"These are partly the causes of our poverty—a poverty which we hide under varnished ceilings, or with the help of our dealers in fashion. We are poor with taste. There are some officers of revenue, there are contractors or jobbers, there are merchants, very rich; their children, their sons-in-law, are also very rich; but the nation in general is unfortunately not so."
This old man's discourse, well or ill grounded, made a deep impression on me; for the curate of my parish, who had always had a friendship for me, had taught me a little of geometry and of history; and I began to reflect a little, which is very rare in my province. I do not know whether he was right or not in everything, but being very poor, I could very easily believe that I had a great many companions in my misery.
CHAPTER II.
DISASTER OF THE MAN OF FORTY CROWNS.
I very readily make known to the universe that I have a landed estate which would yield me forty crowns a year, were it not for the tax laid on it.
There came forth several edicts from certain persons, who, having nothing better to do, govern the state at their fireside. The preamble of these edicts was, "that the legislative and executive was born, jure divino, the co-proprietor of my land"; and that
