Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen A Character in a Hoffmann Story

The witch opened a witch book, read it in a gloomy voice for a while, and then carefully observed the remaining routes of millet and toad crawling backwards. After seven or eight minutes, her white eyes turned to the Playing cards, the meaning of divination playing cards. "You will succeed! Although it will not turn out as you think," she said, "you have a lot to do. But you will not waste your labor, and you will surely get the fruit, and you will do A lot of bad things, but for you, like all people around the sick, always plotting their inheritance. In doing this evil thing, you will have the help of some important people... Afterwards, You will regret it on your deathbed because you will die at the knife of two prison escapees, a young man with red hair and an old man with bald head, because you will move to the country with your second husband. After you live here, the people in that village think that you are rich... Oh, little girl, if you do this, you should live in peace, it’s all up to you.”

The skeleton-like old hag looked cold on the outside, but she was excited inside, with flames burning in her two holes.As soon as the prophecy came out, Madame Fontaine seemed to feel dizzy, and her expression resembled a sleepwalker who was awakened by someone.She looked at everything in amazement, and then she recognized Mrs. Siable, and it seemed strange to see the terror in her face. "Oh, little girl," she said, changing the tone of her prophecy, "are you happy?  … Mrs. Qianbo looked at the witch blankly, unable to answer a word. "Ah! You're going to come here just now! I treat you as an old acquaintance. I'll charge you a hundred francs..."

"Qibo, are you going to die?..." the female concierge yelled. "Did I tell you anything terrible? . . . " asked Madame Fontaine with unusual innocence. "Yes! . . . " said Madame Sibault, taking out a hundred francs from her pocket, and laying them by the table, "to die by the knife! . . . " "Ah! Look, you are the one who is trying to figure it out! But don't worry, not everyone who is determined by the cards to die by the sword will die." "Is it possible, Madame Fontaine?" "Ah! My little beauty, I don't know! You yourself want to knock on the door of the future, and when I ring the bell, he comes!"

"Who is he?" asked Mrs. Siable. "Oh, it's a god, who could it be!" the witch replied impatiently. "Good-bye, Madame Fontaine!" cried the concierge, "I have never seen Dagua before, you really frightened me, oh, don't mention it! . . . " "The madam doesn't do that twice a month!" said the maid, leading the porter's woman all the way to the landing; "it's too bad for her health, and will wear her out to death. She now had to eat three pork chops at once and sleep for three hours. " Walking on the street, what Mrs. Sieber did was exactly like those who ask someone for advice and then take all kinds of advice.She believed the part of the prophecy that was good for her, but doubted the said disaster.The next day, she made up her mind and considered planning everything, trying to find a way to get a part of Bunce's collection and make a fortune.For a while, therefore, she was preoccupied with coordinating means to achieve her end.We have explained above that all the savages do not expend their wits and concentrate their mental powers as well as the superior, so that when they make up their minds to use this terrible weapon, they are very powerful and violent. This phenomenon has never been more manifested in Mrs. Qianbo.Once a person makes up his mind, there will be a miracle like a prison escape, or a miracle of emotion. The same is true for this female concierge. Under the instigation of greed, she becomes as tough as Nucingen who is in trouble. But as shrewd as Rabalferlina who specializes in seducing others.

A few days later, at about seven o'clock in the morning, Mrs. Sibault saw that Remonenque was opening the shop door, so she went up to him pretending to be affectionate. "How do you know what the stuff that's piled up in those gentlemen's houses is worth?" she asked Raymonenc. "Ah! that's easy enough," replied the antiquarian, in terrible vernacular that, for the sake of clarity, it was unnecessary to express it, "if you will be honest with me, I can introduce you to a Connoisseur, that man is honest, knows how much those pictures are worth, not less than a sou or two..."

"Who is it?" "Mr. Magus is a Jew, and he trades now for amusement." The name Eli Magus has been so familiar in "Human Comedy" that he needs no further introduction. Now he has retired and no longer does the business of antique paintings and antiques, but follows the example of collectors as a businessman Bunce's approach.The great connoisseurs, the late Henri, the living Messrs. Pinault and Morley, Dale, Georges, and Loyne, and the museum connoisseurs are all less than Eli Magus. These children, Eli Magus can recognize a masterpiece through the dust of a century, and there is no school and painter's handwriting that he cannot fail to recognize.

This Jew came to Paris from Bordeaux. He left the business world in 1835, but the Jewish nation abides by tradition. According to the habits of most Jews, he is still dressed poorly.In the Middle Ages, the persecution of the Jews forced them to dress in rags to avoid suspicion, and to complain, cry, and complain.In the past, it was a last resort, but it has become a habit, and it has become the instinct and bad habits of a nation.Eli Magus did all kinds of business, such as diamonds, ancient paintings, lace, high-end antiques, enamel, exquisite carvings, ancient gold and silverware, etc., in and out, the business grew bigger and bigger, and made a fortune , but no one knows how big the family property is.Indeed, all the antique treasures in the world are gathered in Paris, and the number of antique dealers in the city has increased tenfold in the past twenty years.As for paintings, only the three cities of Rome, London and Paris have trade.

Eli Magus lives on the Rue Minim, a narrow but wide street that leads directly to Place Royale.He has an old house in the street, which, as they say, was bought in 1831 with money from a loaf of bread.This magnificent building has one of the most luxuriously decorated suites of the Louis XV era, as it was originally the Maureencourt residence.The house was built by the famous dean of auditors. Due to his status, the building was not damaged during the Great Revolution. Since the old Jew, following anti-Semitic rules and regulations, made up his mind to be the owner of the house, then Believe me, he is naturally right.Old people, like all of us, are bound to eventually develop a hobby that borders on madness.Although he was as stingy as his late friend Gobsek, he still couldn't resist the temptation of treasures, and started a business of antiques; but his taste became more and more refined, and he became very picky, such a hobby that only kings can afford. Yes, and these kings have to be rich and like art.He is exactly the same as the second king of Prussia. The king of Prussia chooses grenadiers, and the target must be six feet tall to attract him. And this retired antique dealer is only interested in those flawless paintings, which must be the authentic works of the painter, and they must also be the first-class masterpieces of the painter.Therefore, Eli Magus never misses every big auction. He has inspected all the markets and traveled all over Europe.This heart swayed by profit is as cold as ice, but when it sees a treasure, it will heat up. It is absolutely like a pervert who is tired of playing with women. When he sees a perfect girl, he is very excited and chases the impeccable beauty wholeheartedly.This Don Juan who loves painting, this admirer of ideals, enjoys a higher enjoyment in the appreciation of art than the miser contemplates gold.He lives in a harem made of famous paintings!

The place where his treasures were kept, like the residence of the sons and daughters of a prince, occupied the entire second floor of the house, which had been beautifully decorated by Eli Magus and looked magnificent!The windows were hung with the most beautiful Venetian gold-embroidered curtains.The parquet floors are covered with the most magnificent Savonari rugs.Nearly a hundred famous paintings are equipped with dazzling frames, and each frame is repainted in gold, which is painted by Servi himself, which is very interesting.Eli believed that Servi was the only serious goldsmith in Paris, and that the old Jew himself taught him to use English gold, which was much better than that produced by French gold leaf workers.In the gold-painting business, Servey was the Tufnan of bookbinding, an artist who loved his work.The windows of all the suites are fitted with iron shutters.Eli Magus lived in two rooms on the top floor of the third floor, poorly furnished, full of rags, and smelling of a Jew, who had not changed in spite of his old age. way of life in the past.

The ground floor is full of Jewish trading paintings and boxes of things shipped from abroad, and there is also a large studio where Mollet works almost exclusively for him, but Mollet is the most ingenious master of restoration of ancient paintings in modern times , should have been hired by the museum.There is also a suite of rooms for his daughter on the ground floor.The daughter is the crystallization of the Jewish people in their later years, so she is also of the Jewish race. Like all Jewish girls, she is very beautiful, reflecting the purity and nobility of the Asian race.Noemi was looked after by two fanatical Jewish maids, and a Polish Jew named Abrango served as her outpost.Abrango had been involved in the Polish incident by accident, and Eli Magus had saved his life out of various schemes.Ordinarily, Abulango guarded the dead, desolate and gloomy house in the gatehouse with three fierce dogs, a Newfoundland, a Pyrenees, and an Englishman. breed of mastiff.

It will be seen below with what prudent precautions are the foundations of the safety of the Jew, that he may travel without worry, and sleep in peace, without the fear that some one will murder his dearest daughter, or steal his pictures. and his gold.Abrango's wages increased by two hundred francs a year, and he probably would not have any income after Marcus died, but Marcus had taught him to lend usury in the residential area.Aburango had to look through the porter's small window with its thick iron bars before opening the door to let anyone come.The porter was as powerful as Hercules, and he loved Marcus as Sancho Panza had for Don Quixote.The dogs, however, were shut up during the day and had nothing to eat; at night Aburango released them, following the cunning of the old Jew, by keeping a dog under a post in the garden, and on a post. A piece of meat was hanging; another dog was guarding under a similar post in the yard; and another was guarding the hall on the ground floor.You can understand that these dogs are instinctively guarding the house, and now they are starved to death, so even if they see a beautiful bitch, they will not leave the treasured place under the winning pole; they will not leave One step, to sniff something.If any stranger had come, the three dogs would have thought that he had come to grab some food, because the meat on the pole was not brought to them until Abulango woke up the next morning.This diabolical approach has one huge benefit.That is, these dogs never bark, and Magus has restored them to their wildness by his own ability, as savage and cunning as Moshiyu.Then one day, a few bad guys saw that the house was quiet, and they became daring, so they didn't think much about it, thinking that they would be able to clean up all the money boxes of the Jews.One of them was ordered to be the vanguard, climbed up the garden wall, and wanted to jump down: the mastiff obviously heard the movement, and let the man jump down.When the guy's feet approached, it took a bite and ate it.The thief still mustered up the courage to climb over the wall again, dragging the leg with only bones left, and walked forward, finally passed out in the arms of his accomplice, and was carried away. Naturally, the "Judicial Gazette" did not let go of this wonderful Paris night news. After it was published, it was regarded as a flattering joke. Marcus was seventy-five, but he might live to be a hundred.He lived a life similar to that of the Remonenc brothers and sisters.All expenses did not exceed three thousand francs, including expenses for the daughter, and no one in the world lived so regularly as the old man.He got up at dawn every day, ate a little bread with garlic for lunch, and stayed there until dinnertime.Evening meals were equally as simple as those in a monastery, and the whole family ate together.From when he got up to noon, the strange old man kept walking back and forth in the room where the dazzling treasures were placed, first dusted off all the dust on the furniture and paintings, and then began to admire, never getting tired of it.Then he went downstairs again to his daughter's room, and reveled in the happiness of being a father; finally, he went out to run about Paris, watching auctions, attending exhibitions, and so on.When he sees a treasure that matches his qualifications, he will be refreshed, and he will have something to plan and do, and there will be the battle of Marengo to show his skills.He tried his best to get the new concubine at a cheap price.Marcus has a map of Europe, where the treasures are clearly marked on the map.He entrusted his associates from all over the world to find out the market for him, and of course he also gave him a reward.However, such painstaking efforts have their own extraordinary rewards! ... The whereabouts of the two paintings of Raphael are unknown, and Raphael fans are persistently looking for them, but they are in the hands of Marcus, and he still has the original work called "Giorgione Lover", the painter It was this woman who died that year, and the so-called authentic works now are just reproductions of this famous painting in the hands of Margus. According to Margus' estimation, this painting is worth half a million francs.The Jews also have Titian’s masterpiece "The Burial of Christ", which was specially painted by Titian for Charles V. When the great painter sent someone to send the painting to the emperor, he also attached a letter of his own hand, which is now affixed to the painting. lower corner.Magus also has another authentic painting by Titian, from which all the portraits of Philip II are based.The other ninety-seven pictures in the Jewish collection are of the same grandeur and renown.So Magus laughs at our art galleries, because the sunlight pouring in through the glass windows, which act like concave-convex mirrors, mar the most beautiful works.The gallery can only get light from the top.Magus always opens and closes the shutters of the collection hall himself every time, and treats his paintings with the same care as he treats his other precious daughter.what!Old painting fans are well versed in the art of famous paintings!In his view, any masterpiece has its own unique life, and it changes every day. Their beauty depends on the light, which gives them different colors; when he talks about paintings, it is like the Dutch talked about their tulips and he always came to enjoy it at a certain time, when the weather was fine and a certain famous painting was brilliant and colorful. This little old man was wearing a cheap coat, lined with a ten-year-old silk vest, and a pair of dirty trousers. He had a bald head, a sunken face, and a slightly trembling face. Beard, javelin-like white beard, aggressive pointed chin, shrunken mouth with no teeth left, a pair of eyes shining like a dog's eyes, two skinny hands with no flesh, a nose like an obelisk, rough and cold skin, He smiled and looked at the wonderful creations of these geniuses. Among the still paintings, he was simply a living picture!A Jew in the midst of a fortune of three millions will always be one of the most beautiful sights that man can offer.Our great actor Robert Medal, no matter how great his acting skills, could not achieve this poetic beauty.In the world, Paris is the city with the most monsters with certain beliefs in their hearts.Monsters in London eventually tire of their idiosyncrasies, as they tire of their lives; in Paris, madmen and their idiosyncrasies can live happily ever after.You can often meet Pons, Eli Magus, etc., in very poor clothes, with a nose that is always turned up to the sides like the permanent secretary of the French Academy!He looked indifferent to anything, didn't feel anything, paid no attention to women or windows, seemed to be walking aimlessly, his pockets were empty, and even his mind seemed to be empty. People, you must wonder to what tribe they might belong in Paris.Oh, these are the millionaires, the collectors, the most fanatical people on earth, who would go to misdemeanor court and lose their reputation for a cup, a painting, a curio Famously, Eli Magus has done such things in Germany. This is the expert whom Remonenke mysteriously led Mrs. Sibo to see.Every time he met Eli Magus on the street, Remonenke would ask him for advice.The Jew also lent money to this old partner through Abrango many times, because he knew that this person was still reliable.Minim was only two paces from the Rue Normandie, so in less than ten minutes the two accomplices who wanted to show off were there. "You are going to see the richest antiques dealer in Paris, the most expert expert..." Remonenc said. Mrs. Qianbo was stunned. The little old man in front of her was wearing a jacket that even Qianbo didn't even bother to mend. Madame shuddered when she met the look of those cold, sly catlike eyes. "What do you want, Remonenke?" he asked. "There is a collection of paintings to be appraised; only you in Paris can tell me what a poor pot dealer like me can pay for them, and I don't have thousands of dollars like you!" "Where is the painting?" Eli Magus asked. "This is the gatekeeper of the house where the gentleman lives, and also does chores for the gentleman's house. I have agreed with her..." "What's the owner's name?" "Mr. Bunce," replied Mrs. Siable. "I don't know him," said Magus, frankly, stepping lightly on the foot of the painter who restored the ancient painting. Knowing the value of the Bunce Collection, the painter Morel raised his head sharply.This method can only be played on the heads of Raymonenke and Mrs. Qianbo.Those eyes of the Jew were like gold scales, and at a glance they could tell the weight of the concierge.The two men certainly did not know that there was often a secret rivalry between old Bunce and Magus.In fact, these two ruthless collectors have always been jealous of each other.Therefore, the Jew's heart lightened up just now. He never dared to hope that one day he would be able to step into that heavily guarded harem.Only the Bangs Collection in Paris can compete with the Magus Collection.The Jew thought of becoming a collector twenty years later than Bunce; but because he was both a collector and a businessman, Bunce's collection was closed to him, and it was the same to Dusumlar.Both Bunce and Marcus were equally jealous.Neither of them liked the kind of fame that those who owned galleries sought.For Eli Magus, it was such a blessing to be able to peruse the incredible collection of old musicians. It was no different from a chasing guy. In the room of my friend's beautiful mistress.Remonenke respected this strange man very much, and all real power, even if it was mysterious, was alluring, which made the female concierge very docile and docile.She lost the savage tone she used to treat the tenants and the two gentlemen in the porter's house, and accepted Magus's conditions, promising to bring him into Pons' collection on the same day.This is tantamount to drawing the enemy into the heart of the position and stabbing Bunce in the heart.For ten years, Mrs. Bunce had never allowed Mrs. Sieber to let anyone into his house, and he kept the keys of the house himself. Since she had exactly the same views on antiques as Schmuck, she agreed.In fact, the kind-hearted Schmuck regards these treasures of Bangs as small gadgets, and feels sorry for Bangs's hobby, which invisibly affects the female concierge and despises these antiques, thus ensuring that Bangs's collection is always on the market. It has not been invaded by any outsiders for a long time. Since Bunce fell ill in bed, Schmuck had taken his place at the theater and boarding school.The poor German was so busy that he could only see his friend in the morning and at supper-time, and do his best to get everything done, and to keep their old customers; Made him exhausted.The girls at the boarding school and the theater people learned about Pons's illness from Schmuck, and they often asked him for news when they saw that the poor man was always so sad; the pianist was so sad that even those who were indifferent Moved, sympathetic, with the air of a Parisian who hears of the greatest misfortune.The good German, like Bunce, had a blow to his source of life.He was suffering from his own pain while also mourning the illness of his friend.For this reason, every time he lectures, he spends half the time talking about Bangs; he often stops in the middle of the lecture, thinking of his friend's illness, and even the young female students listen quietly to his explanation of Bangs' illness. .Often, at recess, he found time to run back to the Rue Normandie to see Bunce.For half a month, Mrs. Qianbo continued to increase her medical expenses as much as possible, and the money in trusteeship ran out. She kept asking for help, and the piano teacher was terrified, but he felt unexpectedly that he had the courage to suppress it. Inner panic.For the first time in his life, he thought of earning money, and it was just so that the family would not be short of money. When a female student was really moved by the situation of the two friends, she asked Schmuck how he could bear to leave Bangs alone at home. At that time, he replied with a pure smile like an honest man kept in the dark: "Miss, we have Mrs. Siable! That's a treasure! A pearl! Serve Pons like a prince!" However, as soon as Schmuck went out, the family and the patient were at Mrs. Siebel's mercy.For half a month, Pons hadn't eaten anything, and had been lying on the bed without any strength. Mrs. Sieber wanted to make the bed, so she had to help him up and let him sit in the easy chair.With such a body, how could Bangs monitor the so-called angel Mrs. Sibo?Needless to say, Mrs. Sieber went to Eli Magus's while Schmuck was eating. The German was saying goodbye to his sick friend when Mrs. Sieber returned.Ever since she knew that Pons might have a fortune, she never left her bachelor again, and stayed by his side like a chick!She sat in a comfortable easy chair in front of the bed, and entertained Pence with a continual chatter, which was a feat of a woman of her type.Below we can see that this woman has transformed into a lovable, gentle, careful, always considerate woman, and with a Machiavelli-style wrist, she has established her place in the heart of the old man Bunce.