The cost of the purchase was ridiculously insignificant. A bank-note for five hundred francs， for which Etienne Lousteau never clearly accounted to the share-holders， put Thuillier in possession of the name， property， furniture， and good-will of the newspaper， which he and la Peyrade at once busied themselves in reorganizing.
第一章CHAPTER X IN WHICH CERIZET PRACTISES THE HEALING ART ANDTHE ART OF POISONING ON THE SAME DAY
While this regeneration was going on， Cerizet went one morning to see du Portail， with whom la Peyrade was now more than ever determined to hold no communication.
"Well，" said the little old man to the poor man's banker， "what effect did the news we gave to the president of the bar produce on our man？
Did the affair get wind at the Palais？"
"Phew！" said Cerizet， whose intercourse， no doubt pretty frequent， with du Portail had put him on a footing of some familiarity with the old man， "there's no question of that now. The eel has wriggled out of our hands； neither softness nor violence has any effect upon that devil of a man. He has quarrelled with the bar， and is in better odor than ever with Thuillier. 'Necessity，' says Figaro， 'obliterates distance.' Thuillier needs him to push his candidacy in the quartier Saint-Jacques， so they kissed and made up.""And no doubt，" said du Portail， without much appearance of feeling， "the marriage is fixed for an early day？""Yes，" replied Cerizet， "but there's another piece of work on hand.
That crazy fellow has persuaded Thuillier to buy a newspaper， and he'll make him sink forty thousand francs in it. Thuillier， once involved， will want to get his money back， and in my opinion they are bound together for the rest of their days.""What paper is it？"
"Oh， a cabbage-leaf that calls itself the 'Echo de la Bievre'！" replied Cerizet with great scorn； "a paper which an old hack of a journalist on his last legs managed to set up in the Mouffetard quarter by the help of a lot of tanners--that， you know， is the industry of the quarter. From a political and literary point of view the affair is nothing at all， but Thuillier has been made to think it a masterly stroke.""Well， for local service to the election the instrument isn't so bad，"remarked du Portail. "La Peyrade has talent， activity， and much resource of mind； he may make something out of that 'Echo.' Under what political banner will Thuillier present himself？""Thuillier，" replied the beggars' banker， "is an oyster； he hasn't any opinions. Until the publication of his pamphlet he was， like all those bourgeois， a rabid conservative； but since the seizure he has gone over to the Opposition. His first stage will probably be the Left-centre； but if the election wind should blow from another quarter， he'll go straight before it to the extreme left. Self-interest， for those bourgeois， that's the measure of their convictions.""Dear， dear！" said du Portail， "this new combination of la Peyrade's may assume the importance of a political danger from the point of view of my opinions， which are extremely conservative and governmental."Then， after a moment's reflection， he added， "I think you did newspaper work once upon a time； I remember 'the courageous Cerizet.'""Yes，" replied the usurer， "I even managed one with la Peyrade，--an evening paper； and a pretty piece of work we did， for which we were finely recompensed.""Well，" said du Portail， "why don't you do it again，--journalism， Imean，--with la Peyrade."
Cerizet looked at du Portail in amazement.
"Ah ca！" he cried， "are you the devil， monsieur？ Can nothing ever be hidden from you？""Yes，" said du Portail， "I know a good many things. But what has been settled between you and la Peyrade？""Well， remembering my experience in the business， and not knowing whom else to get， he offered to make me manager of the paper.""I did not know that，" said du Portail， "but it was quite probable.
Did you accept？"
"Conditionally； I asked time for reflection. I wanted to know what you thought of the offer.""Parbleu！ I think that out of an evil that can't be remedied we should get， as the proverb says， wing or foot. I had rather see you inside than outside of that enterprise.""Very good； but in order to get into it there's a difficulty. La Peyrade knows I have debts， and he won't help me with the thirty-three-thousand francs' security which must be paid down in my name. Ihaven't got them， and if I had， I wouldn't show them and expose myself to the insults of creditors.""You must have a good deal left of that twenty-five thousand francs la Peyrade paid you not more than two months ago，" remarked du Portail.
"Only two thousand two hundred francs and fifty centimes，" replied Cerizet. "I was adding it up last night； the rest has all gone to pay off pressing debts.""But if you have paid your debts you haven't any creditors.""Yes， those I've paid， but those I haven't paid I still owe.""Do you mean to tell me that your liabilities were more than twenty-five thousand francs？" said du Portail， in a tone of incredulity.
"Does a man go into bankruptcy for less？" replied Cerizet， as though he were enunciating a maxim.
"Well， I see I am expected to pay that sum myself，" said du Portail， crossly； "but the question is whether the utility of your presence in this enterprise is worth to me the interest on one hundred and thirty-three thousand， three hundred and thirty-three francs， thirty-three centimes.""Hang it！" said Cerizet， "if I were once installed near Thuillier， Ishouldn't despair of soon putting him and la Peyrade at loggerheads.