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Duphot；　in　an　apartment　costing　two　thousand　francs　a　year。　Deduct　the

dress　and　the　carriage　of　Madame　before　you　estimate　the　gross

expenses　of　the　family；　for　dress　precedes　everything；　then　see　what

remains　for　the　education　of　the　children　（a　girl　of　eight　and　a　boy

of　nine；　whose　maintenance　must　cost　at　least　two　thousand　francs

besides）　and　you　will　find　that　Madame　Rabourdin　could　barely　afford

to　give　her　husband　thirty　francs　a　month。　That　is　the　position　of

half　the　husbands　in　Paris；　under　penalty　of　being　thought　monsters。



Thus　it　was　that　this　woman　who　believed　herself　destined　to　shine　in

the　world　was　condemned　to　use　her　mind　and　her　faculties　in　a　sordid

struggle；　fighting　hand　to　hand　with　an　account…book。　Already；

terrible　sacrifice　of　pride！　she　had　dismissed　her　man…servant；　not

long　after　the　death　of　her　father。　Most　women　grow　weary　of　this

daily　struggle；　they　complain　but　they　usually　end　by　giving　up　to

fate　and　taking　what　comes　to　them；　Celestine's　ambition；　far　from

lessening；　only　increased　through　difficulties；　and　led　her；　when　she

found　she　could　not　conquer　them；　to　sweep　them　aside。　To　her　mind

this　complicated　tangle　of　the　affairs　of　life　was　a　Gordian　knot

impossible　to　untie　and　which　genius　ought　to　cut。　Far　from　accepting

the　pettiness　of　middle…class　existence；　she　was　angry　at　the　delay

which　kept　the　great　things　of　life　from　her　grasp；blaming　fate　as

deceptive。　Celestine　sincerely　believed　herself　a　superior　woman。

Perhaps　she　was　right；　perhaps　she　would　have　been　great　under　great

circumstances；　perhaps　she　was　not　in　her　right　place。　Let　us　remember

there　are　as　many　varieties　of　woman　as　there　are　of　man；　all　of　which

society　fashions　to　meet　its　needs。　Now　in　the　social　order；　as　in

Nature's　order；　there　are　more　young　shoots　than　there　are　trees；　more

spawn　than　full…grown　fish；　and　many　great　capacities　（Athanase

Granson；　for　instance）　which　die　withered　for　want　of　moisture；　like

seeds　on　stony　ground。　There　are；　unquestionably；　household　women；

accomplished　women；　ornamental　women；　women　who　are　exclusively　wives；

or　mothers；　or　sweethearts；　women　purely　spiritual　or　purely　material；

just　as　there　are　soldiers；　artists；　artisans；　mathematicians；　poets；

merchants；　men　who　understand　money；　or　agriculture；　or　government；

and　nothing　else。　Besides　all　this；　the　eccentricity　of　events　leads

to　endless　cross…purposes；　many　are　called　and　few　are　chosen　is　the

law　of　earth　as　of　heaven。　Madame　Rabourdin　conceived　herself　fully

capable　of　directing　a　statesman；　inspiring　an　artist；　helping　an

inventor　and　pushing　his　interests；　or　of　devoting　her　powers　to　the

financial　politics　of　a　Nucingen；　and　playing　a　brilliant　part　in　the

great　world。　Perhaps　she　was　only　endeavouring　to　excuse　to　her　own

mind　a　hatred　for　the　laundry　lists　and　the　duty　of　overlooking　the

housekeeping　bills；　together　with　the　petty　economies　and　cares　of　a

small　establishment。　She　was　superior　only　in　those　things　where　it

gave　her　pleasure　to　be　so。　Feeling　as　keenly　as　she　did　the　thorns　of

a　position　which　can　only　be　likened　to　that　of　Saint…Laurence　on　his

grid…iron；　is　it　any　wonder　that　she　sometimes　cried　out？　So；　in　her

paroxysms　of　thwarted　ambition；　in　the　moments　when　her　wounded　vanity

gave　her　terrible　shooting　pains；　Celestine　turned　upon　Xavier

Rabourdin。　Was　it　not　her　husband's　duty　to　give　her　a　suitable

position　in　the　world？　If　she　were　a　man　she　would　have　had　the　energy

to　make　a　rapid　fortune　for　the　sake　of　rendering　an　adored　wife

happy！　She　reproached　him　for　being　too　honest　a　man。　In　the　mouth　of

some　women　this　accusation　is　a　charge　of　imbecility。　She　sketched　out

for　him　certain　brilliant　plans　in　which　she　took　no　account　of　the

hindrances　imposed　by　men　and　things；　then；　like　all　women　under　the

influence　of　vehement　feeling；　she　became　in　thought　as　Machiavellian

as　Gondreville；　and　more　unprincipled　than　Maxime　de　Trailles。　At　such

times　Celestine's　mind　took　a　wide　range；　and　she　imagined　herself　at

the　summit　of　her　ideas。



When　these　fine　visions　first　began　Rabourdin；　who　saw　the　practical

side；　was　cool。　Celestine；　much　grieved；　thought　her　husband　narrow…

minded；　timid；　unsympathetic；　and　she　acquired；　insensibly；　a　wholly

false　opinion　of　the　companion　of　her　life。　In　the　first　place；　she

often　extinguished　him　by　the　brilliancy　of　her　arguments。　Her　ideas

came　to　her　in　flashes；　and　she　sometimes　stopped　him　short　when　he

began　an　explanation；　because　she　did　not　choose　to　lose　the　slightest

sparkle　of　her　own　mind。　From　the　earliest　days　of　their　marriage

Celestine；　feeling　herself　beloved　and　admired　by　her　husband；　treated

him　without　ceremony；　she　put　herself　above　conjugal　laws　and　the

rules　of　private　courtesy　by　expecting　love　to　pardon　all　her　little

wrong…doings；　and；　as　she　never　in　any　way　corrected　herself；　she　was

always　in　the　ascendant。　In　such　a　situation　the　man　holds　to　the　wife

very　much　the　position　of　a　child　to　a　teacher　when　the　latter　cannot

or　will　not　recognize　that　the　mind　he　has　ruled　in　childhood　is

becoming　mature。　Like　Madame　de　Stael；　who　exclaimed　in　a　room　full　of

people；　addressing；　as　we　may　say；　a　greater　man　than　herself；　〃Do　you

know　you　have　really　said　something　very　profound！〃　Madame　Rabourdin

said　of　her　husband：　〃He　certainly　has　a　good　deal　of　sense　at　times。〃

Her　disparaging　opinion　of　him　gradually　appeared　in　her　behavior

through　almost　imperceptible　motions。　Her　attitude　and　manners

expressed　a　want　of　respect。　Without　being　aware　of　it　she　injured　her

husband　in　the　eyes　of　others；　for　in　all　countries　society；　before

making　up　its　mind　about　a　man；　listens　for　what　his　wife　thinks　of

him；　and　obtains　from　her　what　the　Genevese　term　〃pre…advice。〃



When　Rabourdin　became　aware　of　the　mistakes　which　love　had　led　him　to

commit　it　was　too　late；the　groove　had　been　cut；　he　suffered　and　was

silent。　Like　other　men　in　whom　sentiments　and　ideas　are　of　equal

strength；　whose　souls　are　noble　and　their　brains　well　balanced；　he　was

the　defender　of　his　wife　before　the　tribunal　of　his　own　judgment；　he

told　himself　that　nature　doomed　her　to　a　disappointed　life　through　his

fault；　HIS；　she　was　like　a　thoroughbred　English　horse；　a　racer

harnessed　to　a　cart　full　of　stones；　she　it　was　who　suffered；　and　he

blamed　himself。　His　wife；　by　dint　of　constant　repetition；　had

inoculated　him　with　her　own　belief　in　herself。　Ideas　are　contagious　in

a　household；　the　ninth　thermidor；　like　so　many　other　portentous

events；　was　the　result　of　female　influence。　Thus；　goaded　by

Celestine's　ambition；　Rabourdin　had　long　considered　the　means　of

satisfying　it；　though　he　hid　his　hopes；　so　as　to　spare　her　the

tortures　of　uncertainty。　The　man　was　firmly　resolved　to　make　his　way

in　the　administration　by　bringing　a　strong　light　to　bear　upon　it。　He

intended　to　bring　about　one　of　those　revolutions　which　send　a　man　to

the　head　of　either　one　party　or　another　in　society；　but　being

incapable　of　so　doing　in　his　own　interests；　he　merely　pondered　useful

thoughts　and　dreamed　of　triumphs　won　for　his　country　by　noble　means。

His　ideas　were　both　generous　and　ambitious；　few　officials　have　not

conceived　the　like；　but　among　officials　as　among　artists　there　are

more　miscarriages　than　births；　which　is　tantamount　to　Buffon's　saying

that　〃Genius　is　patience。〃



Placed　in　a　position　where　he　could　study　French　administration　and

observe　its　mechanism；　Rabourdin　worked　in　the　circle　where　his

thought　revolved；　which；　we　may　remark　parenthetically；　is　the　secret

of　much　human　accomplishment；　and　his　labor　culminated　finally　in　the

invention　of　a　new　system　for　the　Civil　Service　of　government。　Knowing

the　people　with　whom　he　had　to　do；　he　maintained　the　machine　as　it

then　worked；　so　it　still　works　and　will　continue　to　work；　for

everybody　fears　to　remodel　it；　though　no　one；　according　to　Rabourdin；

ought　to　be　unwilling　to　simplify　it。　In　his　opinion；　the　problem　to

be　resolved　lay　in　a　better　use　of　the　same　forces。　His　plan；　in　its

simplest　form；　was　to　revise　taxation　and　lower　it　in　a　way　that

should　not　diminish　the　revenues　of　the　State；　and　to　obtain；　from　a

budget　equal　to　the　budgets　which　now　excite　such　rabid　discussion；

results　that　should　be　two…fold　greater　than　the　present　results。　Long

practical　experience　had　taught　Rabourdin　that　perfection　is　brought

about　in　all　things　by　changes　in　the　direction　of　simplicity。　To

economize　is　to　simplify。　To　simplify　means　to　suppress　unnecessary

machinery；　removals　naturally　follow。　His　system；　therefore；　depended

on　the　weeding　out　of　officials　and　the　establishment　of　a　new　order

of　administrative　offices。　No　doubt　the　hatred　which　all　reformers

incur　takes　its　rise　here。　Removals　required　by　this　perfecting

process；　always　ill…understood；　threaten　the　well…being　of　those　on

whom　a　change　in　their　condition　is　thus　forced。　What　rendered

Rabourdin　really　great　was　that　he　was　able　to　restrain　the　enthusiasm

that　possesses　all　reformers；　and　to　patiently　seek　out　a　slow

evolving　medium　for　all　changes　so　as　to　avoid　shocks；　leaving　time

and　experience　to　prove　the　excellence　of　each　reform。　The　grandeur　of

the　result　anticipated　might　make　us　doubt　its　possibility　if　we　lose

sight　of　this　essential　point　in　our　rapid　analysis　of　his　system。　It

is；　therefore；　not　unimportant　to　show　through　his　self…communings；

however　incomplete　they　might　be；　the　point　of　view　from　which　he

looked　at　the　administrative　horizon。　This　tale；　which　is　evolved　from

the　very　heart　of　the　Civil　Service；　may　also　serve　to　show　some　of

the　evils　of　our　present　social　customs。



Xavier　Rabourdin；　deeply　impressed　by　the　trials　and　poverty　which　he

witnessed　in　the　lives　of　the　government　clerks；　endeavored　to

ascertain　the　cause　of　their　growing　deterioration。　He　found　it　in

those　petty　partial　revolutions；　the　eddies；　as　it　were；