The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Start in Life, by Honore de Balzac

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Title: A Start in Life

Author: Honore de Balzac

Translator: Katharine Prescott Wormeley

Release Date: July, 1997 [Etext #1403]
Posting Date: February 24, 2010

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A START IN LIFE ***

Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny

A START IN LIFE

By Honore De Balzac

Translated by Katharine Prescott Wormeley

DEDICATION

To Laure.

Let the brilliant mind that gave me the subject of this Scene
have the honor of it.

Her brother,

De Balzac

A START IN LIFE

CHAPTER I. THAT WHICH WAS LACKING TO PIERROTIN'S HAPPINESS

Railroads, in a future not far distant, must force certain industries
to disappear forever, and modify several others, more especially those
relating to the different modes of transportation in use around Paris.
Therefore the persons and things which are the elements of this Scene
will soon give to it the character of an archaeological work. Our
nephews ought to be enchanted to learn the social material of an epoch
which they will call the "olden time." The picturesque "coucous"
which stood on the Place de la Concorde, encumbering the
Cours-la-Reine,--coucous which had flourished for a century, and were
still numerous in 1830, scarcely exist in 1842, unless on the occasion
of some attractive suburban solemnity, like that of the Grandes Eaux of
Versailles. In 1820, the various celebrated places called the "Environs
of Paris" did not all possess a regular stage-coach service.

Nevertheless, the Touchards, father and son, had acquired a monopoly of
travel and transportation to all the populous towns within a radius of
forty-five miles; and their enterprise constituted a fine establishment
in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis. In spite of their long-standing
rights, in spite, too, of their efforts, their capital, and all
the advantages of a powerful centralization, the Touchard coaches
("messageries") found terrible competition in the coucous for all points
with a circumference of fi