Ten Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part one

lovely on the sign, — they presented to the astonished eyes

such an assemblage of lilies and roses, the enchanting

result of the change of style in Pittrino — they assumed

the poses of sirens so Anacreontically — that the principal

echevin, when admitted to view this capital piece in the

salle of Cropole, at once declared that these ladies were

too handsome, of too animated a beauty, to figure as a sign

in the eyes of passers-by.

To Pittrino he added, “His royal highness, Monsieur, who

often comes into our city, will not be much pleased to see

his illustrious mother so slightly clothed, and he will send

you to the oubliettes of the state; for, remember, the heart

of that glorious prince is not always tender. You must

efface either the two sirens or the legend, without which I

forbid the exhibition of the sign. I say this for your sake,

Master Cropole, as well as for yours, Signor Pittrino.”

What answer could be made to this? It was necessary to thank

the echevin for his kindness, which Cropole did. But

Pittrino remained downcast and said he felt assured of what

was about to happen.

The visitor was scarcely gone when Cropole, crossing his

arms, said: “Well, master, what is to be done?”

“We must efface the legend,” said Pittrino, in a melancholy

tone. “I have some excellent ivory-black; it will be done in

a moment, and we will replace the Medici by the nymphs or

the sirens, whichever you prefer.”

“No,” said Cropole, “the will of my father must be carried

out. My father considered —- ”

“He considered the figures of the most importance,” said

Pittrino.

“He thought most of the legend,” said Cropole.

“The proof of the importance in which he held the figures,”

said Pittrino, “is that he desired they should be

likenesses, and they are so.”

“Yes; but if they had not been so, who would have recognized

them without the legend? At the present day even, when the

memory of the Blaisois begins to be faint with regard to

these two celebrated persons, who would recognize Catherine

and Mary without the words `To the Medici’?”

“But the figures?” said Pittrino, in despair; for he felt

that young Cropole was right. “I should not like to lose the

fruit of my labor.”

Page 32

Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later

“And I should not wish you to be thrown into prison and

myself into the oubliettes.”

“Let us efface `Medici,’ ” said Pittrino, supplicatingly.

“No,” replied Cropole, firmly. “I have got an idea, a

sublime idea — your picture shall appear, and my legend

likewise. Does not `Medici’ mean doctor, or physician, in

Italian?”

“Yes, in the plural.”

“Well, then, you shall order another sign-frame of the

smith; you shall paint six physicians, and write underneath

`Aux Medici’ which makes a very pretty play upon words.”

“Six physicians! impossible! And the composition?” cried

Pittrino.

“That is your business — but so it shall be — I insist

upon it — it must be so — my macaroni is burning.”

This reasoning was peremptory — Pittrino obeyed. He

composed the sign of six physicians, with the legend; the

echevin applauded and authorized it.

The sign produced an extravagant success in the city, which

proves that poetry has always been in the wrong, before

citizens, as Pittrino said.

Cropole, to make amends to his painter-in-ordinary, hung up

the nymphs of the preceding sign in his bedroom, which made

Madame Cropole blush every time she looked at it, when she

was undressing at night.

This is the way in which the pointed-gable house got a sign;

and this is how the hostelry of the Medici, making a

fortune, was found to be enlarged by a quarter, as we have

described. And this is how there was at Blois a hostelry of

that name, and had for painter-in-ordinary Master Pittrino.

CHAPTER 6

The Unknown.

Thus founded and recommended by its sign, the hostelry of

Master Cropole held its way steadily on towards a solid

prosperity.

It was not an immense fortune that Cropole had in

perspective; but he might hope to double the thousand louis

d’or left by his father, to make another thousand louis by

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