Honore de Balzac

"Gobsek"

The lawyer Derville tells the story of the moneylender Gobsek in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier, one of the most noble and wealthy ladies in the aristocratic Faubourg Saint-Germain. One day in the winter of 1829/30, two guests stayed with her: the young handsome Count Ernest de Resto and Derville, who was easily accepted only because he helped the owner of the house return property confiscated during the Revolution.

When Ernest leaves, the Viscountess reprimands her daughter Camilla: one should not so openly show affection to the dear count, because not a single decent family would agree to become related to him because of his mother. Although now she behaves impeccably, she caused a lot of gossip in her youth. In addition, she is of low origin - her father was the grain merchant Goriot. But the worst thing is that she squandered a fortune on her lover, leaving her children penniless. Count Ernest de Resto is poor, and therefore not a match for Camille de Granlier.

Derville, who sympathizes with the lovers, intervenes in the conversation, wanting to explain to the Viscountess the true state of affairs. He starts from afar: during his student years he had to live in a cheap boarding house - there he met Gobsek. Even then he was a deep old man of very remarkable appearance - with a “moon-like face”, yellow, like a ferret’s eyes, a sharp long nose and thin lips. His victims sometimes lost their temper, cried or threatened, but the moneylender himself always kept his cool - he was a “bill man,” a “golden idol.” Of all his neighbors, he maintained relations only with Derville, to whom he once revealed the mechanism of his power over people - the world is ruled by gold, and the moneylender owns gold. For edification, he talks about how he collected a debt from one noble lady - fearing exposure, this countess without hesitation handed him a diamond, because her lover received the money on her bill. Gobsek guessed the future of the countess from the face of the blond handsome man - this dandy, spendthrift and gambler is capable of ruining the whole family.

After completing a law course, Derville received the position of senior clerk in a solicitor's office. In the winter of 1818/19, he was forced to sell his patent - and asked one hundred and fifty thousand francs for it. Gobsek lent money to the young neighbor, taking from him “out of friendship” only thirteen percent - usually he took at least fifty. At the cost of hard work, Derville managed to get out of debt in five years.

One day, the brilliant dandy Count Maxime de Tray begged Derville to introduce him to Gobsek, but the moneylender flatly refused to give a loan to a man who had three hundred thousand in debt and not a centime to his name. At that moment, a carriage drove up to the house, Comte de Tray rushed to the exit and returned with an unusually beautiful lady - from the description, Derville immediately recognized her as the countess who issued the bill four years ago. This time she pledged magnificent diamonds. Derville tried to prevent the deal, but as soon as Maxim hinted that he was going to commit suicide, the unfortunate woman agreed to the enslaving terms of the loan.

After the lovers left, the countess’s husband burst into Gobsek’s house demanding the return of the mortgage - his wife had no right to dispose of the family jewels. Derville managed to settle the matter peacefully, and the grateful moneylender gave the count advice: transferring all his property to a reliable friend through a fictitious sale transaction - this is the only way to save at least his children from ruin. A few days later the count came to Derville to find out what he thought about Gobsek. The solicitor replied that in the event of an untimely death, he would not be afraid to make Gobsek the guardian of his children, for in this miser and philosopher there live two beings - the vile and the sublime. The Count immediately decided to transfer all rights to the property to Gobsek, wanting to protect him from his wife and her greedy lover.

Taking advantage of the pause in the conversation, the Viscountess sends her daughter to bed - a virtuous girl has no need to know to what extent a woman can fall if she transgresses known boundaries. After Camilla leaves, there is no need to hide the names - the story is about Countess de Resto. Derville, having never received a counter-receipt about the fictitiousness of the transaction, learns that Count de Resto is seriously ill. The Countess, sensing a catch, does everything to prevent the lawyer from seeing her husband. The denouement comes in December 1824. By this time, the countess had already become convinced of the meanness of Maxime de Tray and broke up with him. She cares so zealously for her dying husband that many are inclined to forgive her for her past sins - but in fact, like a predatory animal, she lies in wait for her prey. The Count, unable to get a meeting with Derville, wants to hand over the documents to his eldest son - but his wife cuts off this path for him, trying to influence the boy with affection. In the last terrible scene, the Countess begs for forgiveness, but the Count remains adamant. That same night he dies, and the next day Gobsek and Derville appear in the house. A terrible sight appears before their eyes: in search of a will, the countess wreaked havoc in the office, not even ashamed of the dead. Hearing the steps of strangers, she throws papers addressed to Derville into the fire - the count’s property thereby becomes the undivided possession of Gobsek.

The moneylender rented out the mansion, and began to spend the summer like a lord - in his new estates. To all Derville’s pleas to take pity on the repentant countess and her children, he answered that misfortune is the best teacher. Let Ernest de Resto learn the value of people and money - then it will be possible to return his fortune. Having learned about the love of Ernest and Camilla, Derville once again went to Gobsek and found the old man near death. The old miser bequeathed all his wealth to his sister’s great-granddaughter, a public girl nicknamed “Ogonyok.” He instructed his executor Derville to dispose of the accumulated food supplies - and the lawyer actually discovered huge reserves of rotten pate, moldy fish, and rotten coffee. Towards the end of his life, Gobsek's stinginess turned into mania - he did not sell anything, fearing to sell it too cheap. In conclusion, Derville reports that Ernest de Resto will soon regain his lost fortune. The Viscountess replies that the young count must be very rich - only in this case can he marry Mademoiselle de Granlier. However, Camilla is not at all obliged to meet with her mother-in-law, although the Countess is not barred from entering the receptions - after all, she was received at Madame de Beauseant’s house.

This is the story of the moneylender Gobsek, told by the lawyer Derville in the salon of the wealthy aristocrat of the Saint-Germain suburb, Viscountess de Granlier. The Viscountess's daughter Camilla has tender feelings for the young, handsome Count de Resto, but her mother is against such a relationship, because the Count's mother has a bad reputation, a low birth, and she left her children with nothing, having squandered her entire fortune on her lover.

The attorney likes Camilla and Comte de Resto, so, wanting to clarify the circumstances, he tells the Viscountess how it all happened. As a student, Derville lived in a cheap boarding house, where he met Gobsek, a very old man with a “moon-like face,” yellow ferret-like eyes, a sharp long nose and thin lips. No matter what happened, Gobsek was always calm. He was called the "bill man." He did not enter into a relationship with anyone except Derville, believing that money rules the world, and he manages money, which means he is independent.

As an instructive example, Gobsek tells the story of how he collected a debt from Countess de Resto, and she paid with a diamond, because her lover Maxim de Tray received the money on her bill.

After completing his law course, Derville works as a senior clerk in a solicitor's office. Out of necessity, he sells his patent for 150 thousand francs. Gobsek gave a loan to a neighbor, out of friendship, taking 13% from him (at the usual rate of 50%). Derville paid off the debt after 5 years. For example, the dandy Maxim de Trai, who has a lot of debts but nothing to his name, did not give money. The Countess continues to pawn her jewels to pay off de Tray's debts. The Countess's husband demanded the mortgage (family jewels) back. Derville settled the matter, and the moneylender advised the count to hand over good friend all their property, having made a fictitious transaction, so that at least the children would not go broke. The Count asked Derville what Gobsek was like and the lawyer admitted that he trusted Gobsek as himself, because in this miser two creatures coexisted - the vile and the sublime. The Count decides to transfer the rights to his property to Gobsek.

The count is very ill, and his wife is trying to prevent the lawyer from seeing her husband. Convinced of the meanness of Maxime de Tray, the countess breaks off relations with him and takes care of her sick husband. The Count can't meet with the lawyer. After the Count's death, the Countess searches for a will. Gobsek and Derville, arriving at her house the next day, saw a terrible destruction. As soon as the woman heard someone else's steps, she burned the papers addressed to Derville. The count's property passed to Gobsek. Derville asked him to take pity on the countess, but Gobsek believes that he must teach a lesson so that Ernest de Resto learns the value of money and people. When Derville learned that Camilla and Ernest were in love, he once again asked Gobsek to give the young man his fortune. The dying Gobsek bequeathed his entire fortune to his sister’s great-granddaughter, and instructed Derville to dispose of all the food. Derville saw a lot of accumulated spoiled food, because, fearing to sell it too cheap, Gobsek last years was seized by a mania of stinginess.

At the end, Derville announced that Ernes de Resto would soon regain his lost fortune and then he would be allowed to marry Camille de Granlier.

Essays

One day, two guests who did not belong to her family stayed in Viscountess Granlier’s salon until one in the morning. One of them is the young Count Ernest de Resto, the second is the lawyer Derville, who was married to a family friend because he once helped the Viscountess return money and property lost during the revolution. Noticing that her daughter Camila treats Ernest de Resto with favor, the Viscountess, as soon as the count left, severely reproaches her and reminds her that the count’s mother is not accepted in any decent house, while she is alive, none of the parents will trust the Count de Resto future and dowry for his daughter. Solicitor Derville has long guessed about Camila's feelings for Ernest de Resto; he intervenes in the conversation between the Viscountess and her daughter and asks permission to tell a story that, in his opinion, can change the view of Comte de Resto in refined society.

The story that Derville tells began a long time ago, when he was very young. At that time, Derville was a junior scribe in the solicitor's office, studied law and lived in a cheap boarding house, where the moneylender Gobsek also lived. Derville conveys his impressions of Gobsek’s appearance and character. The yellowish pallor of his skin resembled silver from which the gilding had peeled off, his hair was ash-gray, his facial features, motionless and indifferent, seemed to be cast from bronze, his yellow eyes, like those of a ferret, were hiding from the bright light. The nose was sharp, like a gimlet, and the lips were thin. He never lost his peace of mind, even when his clients begged, cried, threatened, he remained calm and spoke quietly. It was difficult to guess his age: either he had aged beforehand, or in his old age he looked young. Everything in his house was neat and worn, like in an old maid's room. Describing Gobsek, Derville calls him an automaton man, a bill man who oppresses any feelings within himself. His life seemed to flow quietly, like sand in an old hourglass. Gobsek was very careful, and no one knew whether he was poor or rich. One day a gold coin fell out of his pocket. The Tenant, who was following him down the stairs, picked it up and gave it to Gobsek, but he did not take the lost one because he did not want to admit that he might have that kind of money. The moneylender lived alone and maintained relations only with Derville, to whom he revealed his innermost thoughts about the world and people. Subsequently, Derville learned that Gobseck was born in Holland; at the age of ten, his mother gave him as a cabin boy on a ship that sailed to India, where he wandered for twenty years. He sought to get rich, and fate threw him around the world in search of wealth on all continents. He knew many famous people of his time, was involved in many historical events, but didn’t like to talk about it. One day Gobsek explained to Derville his life “philosophy”: gold rules the world, and the moneylender owns gold, so he has secret power over people. As it turned out, Gobsek amuses himself by studying human passions and rejoices in his power over them. As an instructive example, he gives the stories of two bills for which he received money that day. One was paid for at a certain time by the seamstress Fanny Malvo, a hardworking and respectable girl who aroused sympathy even from the moneylender. The second bill was signed by one countess, and her lover received the money. Gobsek comes to the Countess, but he is informed that she is still sleeping and will not wake up before twelve o’clock, because she was at the ball all night. The moneylender calls his last name and tells the countess that he will come by later. At noon, he again, with the countess’s flattering behavior, understands that she has nothing to pay her with. Gobsek notes the beauty of this woman, but does not know sympathy: he warns that he will reveal her secret when she does not pay. During their conversation, the countess's man comes into the room, and she is forced to give Gobsek a diamond in order to get rid of the moneylender. Leaving the countess's house, he met her lover. On his face Gobsek read the countess's future.

Several years passed, Derville completed his law course and received the position of senior clerk in the solicitor's office. Soon he has the opportunity to buy a patent for his cartridge. Gobsek lends Derville money at only thirteen percent (usually he took from fifty to five hundred percent of the debt amount). Derville's conscience and perseverance in work allowed him to pay off the moneylender in five years.

A year after Derville paid for the patent, he was dragged to a bachelor’s breakfast with the aim of introducing him to Monsieur de Tray, famous in high society. The latter asked Derville to reconcile him with Gobsek. But the moneylender refuses to lend money to a man who had nothing but debts. Then de Tray, laughing and returning on his heels, asked if there was still such capital in Paris; this gentleman also boasted that his bills were his. There was something serious in his buffoonery, but she could not stir Gobsek. At this time, the noise of a carriage was heard from the street, stopping at the house, where Tri rushed to the exit, promising to bring an item that would satisfy the moneylender. De Trai returned with a very beautiful woman, and Derville recognized her as the countess about whom Gobsek had told him. The Countess brought wonderful diamonds as collateral. Derville realized the depth of the abyss into which the countess was falling, and tried to dissuade HER from forcing the jewelry, citing the fact that the countess married woman and is subject to man. Gobsek assessed the jewelry and decided to take it as collateral, but, given the legal dubiousness of the case, he offers significantly less money than the real price of the jewelry. The Countess hesitates to enter into an agreement, but Trai hints to her that this is forcing him to die, and she accepts Gobsek's offer. Of the eighty thousand specified in the contract, the moneylender writes a check for only fifty thousand. With an ironic smile, he gives out the rest of the money in bills from Mr. de Tray himself. The young man burst into a roar and called the moneylender an old swindler. Gobsek calmly pulled out a pair of pistols and said that he would shoot first, because Count de Tray had offended him. The Countess begs the Count to apologize to Gobsek. When Gobsek was left alone with Derville, he gave vent to his joy, which was caused by the possession of luxurious diamonds for little money. Watching this, Derville stood in amazement. At this time, hurried steps were heard in the corridor, Gobsek opened the door, so the visitor seemed safe to him. The countess's man came in, he was terribly angry and demanded the return of the deposit, citing the fact that his wife had no right to dispose of these diamonds. Gobsek was almost frightened by his rage and threats to go to court. Derville intervenes in the dispute and explains to the count that by going to court, he will probably receive nothing but shame, since the case is very dubious. The Count agrees to pay eighty percent for the jewelry. Grateful Gobsek gives him advice on how to save the property, preserve it at least for the children. According to Gobsek, all property should be fictitiously sold to a reliable friend.

A few days after this scene, the count came to Derville to ask his opinion about Gobsek’s honesty. Derville replied that in the moneylenders there live two creatures - a miser and a philosopher, mean and high, but if only he, Derville,... threatened with death, he would appoint Gobsek as the guardian of his children. Derville told the count the story of his loan to Gobsek and how, having finally paid off the moneylender, he asked why he did not allow himself to do a good deed disinterestedly, which prompted him to force even his friend to pay huge interest. Gobsek’s answer characterizes him better: this is how he freed Derville from gratitude and gave him the right to believe that he owes nothing to the moneylender. The Count decided to transfer ownership of his property to Gobsek, and to transfer the counter-receipt, which would legally confirm the fictitiousness of the sale, to Derville...

Next, Derville tried to reveal to Camille the terrible abyss into which women can fall as soon as they cross certain boundaries. But the Viscountess blocked the attorney and suggested that her daughter go to bed. The girl understood her mother and left the society. Now those present did not hide the names of the characters in the story of Derville, because everyone guessed that we were talking about Count de Resto and his wife, parents of Ernest de Resto.

Much time passed after this transaction, and Derville never received the receipt that was supposed to be kept by him. He learns that Count de Resto is seriously ill. Derville strives to see the count, but the countess does everything to prevent this. She understands her future well, because at that time all property is in the hands of Gobsek. The Countess already understood the essence of Mr. de Tray and broke off relations with him. She carefully looks after her sick husband, but in reality she is only waiting for the pagoda to take possession of the property, because she feels that there is a secret meaning in her husband’s business with Gobsek. The count wants to see Derville, but, on the orders of the countess, he is informed that the attorney has left. Then the count wants to transfer the receipt to Derville through his son, but the countess uses her influence on her son and intervenes in the matter. The Count understands that Ernest may not keep his word and will open up to his mother. She begs the Count to forgive her for the sake of the children, but the Count is inexorable. The Count dies, and the next morning Derville and Gobsek come. The Countess has locked herself in the Count's room and does not allow anyone to enter there. Seeing strangers, Ernest warns his mother. When the solicitor and moneylender entered the room where the dead man lay, they were horrified: everything was turned upside down, there was terrible disorder in the room, and documents were burning in the fireplace, which should be handed over to Derville. Gobsek took advantage of the crime committed by the countess and appropriated the count's property.

Since then, Derville and the moneylender rarely saw each other. Gobsek rented out the count's mansion, spent the summer on his estate, pretended to be a nobleman, built farms, and repaired mills. One day, the solicitor tried to persuade Gobsek to help Ernest, but the moneylender replied that misfortune is the best teacher, let the young count learn the value of money and people, let us sail on the Parisian sea, when he becomes a skilled pilot, then we will give him a ship. Having learned about Ernest's love for Camila, Derville made another attempt to influence the old moneylender and went to him. The old moneylender had long since gone to bed, but did not abandon his business. Not wanting to have neighbors, he rented the entire house for himself, but lived in the same room as before. He put off answering Ernestov's case until he could get up, and he was no longer destined to do so. A few days before, Derville came and reported the death of Gobsek. He left all his wealth to his sister’s great-granddaughter, a prostitute nicknamed the “Electric Stingray” or the Light. He left to Derville the stocks of products that Gobsek had accumulated in recent years, receiving them from his clients. He accepted everything: a basket of fish, a box of candles, dishes, and gold snuff boxes. When Derville opened adjoining rooms, he almost fainted from the stench emanating from rotting goods - fish, pates, coffee, tobacco, tea, etc. Towards the end of his life he did not sell anything because he was afraid to give it away for cheap, so his passion outlived his mind.

Derville also reports that Count Ernest de Restaud will soon be brought into possession of the property, which will allow him to marry the girl Camilla. The Viscountess replies that Ernest would have to be very rich to marry her daughter. The Viscountess's brother notices that the count's family is very old. The sister agrees with him and says that Kamila may not see her mother-in-law, although she is received at receptions.

Honore de Balzac

Baron Barch de Penoin

Of all the former students of the College of Vendôme, it seems that you and I were the only ones who chose the literary field - it was not for nothing that we were interested in philosophy at an age when we were supposed to be carried away only by the pages of De viris. We met again when I was writing this story, and you were working on your wonderful works about German philosophy. So, we both did not change our calling. I hope you will be as pleased to see your name here as I am pleased to put it.

Your old school friend

de Balzac

Once in the winter of 1829–1830, two guests who did not belong to her family stayed in the Viscountess de Granlier’s salon until one in the morning. One of them, a handsome young man, hearing the chime of the mantel clock, hastened to take his leave. When the wheels of his carriage began to clatter in the courtyard, the Viscountess, seeing that only her brother and a family friend were left, who were finishing a game of picket, approached her daughter; the girl stood by the fireplace and seemed to be carefully examining the through pattern on the screen, but, undoubtedly, listened to the noise of the convertible driving away, which confirmed her mother’s fears.

Camilla, if you continue to behave with the Comte de Resto the same way as this evening, I will have to refuse him from the house. Listen to me, baby, if you believe my tender love for you, let me guide you in life. At seventeen years old, a girl cannot judge either the past, the future, or some of the requirements of society. I will point out to you only one circumstance: Monsieur de Resto has a mother, a woman capable of swallowing a million-dollar fortune, a person of low birth - her maiden name was Goriot, and in her youth she caused a lot of talk about herself. She treated her father very badly and, truly, does not deserve such a good son as Monsieur de Resto. The young count adores her and supports her with filial devotion, worthy of all praise. And how he cares about his sister, about his brother! In a word, his behavior is simply excellent, but,” added the Viscountess with a sly look, “as long as his mother is alive, not a single decent family’s parents will dare to entrust this dear young man with the future and dowry of their daughter.”

I caught a few words from your conversation with Mademoiselle de Granlier, and I really want to interfere in it! exclaimed the aforementioned family friend. “I won, Count,” he said, turning to his partner. - I leave you and hasten to help your niece.

This is truly the hearing of a real lawyer! - exclaimed the Viscountess. - Dear Derville, how could you hear what I said to Camille? I whispered to her very quietly.

“I understood everything from your eyes,” Derville answered, sitting down in a deep chair by the fireplace.

Camilla's uncle sat down next to his niece, and Madame de Granlier settled down in a low, quiet chair between her daughter and Derville.

It's time for me, Viscountess, to tell you a story that will make you change your view of the situation in the light of Count Ernest de Resto.

History?! - Camilla exclaimed. - Tell me quickly, Mr. Derville!

The solicitor glanced at Madame de Granlier, by which she realized that this story would be interesting to her. The Viscountess de Granlier, in terms of her wealth and nobility, was one of the most influential ladies in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and, of course, it may seem surprising that some Parisian lawyer decided to speak to her so naturally and behave in her salon easily, but to explain it is very easy. Madame de Granlier, having returned to France with the royal family, settled in Paris and at first lived only on the benefits assigned to her by Louis XVIII from the sums of the civil list - an unbearable situation for her. Solicitor Derville accidentally discovered formal irregularities committed at one time by the Republic during the sale of the Granlier mansion, and declared that this house should be returned to the Viscountess. On her behalf, he took the case to court and won it. Emboldened by this success, he started a slanderous lawsuit with a shelter for the elderly and achieved the return of forest land in Lisne to it. Then he confirmed her ownership of several shares of the Orleans Canal and quite big houses, which the emperor donated to public institutions. Madame de Granlier's fortune, restored thanks to the dexterity of the young attorney, began to give her about sixty thousand francs an annual income, and then the law on compensation for losses to emigrants arrived, and she received huge amounts of money. This solicitor, a man of high integrity, knowledgeable, modest and good manners, became a friend of the Granlier family. With his behavior towards Madame de Granlier, he achieved honor and clientele in best houses Saint-Germain suburb, but did not take advantage of their favor, as some ambitious person would have done. He even rejected the offer of the Viscountess, who persuaded him to sell his office and move to the judicial department, where, with her patronage, he could make a career extremely quickly. With the exception of Madame de Granlier's house, where he sometimes spent evenings, he was in society only to maintain connections. He considered himself lucky that, while zealously defending the interests of Madame de Granlier, he showed his talent, otherwise his office would have been in danger of collapsing; he did not have the ingenuity of a true lawyer. Since Count Ernest de Resto appeared at the Viscountess’s house, Derville, guessing Camille’s sympathy for this young man, became a regular at Madame de Granlier’s salon, like a dandy from the Highway d’Antin, who had just gained access to the aristocratic society of the Faubourg Saint-Germain. A few days before the evening described, he met Mademoiselle de Granlier at a ball and said to her, pointing with his eyes at the count:

It’s a pity that this young man doesn’t have two or three million. Is it true?

Why "sorry"? “I don’t consider it a misfortune,” she replied. - Mister de Resto is a very gifted, educated man, in good standing with the minister to whom he is seconded. I have no doubt at all that he will become an outstanding figure. And when “this young man” is in power, wealth will come into his hands.

Yes, but if only he were rich already!

If he were rich... - blushing, Camilla repeated, - well, all the girls dancing here would challenge each other for him, - she added, pointing to the participants in the quadrille.

And then,” the lawyer noted, “Mademoiselle de Granlier would not be the only magnet attracting his eyes.” You seem to have blushed - why would that be? Are you partial to him? Well, tell me...

Camilla jumped out of her chair.

“She is in love with him,” thought Derville.

From that day on, Camilla showed special attention to the lawyer, realizing that Derville approved of her inclination towards Ernest de Resto. Until then, although she knew that her family owed a lot to Derville, she had more respect for him than friendship, and her treatment of him showed more courtesy than warmth. There was something in her manner and tone of voice that indicated the distance established between them by social etiquette. Gratitude is a debt that children are not very willing to inherit from their parents.

Derville paused, collecting his thoughts, and then began like this:

Tonight reminded me of a romantic story, the only one in my life... Well, you’re laughing, it’s funny for you to hear that a lawyer can have some kind of romance. But I was once twenty-five years old, and in those young years I had already seen enough of many amazing things. I'll have to tell you one thing first acting person my story, which you, of course, could not know, is about a certain moneylender. I don’t know if you can imagine from my words the face of this man, which I, with the permission of the Academy, am ready to call moonlit face, for its yellowish pallor resembled the color of silver from which the gilding had peeled off. My moneylender's hair was completely straight, always neatly combed and heavily streaked with gray - ash-gray. The facial features, motionless, impassive, like Talleyrand's, seemed cast from bronze. His eyes, small and yellow, like those of a ferret, and almost without eyelashes, could not stand bright light, so he protected them with the large visor of a tattered cap. The sharp tip of the long nose, pitted with mountain ash, looked like a gimlet, and the lips were thin, like those of alchemists and ancient old men in the paintings of Rembrandt and Metsu. This man spoke quietly, softly, and never got excited. His age was a mystery: I could never understand whether he had aged before his time or was well preserved and would remain youthful forever. Everything in his room was shabby and neat, starting from the green cloth on desk to the rug in front of the bed - just like in the cold abode of a lonely old maid who spends her day cleaning and waxing the furniture. In winter, firebrands, covered with a pile of ash, smoldered in his fireplace, never flaring up into flame. From the first minute of awakening until the evening attacks of coughing, all his actions were measured, like the movements of a pendulum. It was some kind of human machine that was wound up every day. If you touch a woodlice crawling on paper, it will instantly stop and freeze; Likewise, this man suddenly fell silent during a conversation, waiting until the noise of the carriage passing under the windows died down, since he did not want to strain his voice. Following the example of Fontenelle, he took care vital energy , suppressing all human feelings. And his life flowed as silently as sand flowing in a trickle in an ancient hourglass. Sometimes his victims were indignant, raised a frantic cry, then suddenly there was dead silence, like in the kitchen when they slaughter a duck in it. By evening, the bill of exchange man became an ordinary person, and the ingot of metal in his chest became a human heart. If he was satisfied with the end of the day, he rubbed his hands, and from the deep wrinkles that furrowed his face, it was as if a smoke of gaiety rose - really, it is impossible to depict in other words his silent smile, the play of his facial muscles, which probably expressed the same sensations, like Leatherstocking's silent laughter. Always, even in moments of greatest joy, he spoke in monosyllables and maintained restraint. This is the kind of neighbor that happened to me when I lived on the Rue des Graes, being at that time just a junior scribe in a solicitor’s office and a final year law student. In this gloomy, damp house there is no courtyard, all the windows face the street, and the arrangement of the rooms resembles the arrangement of monastic cells: they are all the same size, each has a single door opening onto a long, dim corridor with small windows. Yes, this building was indeed once a monastery hotel. In such a gloomy abode, the lively playfulness of some social rake immediately faded away, even before he entered my neighbor; the house and its occupant were a match for each other - just like a rock and an oyster clinging to it. The only person with whom the old man, as they say, maintained a relationship was me. He would drop by to ask me for a light, to borrow a book or newspaper to read, he would allow me to go into his cell in the evenings, and we would sometimes talk if he was in the mood for it. Such signs of trust were the fruit of four years of neighborhood and my exemplary behavior, which, due to lack of money, was in many ways similar to the lifestyle of this old man. Did he have family or friends? Was he poor or rich? No one could answer these questions. I never saw money in his hands. His fortune, if he had any, was probably kept in the bank vaults. He himself collected bills and ran all over Paris to do this on thin, lean legs, like a deer’s. By the way, he once suffered for his excessive caution. By chance he had gold with him, and suddenly the double Napoleon somehow fell out of his vest pocket. The tenant, who followed the old man down the stairs, picked up the coin and handed it to him.

The story “Gobsek” was published by Honoré de Balzac in 1830, and in 1842 it became one of the key works of the “Human Comedy”, included in the section “Scenes of Private Life” (“Studies on Morals”). Today this is the most readable work Balzac, it is included in school and university curricula, is the subject of many scientific research, a wide field for analysis and a rich source of inspiration.

Like many of Balzac's works, Gobsek was initially published in parts. The first episode, entitled "The Moneylender", appeared in the pages of Fashion magazine in February 1830. Then the story appeared under the name “Papa Gobsek” and was divided into semantic parts - “The Moneylender”, “The Lawyer”, “The Death of the Husband”. In 1842, the story was included in the “Human Comedy” under the laconic title “Gobsek” without division into chapters. It is this type of work that is considered classic.

The central character is the moneylender Jean Esther van Gobseck (note - in this case the surname Gobseck is “speaking”, translated from French as Crookshanks). In addition to the work in which he is a soloist, Gobsek also appears in “Père Goriot”, “Cesar Birotteau”, “The Marriage Contract” and “Officials”. Lawyer Derville, who is also the narrator, is the hero of “Père Goriot,” “Colonel Chabert,” “Dark Affair,” and the novel “The Splendor and Poverty of the Courtesans.”

This cult work has two film incarnations. In 1936, the story was filmed by Soviet director Konstantin Eggert (“Bear’s Wedding”, “The Lame Master”), the role of Gobsek was played by Leonid Leonidov. In 1987, a film of the same name was released under the direction of Alexander Orlov (“The Woman Who Sings,” “The Adventures of Chichikov”), this time Gobsek was played by Vladimir Tatosov.

Let's remember the plot of this immortal masterpiece from the brilliant Honore de Balzac.

The action of the story begins to develop in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier. It was the winter of 1829-30. There was snow falling outside the window and none of the midnight inhabitants of the living room wanted to move away from the cozy warmth of the fireplace. Viscountess de Ganlier was the most noble, rich and respectable lady of the Saint-Germain suburb. In such late hour she reprimanded her seventeen-year-old daughter Camilla for the too obvious affection she showed towards the young Count Emile de Resto.

A family friend, lawyer Derville, witnesses this scene. He sees Camilla's cheeks glow at the mention of the name of Comte de Resto. There is no doubt, the girl is in love! But why does the Countess oppose the union of young hearts? There is a good reason for this, explains the Countess. It's no secret how inappropriately his mother behaved. Now, of course, she has settled down, but her past leaves an indelible imprint on her offspring. Besides, de Resto is poor.

– What if you’re not poor? – Derville grins slyly.
“That would change things somewhat,” the Viscountess notes evasively.
-Then I’ll tell you one romantic story which happened to me many years ago.

Jean Esther van Gobseck

When Derville was twenty-five years old, he rented a room in a poor Parisian hotel. His neighbor was a famous moneylender named Gobsek. Without having met Gobsek personally, Derville had already heard a lot about him. Jean Esther van Gobseck lived alone in his neat, modest apartment. His past was hidden in secrets. They say that at the age of ten he was sent as a cabin boy to a sea vessel. For a long time Gobsek sailed the seas and oceans, and then came to Paris and became a moneylender.

The last refuge for the suffering

Every day visitors came to his room, but these were not good friends, but grief-stricken, miserable petitioners, strangled by vices and their own insatiability. His modest chambers were once visited by successful merchants, young dandies, noble ladies, bashfully covering their faces with veils.

They all came to Gobsek for money. They prayed to Gobsek like a god, and, throwing off their arrogance, humbly pressed their hands to their chests.

Gobsek was hated for his inexorability and callousness. He was called the “golden idol” and the familiar “Papa Gobsek”, his philosophy was considered unspiritual, and his unsociability was at least strange - “if humanity is considered a kind of religion, then Gobsek could be called an atheist.” But all this did not in any way affect the number of clients of Father Gobsek. They came to him because only he could give a chance for salvation or at least delay complete collapse.

One day, young Derville also appeared on the threshold of his neighbor's house. He didn’t have a penny to his name, but after receiving an education, he dreamed of opening his own legal business. The old man Gobsek liked the ambitious young man, and he agreed to invest money in him with the condition of paying a substantial percentage. Thanks to his talent, supported by diligence and healthy frugality, Derville eventually completely settled accounts with Gobsek. During their cooperation, the lawyer and the moneylender became good friends. They met for lunch twice a week. Conversations with Gobsek were for Derville a rich source of life wisdom, seasoned with the unusual philosophy of a moneylender.

When Derville made the last payment, he asked why Gobsek continued to charge him, his friend, huge interest rates, and did not provide the service disinterestedly. To this the old man wisely replied: “My son, I freed you from gratitude, I gave you the right to believe that you do not owe me anything. And that’s why you and I are the best friends in the world.”

Now Derville’s business is thriving, he married for love, his life is constantly happiness and prosperity. So it's full of Derville, because happy man– the topic is unbearably boring.

One day Derville brought his acquaintance Maxime de Tray to Gobsek - a handsome man, a brilliant Parisian womanizer and rake. Maxim is in dire need of money, but Gobsek refuses de Tray a loan because he knows about his numerous unpaid debts. The next day a beautiful lady comes to ask for Maxim. Looking ahead, we note that this was the Countess de Resto, the mother of the same Emile de Resto, who today is unsuccessfully wooing Camille de Granier.

Blinded by passion for the scoundrel de Tray, the countess pawned the family diamonds for his young lover. It must be said that several years ago the Countess paid de Tray’s first bill of exchange from Father Gobsek. The amount was small, but even then Gobsek predicted that this scoundrel would extract all the money from the de Resto family.

Soon Count de Resto, the legal husband of the extravagant countess and the owner of the pawned diamonds, burst into Gobsek’s room. The moneylender refused to return the jewelry, but advised the count to secure his inheritance, otherwise his children would not be destined to see the money. After consulting with Derville, the count transfers all his property to Gobsek and draws up a counter receipt, which states that the sale of property is fictitious - when the eldest son becomes an adult, the moneylender will transfer the rights to manage the property to the legal heir.

The Count conjures Derville to keep the receipt for himself, because he does not trust his greedy wife. However, due to the evil mockery of fate, he becomes seriously ill and does not have time to hand over the document on which the fate of his boy depends. While the count is bedridden in unconsciousness, the countess does not leave his room, believably portraying a grief-stricken wife. No one except Gobsek and Derville knows the true background of this “attachment.” Like a predator, the countess waits for the cherished hour when her victim breathes his last.

Soon the count dies. Derville and Gobsek rush to de Resto's house and witness a terrible picture. Everything in the count's room was turned upside down; in the midst of this chaos, disheveled with sparkling eyes, the countess was rushing about. She was not embarrassed by the presence of the deceased; his body was contemptuously thrown onto the edge of the bed, like a thing no longer needed.

Some papers were burning in the fireplace. It was a receipt. "What have you done? - Derville cried - You just ruined your own children. These documents provided them with wealth...”

It seemed that the countess would have a stroke. But nothing could be corrected - Gobsek became the full owner of de Resto’s fortune.

Gobsek refused to help the young heir to de Resto. “Adversity is the best teacher. In misfortune, he will learn a lot, learn the value of money, the value of people... Let him swim on the waves of the Parisian sea. And when he becomes a skilled pilot, we will promote him to captain.”

The humanist Derville could not understand Gobsek's cruelty. He moved away from his friend, and over time their meetings came to naught. Derville made his next visit to Gobsek many years later. They say that all these years Gobsek led a prosperous life, and in Lately became completely unsociable and did not leave his magnificent chambers.

Derville found Gobsek dying. The moneylender informed his old friend that he had made him his executor. He bequeathed his entire acquired fortune to his sister’s great-granddaughter, a public girl nicknamed Ogonyok. “She’s as good as Cupid,” the dying man smiled faintly, “find her, my friend.” And let the rightful inheritance now return to Emile de Resto. Surely he became a good man.

Inspecting Gobsek's house after his death, Derville was shocked: the pantries were bursting with food, most of which was missing. Everything was spoiled, infested with worms and insects, but the distraught miser did not sell his goods to anyone. “I saw to what extent stinginess can go, turning into an unaccountable passion devoid of any logic.”

Fortunately, Gobsek managed to transfer his own and return someone else’s wealth. Madame de Granlier listened to the lawyer's story with great interest. “Okay, dear Derville, we’ll think about Emile de Resto,” she said, “Besides, Camilla doesn’t have to see her mother-in-law often.”

Honore de Balzac's story "Gobsek": summary

The lawyer Derville tells the story of the moneylender Gobsek in the salon of the Viscountess de Granlier, one of the most noble and wealthy ladies in the aristocratic Faubourg Saint-Germain. One day in the winter of 1829/30, two guests stayed with her: the young handsome Count Ernest de Resto and Derville, who was easily accepted only because he helped the mistress of the house return property confiscated during the Revolution. When Ernest leaves, the Viscountess reprimands daughter Camilla: one should not so openly show affection to the dear count, for not a single decent family would agree to become related to him because of his mother. Although now she behaves impeccably, she caused a lot of gossip in her youth. In addition, she is of low origin - her father was the grain merchant Goriot. But the worst thing is that she squandered a fortune on her lover, leaving her children penniless. Count Ernest de Resto is poor, and therefore not a match for Camille de Granlier. Derville, who sympathizes with the lovers, intervenes in the conversation, wanting to explain to the Viscountess the true state of affairs. He starts from afar: during his student years he had to live in a cheap boarding house - there he met Gobsek. Even then he was a deep old man of very remarkable appearance - with a “moon-like face”, yellow, like a ferret’s eyes, a sharp long nose and thin lips. His victims sometimes lost their temper, cried or threatened, but the moneylender himself always kept his cool - he was a “bill man,” a “golden idol.” Of all his neighbors, he maintained relations only with Derville, to whom he once revealed the mechanism of his power over people - the world is ruled by gold, and the moneylender owns gold. For edification, he talks about how he collected a debt from one noble lady - fearing exposure, this countess without hesitation handed him a diamond, because her lover received the money on her bill. Gobsek guessed the future of the countess from the face of the blond handsome man - this dandy, spendthrift and gambler is capable of ruining the whole family. After graduating from a law course, Derville received the position of senior clerk in a solicitor's office. In the winter of 1818/19, he was forced to sell his patent - and asked one hundred and fifty thousand francs for it. Gobsek lent money to the young neighbor, taking from him “out of friendship” only thirteen percent - usually he took at least fifty. At the cost of hard work, Derville managed to get rid of his debt in five years. One day, the brilliant dandy Count Maxime de Tray begged Derville to introduce him to Gobsek, but the moneylender flatly refused to give a loan to a man who had three hundred thousand debts and not a centime to his name. At that moment, a carriage drove up to the house, Count de Tray rushed to the exit and returned with an unusually beautiful lady - from the description, Derville immediately recognized her as the countess who had issued the bill four years ago. This time she pledged magnificent diamonds. Derville tried to prevent the deal, but as soon as Maxim hinted that he was going to take his own life, the unfortunate woman agreed to the enslaving terms of the loan. After the lovers left, the countess’s husband burst into Gobsek’s house demanding the return of the mortgage - his wife had no right to dispose of the family jewels. Derville succeeded -