Molineux, interested in any discussion about law, lingered in the shop; and as the attention of a few persons is apt to make others attentive, Pillerault and Ragon listened as gravely as the three strangers, though they perfectly well knew Cesar's opinions.
"I would have," said the perfumer, "a court of irremovable judges, with a magistracy to attend to the application and execution of the laws. After the examination of a case, during which the judge should fulfil the functions of agent, assignee, and commissioner, the merchant should be declared /insolvent with rights of reinstatement/, or else /bankrupt/. If the former, he should be required to pay in full; he should be left in control of his own property and that of his wife; all his belongings and his inherited property should belong to his creditors, and he should administer his affairs in their interests under supervision; he should still carry on his business, signing always 'So-and-so, insolvent,' until the whole debt is paid off. If bankrupt, he should be condemned, as formerly, to the pillory on the Place de la Bourse, and exposed for two hours, wearing a green cap.
His property and that of his wife, and all his rights of every kind should be handed over to his creditors, and he himself banished from the kingdom."
"Business would be more secure," said Lourdois; "people would think twice before launching into speculations."
"The existing laws are not enforced," cried Cesar, lashing himself up.
"Out of every hundred merchants there are more than fifty who never realize seventy-five per cent of the whole value of their business, or who sell their merchandise at twenty-five per cent below the invoice price; and that is the destruction of commerce."
"Monsieur is very right," said Molineux; "the law leaves a great deal too much latitude. There should either be total relinquishment of everything, or infamy."
"Damn it!" said Cesar, "at the rate things are going now, a merchant will soon be a licensed thief. With his mere signature he can dip into anybody's money-drawer."
"You have no mercy, Monsieur Birotteau," said Lourdois.
"He is quite right," said old Ragon.
"All insolvents are suspicious characters," said Cesar, exasperated by his little loss, which sounded in his ears like the first cry of the view-halloo in the ears of the game.
At this moment the late major-domo brought in Chevet's account, followed by a clerk sent by Felix, a waiter from the cafe Foy, and Collinet's clarionet, each with a bill.
"Rabelais' quarter of an hour," said Ragon, smiling.
"It was a fine ball," said Lourdois.
"I am busy," said Cesar to the messengers; who all left the bills and went away.
"Monsieur Grindot," said Lourdois, observing that the architect was folding up Birotteau's cheque, "will you certify my account? You need only to add it up; the prices were all agreed to by you on Monsieur Birotteau's behalf."
Pillerault looked at Lourdois and Grindot.
"Prices agreed upon between the architect and contractor?" he said in a low voice to his nephew,--"they have robbed you."
Grindot left the shop, and Molineux followed him with a mysterious air.
"Monsieur," he said, "you listened to me, but you did not understand me,--I wish you the protection of an umbrella."
The architect was frightened. The more illegal a man's gains the more he clings to them: the human heart is so made. Grindot had really studied the appartement lovingly; he had put all his art and all his time into it; he had given ten thousand francs worth of labor, and he felt that in so doing he had been the dupe of his vanity: the contractors therefore had little trouble in seducing him. The irresistible argument and threat, fully understood, of injuring him professionally by calumniating his work were, however, less powerful than a remark made by Lourdois about the lands near the Madeleine.
Birotteau did not expect to hold a single house upon them; he was speculating only on the value of the land; but architects and contractors are to each other very much what authors and actors are,--
mutually dependent. Grindot, ordered by Birotteau to stipulate the costs, went for the interests of the builders against the bourgeoisie;
and the result was that three large contractors--Lourdois, Chaffaroux, and Thorein the carpenter--proclaimed him "one of those good fellows it is a pleasure to work for." Grindot guessed that the contractor's bills, out of which he was to have a share, would be paid, like his commission, in notes; and little Molineux had just filled his mind with doubts as to their payment. The architect was about to become pitiless,--after the manner of artists, who are most intolerant of men in their dealings with the middle classes.