Such restitutions recoup us in the long run for the losses we occasionally incur through impostors, shiftless creatures, or those whom misfortunes have rendered stupid.Through such persons we often obtain invaluable help in our investigations.Our work has now become so vast, its details are so multifarious, that we no longer suffice of ourselves to carry it on.So, for the last year we have a physician of our own in every arrondissement in Paris.Each of us takes general charge of four arrondissements.We pay each physician three thousand francs a year to take care of our poor.His time belongs to us in the first instance, but we do not prevent him from attending other sick persons if he can.Would you believe that for many months we were unable to find twelve really trustworthy, valuable men, in spite of all our own efforts and those of our friends? We could not employ any but men of absolute discreetness, pure lives, sound knowledge, experience, active men, and lovers of doing good.Now, although there are in Paris some ten thousand individuals, more or less, who would gladly do the work, we could not find twelve to meet our needs in a whole year.""Our Saviour had difficulty in gathering his apostles, and even then a traitor and an unbeliever got among them," said Godefroid.
"However, within the last month all our arrondissements are provided with a Visitor--that is the name we give to our physicians.At the same time the business is increasing, and we have all redoubled our activity.If I confide to you these secrets of our system, it is that you must know the physician, that is, the Visitor of the arrondissement to which we are about to send you; from him, all original information about our cases comes.This Visitor is named Berton, Doctor Berton; he lives in the rue d'Enfer.And now here are the facts: Doctor Berton is attending a lady whose disease puzzles and defies science.That, of course, is not our concern, but that of the Faculty.Our business is to discover the condition of the family of this patient; Doctor Berton suspects that their poverty is frightful, and concealed with a pride and determination which demand our utmost care.Until now, my son, I should have found time for this case, but the work I am undertaking obliges me to find a helper in my four arrondissements, and you shall be that helper.This family lives in the rue Notre-Dame des Champs, in a house at the corner of the boulevard du Mont-Parnasse.You will find a room to let in the same house, where you can live for a time so as to discover the truth about these persons.Be sordid for yourself, but as for the money you may think needed for this case have no uneasiness.I will remit you such sums as we may judge necessary after ourselves considering all the circumstances.But remember that you must study the moral qualities of these unfortunates: their hearts, the honorableness of their feelings;those are our guarantees.Miserly we may be for ourselves, and generous to those who suffer, but we must be prudent and even calculating, for we are dealing with the money of the poor.So then, to-morrow morning you can start; think over the power we put in your hands: the brothers are with you in heart.""Ah!" cried Godefroid, "you have given me such a pleasure in the opportunity of doing good and making myself worthy to belong to you some day, that I shall not sleep to-night.""One more word, my child.I told you not to recognize me without the signal; the same rule applies to the other gentlemen and to Madame, and even to the people you see about this house.We are forced to keep up an absolute incognito in all we do; this is so necessary to our enterprises that we have made a rule about it.We seek to be ignored, lost in this great Paris.Remember also, my dear Godefroid, the spirit of our order; which is, never to appear as benefactors, to play an obscure part, that of intermediaries.We always present ourselves as the agent of a pious, saintly person (in fact, we are working for God), so that none of those we deal with may feel the obligation of gratitude towards any of us, or think we are wealthy persons.True, sincere humility, not the false humility of those who seek thereby to be set in the light, must inspire you and rule all your thoughts.You may indeed be glad when you succeed; but so long as you feel within you a sentiment of vanity or of pride, you are not worthy to do the work of the order.We have known two perfect men: one, who was one of our founders, Judge Popinot; the other is revealed by his works; he is a country doctor whose name is written on the annals of his canton.
That man, my dear Godefroid, is one of the greatest men of our time;he brought a whole region out of wretchedness into prosperity, out of irreligion into Christianity, out of barbarism into civilization.[*]