One afternoon, Mons. Sauvallier received from his younger son--a
lieutenant in garrison at Versailles--the following letter:
"Versailles, May 25, 1883.
"MY DEAR FATHER,
"A terrible catastrophe has befallen me, one which will be a blow to you
also. I am writing about it, because I dare not face you; I deserve
never to see you again!
"Led astray by a companion, I have been gambling on the Bourse, and am
involved in yesterday's crash, in which so many fortunes have been
suddenly swamped.
"I scarcely dare to tell you how much I have lost. Yet I _must_ do so,
for the honour of the Sauvalliers is concerned. Alas! you will be all
but ruined!
"I owe the sum of four hundred and sixty-eight thousand francs. Oh! what
a miserable wretch I am!
"When I found that the smash was inevitable I went mad, and entered my
room with the intention of putting an end to my wretched existence. But
more sober thoughts prevailed: I changed my mind. I had heard that
officers were being recruited for Tonquin, and I determined to volunteer
for this service. My suicide would not have bettered matters; it would
rather have left an added blot upon our family name. Out there, at all
events, my death may be of use; it will cause you no shame, and may
perhaps move you to a little compassion for your guilty, but most
unhappy and despairing son, who suffers agonies at thought of the
trouble he has brought upon you, and who now bids you an
eternal farewell!
"CAMILLE SAUVALLIER."
Mons. Sauvallier, who had been a widower for several years past, was one
of the most respected business-men of Paris, the owner of a foundry, a
judge of the Tribunal of Commerce, and an officer of the Legion of
Honour. He had two sons: Camille, the lieutenant: and August, an artist
of some originality, who was the husband of a charming wife, and the
father of a little six-year-old maiden named Andrée. Mons. Sauvallier
had always deterred his sons from embarking in trade. He had shrunk from
exposing them to the ups and downs of business life, its trying
fluctuations, its frequent cruel mischances. He had arranged that at his
death his estate should be realized: he did not wish the business to be
sold outright, in case it should pass into the hands of strangers who
might sully the hitherto unblemished name of Sauvallier.
And now, in spite of all his precautions, a disaster greater than any he
had dreamed of had overwhelmed him.
[Illustration: "HE ROSE WITH DIFFICULTY."]
Leaning back wearily in his arm-chair, with haggard eyes he re-read his
son's letter, in order to assure himself that he was not dreaming. Yes!
It was too true! Camille had ruined, perhaps dishonoured, him! It
seemed as though the objects that surrounded him--the very walls and
furniture--were no longer the same! As one staggering beneath a too
heavy burden, he rose with difficulty, his limbs stiff, yet his whole
frame agitated; then he sank back into his chair, with two big tears
flowing down his cheeks.
By hook or by crook he _must_ procure the sum, and the debt should be
paid to-morrow. It would be a difficult task. The wealth of the
manufacturer consists of material and merchandise. Would so hurried a
realization yield the necessary amount? He could not tell. Again, when
this debt was paid, would he be able to fulfil his engagements?
Bankruptcy stared him in the face. A Sauvallier bankrupt? An officer of
the Legion of Honour, a judge of the Tribunal of Commerce, insolvent?
Never! He would die first!
But before it came to that, he would try every expedient: he would
strain every nerve.
So all night long the poor man planned and calculated, and in the
morning, with heavy heart, proceeded to put his plans into effect.
He visited his numerous friends and told them of his trouble, which
elicited much sympathy. In order to help, some made large purchases of
him, paying ready money, others advanced or lent him money. All day
until the evening he was running about Paris collecting cheques,
bank-notes, and orders.
[Illustration: "HE NOW BROUGHT THE SUM THUS GAINED."]
In the evening, as he sat down to ascertain the result of the day's
efforts. Auguste came in with his wife and Andrée. To help his father,
the artist had parted with some of his pictures at a sacrifice, and he
now brought the sum thus gained.
Andrée, unconscious of the trouble of her elders, began to play with her
"Jéanne," a doll nearly as big as herself, which her grandfather had
given her some time previously, and which she loved, she said, "as her
own daughter."
But the child soon observed the sadness of her parents and her dear
grandfather, and she looked with earnest, inquiring gaze from one to the
other, trying to discover what was amiss. She saw her father lay down
his pocket-book, she watched her mother place upon the table her
bracelets, necklaces, ear-rings, and rings, while Mons. Sauvallier
thanked them with tears in his eyes. With a very thoughtful, serious
expression on her little face, the child turned towards her doll,
embraced it with the emotional fervour of a last adieu, then carried it
to her grandfather, saying, in sweet, resigned tones: "Take it,
grandpapa! You can sell her, too."
Mons. Sauvallier wept upon the neck of his little granddaughter,
murmuring, "You also, my angel? Oh, that miserable boy!"