登陆注册
15697000000004

第4章 DEDICATION(4)

The sitting-room had been partly modernized by the late Mme. Sechard; the walls were adorned with a wainscot, fearful to behold, painted the color of powder blue. The panels were decorated with wall-paper--Oriental scenes in sepia tint--and for all furniture, half-a-dozen chairs with lyre-shaped backs and blue leather cushions were ranged round the room. The two clumsy arched windows that gave upon the Place du Murier were curtainless; there was neither clock nor candle sconce nor mirror above the mantel-shelf, for Mme. Sechard had died before she carried out her scheme of decoration; and the "bear," unable to conceive the use of improvements that brought in no return in money, had left it at this point.

Hither, pede titubante, Jerome-Nicolas Sechard brought his son, and pointed to a sheet of paper lying on the table--a valuation of plant drawn up by the foreman under his direction.

"Read that, my boy," said Jerome-Nicolas, rolling a drunken eye from the paper to his son, and back to the paper. "You will see what a jewel of a printing-house I am giving you."

" 'Three wooden presses, held in position by iron tie-bars, cast-iron plates----' "

"An improvement of my own," put in Sechard senior.

" '----Together with all the implements, ink-tables, balls, benches, et cetera, sixteen hundred francs!' Why, father," cried David, letting the sheet fall, "these presses of yours are old sabots not worth a hundred crowns; they are only fit for firewood."

"Sabots?" cried old Sechard, "SABOTS? There, take the inventory and let us go downstairs. You will soon see whether your paltry iron-work contrivances will work like these solid old tools, tried and trusty.

You will not have the heart after that to slander honest old presses that go like mail coaches, and are good to last you your lifetime without needing repairs of any sort. Sabots! Yes, sabots that are like to hold salt enough to cook your eggs with--sabots that your father has plodded on with these twenty years; they have helped him to make you what you are."

The father, without coming to grief on the way, lurched down the worn, knotty staircase that shook under his tread. In the passage he opened the door of the workshop, flew to the nearest press (artfully oiled and cleaned for the occasion) and pointed out the strong oaken cheeks, polished up by the apprentice.

"Isn't it a love of a press?"

A wedding announcement lay in the press. The old "bear" folded down the frisket upon the tympan, and the tympan upon the form, ran in the carriage, worked the lever, drew out the carriage, and lifted the frisket and tympan, all with as much agility as the youngest of the tribe. The press, handled in this sort, creaked aloud in such fine style that you might have thought some bird had dashed itself against the window pane and flown away again.

"Where is the English press that could go at that pace?" the parent asked of his astonished son.

Old Sechard hurried to the second, and then to the third in order, repeating the manoeuvre with equal dexterity. The third presenting to his wine-troubled eye a patch overlooked by the apprentice, with a notable oath he rubbed it with the skirt of his overcoat, much as a horse-dealer polishes the coat of an animal that he is trying to sell.

"With those three presses, David, you can make your nine thousand francs a year without a foreman. As your future partner, I am opposed to your replacing these presses by your cursed cast-iron machinery, that wears out the type. You in Paris have been making such a to-do over that damned Englishman's invention--a foreigner, an enemy of France who wants to help the ironfounders to a fortune. Oh! you wanted Stanhopes, did you? Thanks for your Stanhopes, that cost two thousand five hundred francs apiece, about twice as much as my three jewels put together, and maul your type to pieces, because there is no give in them. I haven't book-learning like you, but you keep this well in mind, the life of the Stanhope is the death of the type. Those three presses will serve your turn well enough, the printing will be properly done, and folk here in Angouleme won't ask any more of you.

You may print with presses made of wood or iron or gold or silver, THEY will never pay you a farthing more."

" 'Item,' " pursued David, " 'five thousand pounds weight of type from M. Vaflard's foundry----' " Didot's apprentice could not help smiling at the name.

"Laugh away! After twelve years of wear, that type is as good as new.

That is what I call a typefounder! M. Vaflard is an honest man, who uses hard metal; and, to my way of thinking, the best typefounder is the one you go to most seldom."

" '----Taken at ten thousand francs,' " continued David. "Ten thousand francs, father! Why, that is two francs a pound, and the Messrs. Didot only ask thirty-six sous for their Cicero! These nail-heads of yours will only fetch the price of old metal--fivepence a pound."

"You call M. Gille's italics, running-hand and round-hand, 'nail-heads,' do you? M. Gille, that used to be printer to the Emperor! And type that costs six francs a pound! masterpieces of engraving, bought only five years ago. Some of them are as bright yet as when they came from the foundry. Look here!"

Old Sechard pounced upon some packets of unused sorts, and held them out for David to see.

"I am not book-learned; I don't know how to read or write; but, all the same, I know enough to see that M. Gille's sloping letters are the fathers of your Messrs. Didot's English running-hand. Here is the round-hand," he went on, taking up an unused pica type.

同类推荐
  • 友渔斋医话

    友渔斋医话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 三十年临证经验集

    三十年临证经验集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说摩诃刹头经

    佛说摩诃刹头经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 道诗精华录

    道诗精华录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 樊山政书

    樊山政书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 宇之缘

    宇之缘

    双胞胎姐妹花、跆拳道女汉子、日本姐妹花、美丽漂亮的女老师……都被攻略入后宫。张宇:“不要问为什么,诚哥是我表哥。”日常打怪带妹装逼,无聊时进行时空穿梭,位面旅行,穿越泡妹,各种嚣张,各种牛逼。
  • 京东的秘密

    京东的秘密

    本书不仅真实记录了一位商界领袖的创业传奇,更完整呈现了一个电商企业的快速发展过程,为我们展现了一幅波澜壮阔的互联网经济大时代的画卷。揭开众多新闻事件的台前幕后,亲历互联网时代的巨大变革,翻开这本书,让我们走进刘强东,一起遇见真相。
  • 青少年快乐阅读系列:快乐心灵的名家散文

    青少年快乐阅读系列:快乐心灵的名家散文

    本书是从《文汇》杂志的征文活动中选拔出来的优秀篇目,故事精彩,寓意深刻;文章被划分为若干类别,读来赏心悦目,令人心情舒畅。
  • 流年碎语

    流年碎语

    墨天寒不知是上天安排还是注定,我都认定她了,这辈子绝不放手。米菲傻愣的挠挠头,学长你这是闹哪样?哈!我哥,算了吧.....
  • 武月纪

    武月纪

    也不知道行不行,写着玩,喜欢的就看一下,不喜欢的...咳咳.请无视掉我吧,勿喷!
  • 至暗之时

    至暗之时

    天变了,世界变了......原本混吃等死的汤泽却在这时得到了能够使幻想成真的系统!神马丧尸,外星朋友的,让风暴来得更猛烈些吧....当黑暗来临时,希望还有那么一缕曙光——汤泽
  • 火澜

    火澜

    当一个现代杀手之王穿越到这个世界。是隐匿,还是崛起。一场血雨腥风的传奇被她改写。一条无上的强者之路被她踏破。修斗气,炼元丹,收兽宠,化神器,大闹皇宫,炸毁学院,打死院长,秒杀狗男女,震惊大陆。无止尽的契约能力,上古神兽,千年魔兽,纷纷前来抱大腿,惊傻世人。她说:在我眼里没有好坏之分,只有强弱之分,只要你能打败我,这世间所有都是你的,打不败我,就从这世间永远消失。她狂,她傲,她的目标只有一个,就是凌驾这世间一切之上。三国皇帝,魔界妖王,冥界之主,仙界至尊。到底谁才是陪着她走到最后的那个?他说:上天入地,我会陪着你,你活着,有我,你死,也一定有我。本文一对一,男强女强,强强联手,不喜勿入。
  • 混在道士中的法师

    混在道士中的法师

    新书上线,《有本事你过来咬我》,一只莫名其妙变成僵尸的萌新,怎么在大城市里生活的逗比日常,
  • 千境南风

    千境南风

    我,苏慕,被无意流放在架空历史的大南朝遇到了名动天下的四公子,同时也遇上了我的前世闺蜜青雅这一世的我不像其他穿越人物一样是个了不起的英雄,实实在在的就是狗熊一只,没有聪明过人,也没有技艺高超,凭借着自己无敌的好运,带来一轮又一轮的惊喜。暗恋着清泉公子温初尘,他的秘密是什么?子墨的接近又是为了什么?王母的那番话究竟蕴含着我的今世宿命该如何?在情欲与现实的挣扎中,我该何去何从
  • 女神的临时男友

    女神的临时男友

    毕业之后没有找到工作的秦毅成为了雇佣男友,他的第一位客人居然是个肤白貌美的年轻女子。当秦毅跟着所谓的女友回家之后,他的生活却发生了翻天覆地的变化。“美女你别过来,我今晚自己睡,咱可是有职业操守的人。”