The Wandering Jew — Complete
representative, or to forfeit all claim to the inheritance. The stranger
who undertook to distribute the medals to the different members of the
family of Rennepont is a man of thirty to thirty-six years of age, of
tall stature, and with a proud and sad expression of countenance. He has
black eyebrows, very thick, and singularly joined together. He is
known as JOSEPH, and is much suspected of being an active and dangerous
emissary of the wretched republicans and heretics of the Seven
United Provinces. It results from these premises, that this sum,
surreptitiously confided by a relapsed heretic to unknown hands, has
escaped the confiscation decreed in our favor by our well-beloved king.
A serious fraud and injury has therefore been committed, and we are
bound to take every means to recover this our right, if not immediately,
at least in some future time. Our Society being (for the greater glory
of God and our Holy Father) imperishable, it will be easy, thanks to the
connections we keep up with all parts of the world, by means of missions
and other establishments, to follow the line of this family of Rennepont
from generation to generation, without ever losing sight of it--so that
a hundred and fifty years hence, at the moment of the division of this
immense accumulation of property, our Company may claim the inheritance
of which it has been so treacherously deprived, and recover it by
any means in its power, fas aut nefas, even by craft or violence--our
Company not being bound to act tenderly with the future detainers of
our goods, of which we have been maliciously deprived by an infamous and
sacrilegious heretic--and because it is right to defend, preserve,
and recover one's own property by every means which the Lord may place
within one's reach. Until, therefore, the complete restitution of this
wealth, the family of Rennepont must be considered as reprobate and
damnable, as the cursed seed of a Cain, and always to be watched with
the utmost caution. And it is to be recommended, that, every year
from this present date, a sort of inquisition should be held as to the
situation of the successive members of this family.'"
Rodin paused, and said to Father d'Aigrigny: "Here follows the account,
year by year, of the history of this family, from the year 1682, to our
own day. It will be useless to read this to your reverence."
"Quite useless," said Abbe d'Aigrigny. "The note contains all the
important facts." Then, after a moment's silence, he exclaimed, with
an expression of triumphant pride: "How great is the power of the
Association, when founded upon tradition and perpetuity! Thanks to this
note, inserted in our archives a century and a half ago, this family has
been watched from generation to generation--our Order has always had
its eyes upon them, following them to all points of the globe, to which
exile had distributed them--and at last, to-morrow, we shall obtain
possession of this property, at first inconsiderable, but which a
hundred and fifty years have raised to a royal fortune. Yes, we shall
succeed, for we have foreseen every eventuality. One thing only troubles
me."
"What is that?" asked Rodin.
"The information that we have in vain tried to obtain from the guardian
of the house in the Rue Saint-Francois. Has the attempt been once more
made, as I directed?"
"It has been made."
"Well?"
"This time, as always before, the old Jew has remained impenetrable.
Besides he is almost in his second childhood, and his wife not much
better."
"When I think," resumed Father d'Aigrigny, "that for a century and a
half, this house in the Rue Saint-Francois has remained walled up, and
that the care of it has been transmitted from generation to generation
in this family of the Samuels--I cannot suppose that they have all been
ignorant as to who were and are the successive holders of these funds,
now become immense by accumulation."
"You have seen," said Rodin, "by the notes upon this affair, that the
Order has always carefully followed it up ever since 1682. At different
periods attempts have been made to obtain information upon subjects
not fully explained in the note of Father Bourdon. But this race of Jew
guardians has ever remained dumb, and we must therefore conclude that
they know nothing about it."
"That has always struck me as impossible; for the ancestor of these
Samuels was present at the closing of the house, a hundred and fifty
years ago. He was according to the file, a servant or confidential clerk
of De Rennepont. It is impossible that he should not have known many
things, the tradition of which must have been preserved in the family."
"If I were allowed to hazard a brief observation," began Rodin, humbly.
"Speak."
"A few years ago we obtained certain information through the
confessional, that the funds were in existence, and that they had risen
to an enormous amount."
"Doubtless; and it was that which called the attention of the Reverend
Father-General so strongly to this affair."
"We know, then, what probably the descendants of the family do not--the
immense value of this inheritance?"
"Yes," answered Father d'Aigrigny, "the person who certified this fact
in confession is worthy of all belief. Only lately, the same declaration
was renewed; but all the efforts of the confessor could not obtain the
name of the trustee, or anything beyond the assertion, that the money
could not be in more honest hands."
"It seems to me, then," resumed Rodin, "that we are certain of what is
most important."
"And who knows if the holder of this enormous sum will appear to-morrow,
in spite of the honesty ascribed to him? The nearer the moment the more
my anxiety increases. Ah!" continued Father d'Aigrigny, after a moment's
silence, "the interests concerned are so immense that the consequences
of success are quite incalculable. However, all that it was possible to
do, has been at least tried."
To these words, which Father d'Aigrigny addressed to Rodin, as if asking
for his assent, the socius returned no answer.
The abbe looked at him with surprise, and said: "Are you not of my
opinion--could more have been attempted? Have we not gone to the extreme
limit of the possible?"
Rodin bowed respectfully, but remained mute.
"If you think we have omitted some precaution," cried Father d'Aigrigny,
with a sort of uneasy impatience, "speak out! We have still time. Once
more, do you think it is possible to do more than I have done? All the
other descendants being removed, when Gabriel appears to-morrow in
the Rue Saint-Francois, will he not be the only representative of this
family, and consequently the rightful possessor of this immense fortune?
Now, according to his act of renunciation, and the provisions of our
statutes, it is not to him, but to the Order, that these possessions
must fall. Could I have acted better, or in any other manner? Speak
frankly!"
"I cannot permit myself to offer an opinion on this subject," replied
Rodin, humbly, and again bowing; "the success of the measures taken must
answer your reverence."
Father d'Aigrigny shrugged his shoulders, and reproached himself for
having asked advice of this writing-machine, that served him for
a secretary, and to whom he only ascribed three qualities--memory,
discretion, and exactness.
(11) This was an idle fear, for we read in the Constitutionnel, Feb. 1st
1832, as follows: "When in 1822, M. de Corbiere abruptly abolished that
splendid Normal School, which, during its few years' existence, had
called forth or developed such a variety of talent, it was decided,
as some compensation, that a house in the Rue des Postes should be
purchased, where the congregation of the Holy Ghost should be located
and endowed. The Minister of Marine supplied the funds for this purpose,
and its management was placed at the disposal of the Society, which then
reigned over France. From that period it has held quiet possession of
the place, which at once became a sort of house of entertainment, where
Jesuitism sheltered, and provided for, the numerous novitiates that
flocked from all parts of the country, to receive instructions from
Father Ronsin. Matters were in this state when the Revolution of
July broke out, which threatened to deprive the Society of this
establishment. But it will hardly be believed; this was not done. It
is true that they suppressed their practice, but they left them in
possession of the house in the Rue des Postes; and to this very day, the
31st of January, 1832, the members of the Sacred Heart are housed at the
expense of government, during the whole of which time the Normal School
has been without a shelter--and on its reorganization, thrust into a
dirty hole, in a narrow corner of the College of Louis the Great."
The above appeared in the Constitutionnel, respecting the house in
the Rue des Posses. We are certainly ignorant as to the nature of the
transactions, since that period, that have taken place between the
reverend fathers and the government; but we read further, in a recently
published article that appeared in a journal, in reference to the
Society of Jesus, that the house in the Rue des Postes, still forms a
part of their landed property. We will here give some portions of the
article in question.
"The following is a list of the property belonging to this branch of
Jesuits: Fr.
House in the Rue de Postes, worth about 500,000
One in the Rue de Sevres, estimated at 300,000
Farm, two leagues from Paris.....150,000
House and church at Bourges..... 100,000
Notre Dame de Liesse, donation in 1843 60,000
Saint Acheul, House for Novitiates.. 400,000
Nantes, a house...........100,000
Quimper, ditto........... 40,000
Laval, house and church...... 150,000
Rennes, a house.......... 20,000
Vannes, ditto........... 20,000
Metz, ditto............ 40,000
Strasbourg............ 60,000
Rouen, ditto........... 15,000
"By this it appears that these various items amount to little less than
two millions. Teaching, moreover, is another important source of revenue
to the Jesuits. The college at Broyclette alone brings in 200,000
francs. The two provinces in France (for the general of the Jesuits at
Rome has divided France into two provinces, Lyons and Paris) possess,
besides a large sum in ready money, Austrian bonds of more than 260,000
francs. Their Propagation of Faith furnishes annually some 50,000
francs; and the harvest which the priests collect by their sermons
amounts to 150,000 francs. The alms given for charity may be estimated
at the same figure, producing together a revenue of 540,000 francs. Now,
to this revenue may be added the produce of the sale of the Society's
works, and the profit obtained by hawking pictures. Each plate costs,
design and engraving included, about 600 francs, off which are struck
about 10,000 copies, at 40 francs per thousand, and there is a further
expense of 250 francs to their publisher; and they obtain a net profit
of 210 francs on every thousand. This, indeed, is working to advantage.
And it can easily be imagined with what rapidity all these are sold. The
fathers themselves are the travellers for the Society, and it would be
difficult to find more zealous or persevering ones. They are always well
received, and do not know what it is to meet with a refusal. They always
take care that the publisher should be one of their own body. The first
person whom they selected for this occupation was one of their members,
possessing some money; but they were obliged, notwithstanding, to make
certain advances to enable him to defray the expenses of its first
establishment. But, when they became fully convinced of the success of