These comparatively recent presents were put down, pell-mell, among chests of tea, bags of coffee, and packing-cases of every shape. Asilver soup tureen on the chimney-piece was full of advices of the arrival of goods consigned to his order at Havre, bales of cotton, hogsheads of sugar, barrels of rum, coffees, indigo, tobaccos, a perfect bazaar of colonial produce. The room itself was crammed with furniture, and silver-plate, and lamps, and vases, and pictures; there were books, and curiosities, and fine engravings lying rolled up, unframed. Perhaps these were not all presents, and some part of this vast quantity of stuff had been deposited with him in the shape of pledges, and had been left on his hands in default of payment. Inoticed jewel-cases, with ciphers and armorial bearings stamped upon them, and sets of fine table-linen, and weapons of price; but none of the things were docketed. I opened a book which seemed to be misplaced, and found a thousand-franc note in it. I promised myself that I would go through everything thoroughly; I would try the ceilings, and floors, and walls, and cornices to discover all the gold, hoarded with such passionate greed by a Dutch miser worthy of a Rembrandt's brush. In all the course of my professional career I have never seen such impressive signs of the eccentricity of avarice.
"I went back to his room, and found an explanation of this chaos and accumulation of riches in a pile of letters lying under the paper-weights on his desk--Gobseck's correspondence with the various dealers to whom doubtless he usually sold his presents. These persons had, perhaps, fallen victims to Gobseck's cleverness, or Gobseck may have wanted fancy prices for his goods; at any rate, every bargain hung in suspense. He had not disposed of the eatables to Chevet, because Chevet would only take them of him at a loss of thirty per cent.
Gobseck haggled for a few francs between the prices, and while they wrangled the goods became unsalable. Again, Gobseck had refused free delivery of his silver-plate, and declined to guarantee the weights of his coffees. There had been a dispute over each article, the first indication in Gobseck of the childishness and incomprehensible obstinacy of age, a condition of mind reached at last by all men in whom a strong passion survives the intellect.
"I said to myself, as he had said, 'To whom will all these riches go?'
. . . And then I think of the grotesque information he gave me as to the present address of his heiress, I foresee that it will be my duty to search all the houses of ill-fame in Paris to pour out an immense fortune on some worthless jade. But, in the first place, know this--that in a few days time Ernest de Restaud will come into a fortune to which his title is unquestionable, a fortune which will put him in a position to marry Mlle. Camille, even after adequate provision has been made for his mother the Comtesse de Restaud and his sister and brother."ADDENDUMThe following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy.
Bidault (known as Gigonnet)
The Government Clerks The Vendetta Cesar Birotteau The Firm of Nucingen A Daughter of EveDerville A Start in Life The Gondreville Mystery Father Goriot Colonel Chabert Scenes from a Courtesan's LifeDerville, Madame Cesar BirotteauGobseck, Jean-Esther Van Father Goriot Cesar Birotteau The Government Clerks The Unconscious HumoriistsGobseck, Sarah Van Cesar Birotteau The Maranas Scenes from a Courtesan's Life The Member for ArcisGobseck, Esther Van The Firm of Nucingen A Bachelor's Establishment Scenes from a Courtesan's LifeGrandlieu, Vicomtesse de Scenes from a Courtesan's Life Colonel ChabertGrandlieu, Vicomte Juste de Scenes from a Courtesan's LifeGrandlieu, Vicomtesse Juste de Scenes from a Courtesan's Life A Daughter of EveMaurice (de Restaud's valet)Father GoriotPalma (banker)The Firm of Nucingen Cesar Birotteau Lost Illusions A Distinguished Provincial at Paris The Ball at SceauxRestaud, Comte de Father GoriotRestaud, Comtesse Anastasie de Father GoriotRestaud, Ernest de The Member for ArcisRestaud, Madame Ernest de The Member for ArcisRestaud, Felix-Georges de The Member for ArcisTrailles, Comte Maxime de Cesar Birotteau Father Goriot Ursule Mirouet A Man of Business The Member for Arcis The Secrets of a Princess Cousin Betty The Member for Arcis Beatrix The Unconscious HumoristsEnd
