18 Probably modeled on the Baron de Rothschild. Thaler was an old German currency, the origin of the word dollar.
The Red and the Black
Norbert's question had made the count think it was proper for a man like him to really care about his horses, and not leave them out to get soaked. He left, and the other men soon went as well, still making fun of him. "So," reflected Julien, hearing their laughter as they went down the stairs, "they've let me see the other extreme of my situation! I don't have an income of four hundred francs, and here I am, side by side with a man who has an income of four hundred francs an hour—and they're making fun of him.. .. Seeing such things can cure you of jealousy."
Chapter Five: Sensitivity and a Devout Aristocratic Lady
Chapter Five: Sensitivity and a Devout Aristocratic Lady There, an idea with any life in it seems gross, they're so used to flat, dull language. Watch out, if you let them hear you talk well! —Faublas1 After several months of being on trial, here is where Julien had gotten to, the day the house steward handed him his third-quarter salary. Monsieur de La Mole had given him responsibility for his properties in Brittany and Normandy; Julien had to make frequent trips. He was also put in charge of correspondence dealing with the celebrated case against Father de Frilair. Father Pirard gave him the help he needed. Using short marginal notes scribbled by the marquis, Julien dealt with documents of every sort; of the letters he composed, virtually all were signed and sent. His professors at the theological school complained he did not work hard enough, but still viewed him as their best student. All these labors, performed with the ardor of stifled ambition, had quickly sapped the fresh complexion he'd brought from the provinces. In the eyes of the young seminarians who were his classmates, Julien's pallor was a sign of worthiness; he found them a good deal less wretched, and much less worshipful of money, than those in Besançon; and they thought him a consumptive. The marquis had given him a horse. Worried that his classmates might see him out on horseback, Julien told them this was exercise, and had been prescribed by his doctors. Father Pirard had taken him to several Jansenist communities. Julien was astonished: religion was inextricably tied, in his mind, to hypocrisy and the hope of acquiring riches. He admired these pious, stern men who did not concern themselves with making ends meet. Several Jansenists had become friendly, and given him advice. It was a new world opening in front of him. At one Jansenist community he met Count Altamira,2 nearly six feet tall, devout and a liberal, who had been condemned to death in his native country. He was struck by the strange contrast between piety and love of liberty. Julien's relationship with Count Norbert was somewhat strained. Norbert had seen Julien overreacting to some of his friends' jests. His manners having once or twice been proven inadequate, Julien never allowed himself to speak to Mademoiselle de La Mole. Everyone was perfectly polite to him, but he felt himself less well regarded. His provincial good sense explained what had happened by the vulgar proverb: New meat, new appetite. Perhaps he had learned a bit, since those early days, or more likely his initial enchantment with Parisian urbanity had worn off. He had no sooner put down his pen than he fell into the grip of deadly boredom. It was the withering effect of a politeness that was wonderful, but never unguarded, perfectly calibrated to social status: this was the mark of high society. But no feeling heart could ignore its artificiality. Of course, provincial society is rather common, and impolite. But provincials let themselves go a bit when they answer you. In the de La Mole house, no one ever violated Julien's self-respect, but quite often, at the end of the day, he wanted to weep. In the provinces, a café waiter takes a genuine interest if you hurt yourself coming in, but if the nature of your accident in some way shames you, he will repeat ten times over the words you