amsterdam. As I have not the slightest doubt as to the goodness
of the bill, I will take it up myself, and this very morning: thus
you will be able to leave when you like. Farewell, chevalier!
I wish you a pleasant journey."
With this compliment the prince left me, without giving me time to
answer him. I might have felt inclined to tell him that by taking up
the bill he would give the Jew and everyone else to understand that
it was a favour done to me, to the great hurt of my honour, and that
consequently I should be obliged by his doing nothing of the kind.
But though the prince was a man of generosity and magnanimity, he was
deficient in that delicate quality which we call tact. This defect,
common amongst princes, arises from their education, which places
them above the politeness which is considered necessary in ordinary
mortals.
He could not have treated me worse than he did, if he had been
certain of my dishonesty, and wished me to understand that I was
forgiven, and that he would bear all the consequences of my
misdemeanour. With this idea in my head, I said to myself; "Perhaps,
indeed, this is exactly what the prince does think. Is it the Jew or
me that he pities? If the latter, I think I must give him a lesson,
though I do not wish to cause him any humiliation."
Feeling deeply humiliated myself, and pondering on my position,
I walked away, directing my attention especially to the duke's
concluding words. I thought his wish for a pleasant journey
supremely out of place, under the circumstances, in the mouth of one
who enjoyed almost absolute power. It was equivalent to an order to
leave the town, and I felt indignant at the thought.
I therefore resolved to vindicate my honour by neither going away nor
remaining.
"If I stay," I said to myself, "the Jew will be adjudged to be in the
right; and if I go the duke will think I have profited by his favour,
and so to speak, by his present of fifty louis if the bill were
protested. I will not let anyone enjoy a satisfaction which is no
one due."
After these considerations, which I thought worthy of a wiser head
than mine, I packed up my trunk, ordered horses, and after a good
dinner and the payment of my bill I went to Wolfenbuttel with the
idea of spending week there. I was sure of finding amusement, for
Wolfenbuttel contains the third largest library in Europe, and I had
long been anxious to see it.
The learned librarian, whose politeness was all the better for being
completely devoid of affection, told me that not only could I have
whatever books I wished to see, but that I could take them to my
lodging, not even excepting the manuscripts, which are the chief
feature in that fine library.
I spent a week in the library, only leaving it to take my meals and
go to bed, and I count this week as one of the happiest I have ever
spent, for then I forgot myself completely; and in the delight of
study, the past, the present, and the future were entirely blotted
out. Of some such sort, I think, must be the joys of the redeemed;
and now I see that only a few trifling little circumstances and
incidents were wanting to make me a perfect sage. And here I must
note a circumstance which my readers may scarcely believe, but which,
for all that, is quite true-namely, that I have always preferred
virtue to vice, and that when I sinned I did so out of mere lightness
of heart, for which, no doubt, I shall be blamed by many persons.
But, no matter--a man has only to give an account of his actions to
two beings, to himself here and to God hereafter.
At Wolfenbuttel I gathered a good many hints on the "Iliad" and
"Odyssey," which will not be found in any commentator, and of which
the great Pope knew nothing. Some of these considerations will be
found in my translation of the "Iliad," the rest are still in
manuscript, and will probably never see the light. However, I burn
nothing, not even these Memoirs, though I often think of doing so,
but the time never comes.
At the end of the week I returned to the same inn at Brunswick which
I had occupied before, and let my godson Daturi know of my arrival.
I was delighted to hear that no one suspected that I had spent the
fortnight within five leagues of Brunswick. Daturi told me that the
general belief was that I had returned the Jew his money and got the
bill of exchange back. Nevertheless I felt sure that the bill had
been honoured at Amsterdam, and that the duke knew that I had been
staying at Wolfenbuttel.
Daturi told me that Nicolini was expecting to see me at dinner, and I
was not astonished to hear of it, for I had not taken leave of
anyone. I accordingly went, and the following incident, which served
to justify me in the eyes of all men, took place:
We were at the roast when one of the prince's servants came in with
the Jew I had beaten. The poor man came up humbly to me, and spoke
as follows:
"I am ordered to come here, sir, to apologize for suspecting the
authenticity of the bill of exchange you gave me. I have been
punished by being fined the amount of my commission."
"I wish that had been your only punishment," said I.
He made me a profound bow, and went out, saying that I was only too
good.
When I 'got back to the inn, I found a letter from Redegonde in which
she reproached me tenderly for not having been once to see her all
the time I had been at Brunswick, and begging me to breakfast with
her in a little country house.
"I shall not be in my mother's company," she added, "but in that of a
young lady of your acquaintance, whom, I am sure, you will be glad to
see once more."
I liked Redegonde, and I had only neglected her at Brunswick because
my means did not allow my making her a handsome present. I resolved
to accept her invitation, my curiosity being rather stimulated by the
account of the young lady.
I was exact at the time indicated, and I found Redegonde looking
charming in a pretty room on the ground floor, and with her was a
young artiste whom I had known as a child shortly before I had been
put under the Leads. I pretended to be delighted to see her, but I
was really quite taken up with Redegonde, and congratulated her upon
her pretty house. She said she had taken it for six months, but did
not sleep there. After coffee had been served we were on the point
of going out for a stroll, when who should come in but the prince.
He smiled pleasantly when he saw us, and apologized to Redegonde for
interrupting our little party.
The appearance of the prince enlightened me as to the position of my
delightful fellow countrywoman, and I understood why she had been so
precise about the time at which I was to come. Redegonde had made
the conquest of the worthy prince, who was always disposed to
gallantry, but felt it his duty during the first year of his marriage
with the King of England's sister to preserve some kind of incognito
in his amours.
We spent an hour in walking up and down and talking of London and
Berlin, but nothing was said of the Jew or the bill of exchange. He
was delighted with my warm eulogium of his library at Wolfenbuttel,
and laughed with all his heart when I said that unless it had been
for the intellectual nourishment I enjoyed, the bad fare at the inn
would certainly have reduced me to half my present size.
After bidding a graceful farewell to the nymph, the prince left us,
and we heard him galloping away on his horse.
When I was alone with Redegonde, far from begging for new favours, I
advised her to be faithful to the prince; but though appearances were
certainly not deceitful in this case, she would not admit anything.
This was in accordance with her part as young mistress, and I did not
reproach her for her want of confidence.
I spent the rest of the day at the inn, and started the next morning
at day-break.
When I got to Magdeburg, I took a letter of introduction from General
Bekw---- to an officer. He shewed me the fortress, and kept me for
three days making me taste all the pleasures of the table, women, and
gaming. However, I was very moderate, and managed to increase my
savings in a small degree, contenting myself with modest wagers.
From Magdeburg I went straight to Berlin, without caring to stop at
Potsdam, as the king was not there. The fearful Prussian roads with
their sandy soil made me take three days to do eighteen Prussian
miles. Prussia is a country of which much could be made with labour
and capital, but I do not think it will ever become a really fine
country.
I put up at the "Hotel de Paris," which was both comfortable and
economical. Madame Rufin who kept it had entered into the spirit of
her business without losing her French politeness, and thus the inn
had got a reputation. As soon as I was in my room she came to ask me
if I were satisfied, and to make divers arrangements for my comfort.
There was a table d'hote, and those who ate in their private rooms
paid double.
"This arrangement," I said, "may suit you, but for the present it
will not suit me. I want to dine in my own room, but I don't want to
pay double; I will therefore pay as if I were in the public room, but
if you like you need only send me up half the number of dishes."
"I agree, on the condition that you sup with me; we will not put it
in the accounts, and you will only meet friends at my little
suppers."
I thought her proposal so curious a one that I had a great
inclination to laugh, but finding it at the same time very
advantageous I accepted frankly, and as if we had long been friends.
On the first day I was tired, and did not sup with her till the day
following. Madame Rufin had a husband who attended to the cooking,
and a son, but neither of them came to these suppers. The first time
I went to one of them I met an elderly but agreeable and sensible
gentleman. He lodged in a room adjoining mine, and called himself
Baron Treidel; his sister had married the Duke of Courland, Jean
Ernest Biron, or Birlen. The baron, who was extremely pleasant,
became my friend, and remained so for the couple of months I spent in
Berlin. I also met a Hamburg merchant, named Greve, and his wife,
whom he had just married and had brought to Berlin that she might see
the marvels of the Warrior-King's Court. She was as pleasant as her
husband, and I paid her an assiduous court. A lively and high-
spirited individual called Noel, who was the sole and beloved cook of
his Prussian Majesty, was the fourth person. He only came rarely to
the suppers on account of his duties in the king's kitchen. As I
have said, his majesty had only this one cook, and Noel had only one
scullion to help him.
M. Noel, the ambassador of the French Republic at the Hague, is, as I
am assured, the son of this cook, who was an excellent man. And here
I must say, in despite of my hatred for the French Revolutionary
Government, that I am not at all ill pleased that a man of talents
should be enabled to fill exalted offices, which under the old system
of privilege were often occupied by fools.
If it had not been for the culinary skill of Noel the cook, the
famous Atheist physician Lametrie would not have died of indigestion,
for the pie he succeeded in eating in his extremity was made by Noel.
Lametrie often supped with Madame Rufin and I thought it disobliging
of him to die so soon, for I should have liked to know him, as he was
a learned man and full of mirth. He expired laughing, though it is
said that death from indigestion is the most painful of all.
Voltaire told me that he thought Lametrie the most obstinate Atheist
in the world, and I could easily believe it after reading his works.
The King of Prussia himself pronounced his funeral oration, using the
words, "It is not wonderful that he only believed in the existence of
matter, for all the spirit in the world was enclosed in his own body.
No one but a king would venture on such a sally in a funeral oration.
However, Frederick the Great was a Deist and not an Atheist; but that
is of little consequence, since he never allowed the belief in a God
to influence his actions in the slightest degree. Some say that an
Atheist who ponders over the possible existence of a God is better
than a Deist who never thinks of the Deity, but I will not venture to
decide this point.
The first visit I paid in Berlin was to Calsabigi, the younger
brother of the Calsabigi with whom I had founded the lottery in Paris
in 1757. He had left Paris and his wife too, and had set up a
lottery in Brussels; but his extravagance was so great that he became
a bankrupt in spite of the efforts of Count Cobenzl to keep him
going. He fled from Brussels to Berlin, and was introduced to the
King of Prussia. He was a plausible speaker, and persuaded the
monarch to establish a lottery, to make him the manager, and to give
him the title of Counsellor of State. He promised that the lottery
should bring in an annual revenue of at least two hundred thousand
crowns, and only asked a percentage of ten per cent. for himself.
The lottery had been going for two years, and had had a great
success, as hitherto it had had no large losses; but the king, who
knew that the luck might turn, was always in a fidget about it. With
this idea he told Calsabigi that he must carry it on on his own
responsibility and pay him a hundred thousand crowns per annum, that
being the cost of his Italian Theatre.
I happened to call on Calsabigi on the very day on which the king
intimated to him this decision. After talking over our old
relationship and the vicissitudes we had both experienced, he told me
what had happened; it seemed an unexpected blow to him. The next
drawing, he said, would be at the king's risk; but the public would
have to be informed that in future the lottery would be a private
one. He wanted capital to the amount of two million crowns, for he
foresaw that otherwise the lottery would collapse, as people would
not risk their money without the certainty of being paid in the event
of their winning. He said he would guarantee me an income of ten
thousand crowns per annum if I succeeded in making the king change
his mind, and by way of encouragement he recalled to my mind the
effect of my persuasive powers at Paris seven years before.
"'Tis a good omen," said he, "and without any superstition I believe
that the good genius of the lottery has brought me to Berlin just
now."
I laughed at his illusions, but I pitied him. I shewed him the
impossibility of convincing an individual whose only argument was,
"I am afraid, and I don't wish to be afraid any longer." He begged
me to stay to dinner and introduced me to his wife. This was a
double surprise for me, in the first place because I thought General
La Motte, as his first wife was called, to be still living, and in
the second place because I recognized in this second wife of his,
Mdlle. Belanger. I addressed the usual compliments to her and
enquired after her mother. She replied with a profound sigh, and
told me not to ask any questions about her family as she had only bad
news to tell me.
I had known Madame Belanger at Paris; she was a widow with one
daughter, and seemed to be well off. Now I saw this daughter, pretty
enough and well married, and yet in this doleful humour, and I felt
embarrassed and yet curious.
After Calsabigi had placed me in a position to entertain a high
opinion of the skill of his cook, he shewed me his horses and
carriages, begging me to take a drive with his wife and come back to
supper, which, as he said, was his best meal.
When we were in the carriage together, the necessity of talking about
something led me to ask the lady by what happy chain of circumstances
she found herself the wife of Calsabigi.
"His real wife is still alive, so I have not the misfortune of
occupying that position, but everyone in Berlin thinks I am his
lawful wife. Three years ago I was deprived of my mother and the
means of livelihood at one stroke, for my mother had an annuity.
None of my relations were rich enough to help me, and wishing to live
virtuously above all things I subsisted for two years on the sale of
my mother's furniture, boarding with a worthy woman who made her
living by embroidery. I learnt her art, and only went out to mass on
Sundays. I was a prey to melancholy, and when I had spent all I had
I went to M. Brea, a Genoese, on whom I thought I could rely. I
begged him to get me a place as a mere waiting-maid, thinking that I
was tolerably competent for such a position. He promised to do what
he could for me, and five or six days afterwards he made me the
following proposal:
"He read me a letter from Calsabigi, of whom I had never heard, in
which he charged him to send a virtuous young lady to Berlin. She
must be of good birth, good education, and pleasant appearance, as
when his aged and infirm wife died he intended to marry her.
"As such a person would most probably be badly off, Calsabigi begged
M. Brea to give her fifty Louis to buy clothes and linen and fifty
Louis to journey to Berlin with a maid. M. Brea was also authorized
to promise that the young lady should hold the position of
Calsabigi's wife, and be presented in that character to all his
friends; that she should have a waiting-maid, a carriage, an
allowance of clothes, and a certain monthly amount as pin-money to be
spent as she chose. He promised, if the arrangement was not found
suitable, to set her free at the end of a year, giving her a hundred
Louis, and leaving her in possession of whatever money she might have
saved, and such clothes and jewels as he might have given her; in
fine, if the lady agreed to live with him till he was able to marry
her, Calsabigi promised to execute a deed of gift in her favour to
the amount of ten thousand crowns which the public would believe to
be her dowry, and if he died before being able to marry her she would
have a right to claim the aforesaid sum from his estate.
"With such fine promises did Brea persuade me to leave my native
country to come and dishonour myself here, for though everybody
treats me as if I were his wife, it is probably known that I am only
his mistress. I have been here for six months, and I have never had
an instant's happiness."
"Has he not kept the conditions you have mentioned?" "Conditions!
Calsabigi's state of health will kill him long before his wife, and
in that case I shall have nothing, for he is loaded with debt, and
his creditors would have the first claim on the estate. Besides, I
do not like him; and the reason is that he loves me too much. You
can understand that; his devotion worries me."
"At all events, you can return to Paris in six months' time, or, in
fact, do anything you like when the term stipulated has expired. You
will get your hundred louis, and can lay in a pretty stock of linen."
"If I go to Paris I shall be dishonoured, and if I remain here I
shall be dishonoured. In fact, I am very unhappy, and Brea is the
cause of my woe. Nevertheless, I can't blame him, as he could not
have been aware that his friend's property only consisted of debts.
And now the king has withdrawn his countenance, the lottery will
fail, and Calsabigi will inevitably become a bankrupt."
She had studiously refrained from exaggeration, and I could not help
confessing that she was to be pitied. I advised her to try and sell
the deed of gift for ten thousand crowns, as it was not likely he
would raise any objection.
"I have thought it over," said she, "but to do that I have need of a
friend; of course, I do not expect to dispose of it save at a great
loss."
I promised to see what I could do for her.
There were four of us at supper. The fourth person was a young man
who had helped in the Paris and Brussels Lotteries, and had followed
Calsabigi to Berlin. He was evidently in love with Mdlle. Belanger,
but I did not think his love was crowned with success.
At dessert Calsabigi begged me to give him my opinion of a scheme he
had drafted, the aim of which was to bring in a sum of two million
crowns, so that the credit of the lottery might remain secure.
The lady left us to talk business at our ease. She was between
twenty-four and twenty-five, and without having much wit she
possessed a great knowledge of the usages of society, which is better
than wit in a woman; in fine, she had all that a man could well
desire. The sentiments I felt for her were confined to those of
friendship and esteem after the confidence she had placed in me.
Calsabigi's project was brief, but clear and well imagined. He
invited capitalists not to speculate in the lottery, but to guarantee
it for a certain sum. In the case of the lottery's losing, each
guarantor would have to share in paying according to the sum named,
and in like manner they would share in the profits.
I promised to give him my opinion in writing by the next day, and I
substituted the following plan for his:
1. A capital of a million, would, I judged, be ample.
2. This million should be divided into a hundred shares of ten
thousand crowns each.
3. Each share must be taken up before a notary, who would answer for
the shareholder's solvency.
4. All dividends to be paid the third day after the drawing.
5. In case of loss the shareholder to renew his share.
6. A cashier, chosen by a majority of four-fifths of the
shareholders, to have the control of all moneys.
7. Winning tickets to be paid the day after the drawing.
8. On the eve of a drawing the shareholders' cashier to have an
account of receipts from the lottery cashier, and the former to lock
the safe with three keys, one of which to remain in his hands, one in
the hands of the lottery cashier, and one in the hands of the manager
of the lottery.
9. Only the simple drawing, the ambe and the terne to be retained;
the quarterne and the quine to be abolished.
10. On the three combinations a shilling to be the minimum, and a
crown the maximum stake; the offices to be closed twenty-four hours
before the drawing.
11. Ten per cent. to go to Calsabigi, the manager; all expenses of
farming to be paid by him.
12. Calsabigi to be entitled to the possession of two shares,
without a guarantee being required.
I saw by Calsabigi's face that the plan did not please him, but I
told him that he would not get shareholders save on these terms, or
on terms even less favourable to himself.
He had degraded the lottery to the level of biribi; his luxury and
extravagance caused him to be distrusted; it was known that he was
head over ears in debt, and the king could not banish the fear that
he would be cheated in spite of the keenness of his comptroller-
general.
The last drawing under the king's sanction made everyone in good
spirits, for the lottery lost twenty thousand crowns. The king sent
the money immediately by a privy councillor, but it was said, when he
heard the result of the drawing, that he burst out laughing,
observing,--
"I knew it would be so, and I am only too happy to have got quit of
it so cheaply."
I thought it my duty to go and sup with the director to console him,
and I found him in a state of great depression. He could not help
thinking that his unhappy drawing would make the task of getting
shareholders more difficult than ever. Hitherto the lottery had
always been a gainer, but its late loss could not have come at a
worse time.
Nevertheless, he did not lose heart, and the next morning the public
were informed by printed bills that the office would remain closed
till a sufficient number of guarantors were found.
