h I have only ten thousand
francs in hand. Listen to me. If you can sell one-half of my share, that
is one-sixth of the paper, to Matifat for thirty thousand francs, you
shall be editor of my little paper with a salary of two hundred and
fifty francs per month. I want in any case to have the control of my old
paper, and to keep my hold upon it; but nobody need know that, and your
name will appear as editor. You will be paid at the rate of five francs
per column; you need not pay contributors more than three francs, and
you keep the difference. That means another four hundred and fifty
francs per month. But, at the same time, I reserve the right to use
the paper to attack or defend men or causes, as I please; and you may
indulge your own likes and dislikes so long as you do not interfere with
my schemes. Perhaps I may be a Ministerialist, perhaps Ultra, I do not
know yet; but I mean to keep up my connections with the Liberal party
(below the surface). I can speak out with you; you are a good fellow. I
might, perhaps, give you the Chambers to do for another paper on which I
work; I am afraid I can scarcely keep on with it now. So let Florine do
this bit of jockeying; tell her to put the screw on her druggist. If
I can't find the money within forty-eight hours, I must cry off my
bargain. Dauriat sold another third to his printer and paper-dealer
for thirty thousand francs; so he has his own third _gratis_, and ten
thousand francs to the good, for he only gave fifty thousand for the
whole affair. And in another year's time the magazine will be worth two
hundred thousand francs, if the Court buys it up; if the Court has the
good sense to suppress newspapers, as they say."

"You are lucky," said Lousteau.

"If you had gone through all that I have endured, you would not say that
of me. I had my fill of misery in those days, you see, and there was no
help for it. My father is a hatter; he still keeps a shop in the Rue du
Coq. Nothing but millions of money or a social cataclysm can open out
the way to my goal; and of the two alternatives, I don't know now that
the revolution is not the easier. If I bore your friend's name, I should
have a chance to get on. Hush, here comes the manager. Good-bye," and
Finot rose to his feet, "I am going to the Opera. I shall very likely
have a duel on my hands to-morrow, for I have put my initials to a
terrific attack on a couple of dancers under the protection of two
Generals. I am giving it th