The Miserable World

Chapter 10 Part One (9)
Two portraits in oval frames were fastened to the wall on each side of the bed.
Small gilt inscriptions on the plain surface of the cloth at the side of these figures indicated that the portraits represented，one the Abbe of Chaliot，bishop of Saint Claude；the other，the Abbe Tourteau，vicar-general of Agde，abbe of Grand-Champ，order of Citeaux，diocese of Chartres.
When the Bishop succeeded to this apartment，after the hospital patients，he had found these portraits there，and had left them.
They were priests，and probably donors——two reasons for respecting them.
All that he knew about these two persons was，that they had been appointed by the king，the one to his bishopric，the other to his benefice，on the same day，the 27th of April，1785.
Madame Magloire having taken the pictures down to dust，the Bishop had discovered these particulars written in whitish ink on a little square of paper，yellowed by time，and attached to the back of the portrait of the Abbe of Grand-Champ with four wafers.
At his window he had an antique curtain of a coarse woollen stuff，which finally became so old，that，in order to avoid the expense of a new one，Madame Magloire was forced to take a large seam in the very middle of it.
This seam took the form of a cross.The Bishop often called attention to it：

'How delightful that is！'he said.
All the rooms in the house，without exception，those on the ground floor as well as those on the first floor，were white-washed，which is a fashion in barracks and hospitals.
However，in their latter years，Madame Magloire discovered beneath the paper which had been washed over，paintings，ornamenting the apartment of Mademoiselle Baptistine，as we shall see further on.Before becoming a hospital，this house had been the ancient parliament house of the Bourgeois.
Hence this decoration.The chambers were paved in red bricks，which were washed every week，with straw mats in front of all the beds.
Altogether，this dwelling，which was attended to by the two women，was exquisitely clean from top to bottom.
This was the sole luxury which the Bishop permitted.He said，'That takes nothing from the poor.'
It must be confessed，however，that he still retained from his former possessions six silver knives and forks and a soup-ladle，which Madame Magloire contemplated every day with delight，as they glistened splendidly upon the coarse linen cloth.And since we are now painting the Bishop of D——as he was in reality，we must add that he had said more than once，'I find it difficult to renounce eating from silver dishes.'
To this silverware must be added two large candlesticks of massive silver，which he had inherited from a great-aunt.These candlesticks held two wax candles，and usually figured on the Bishop's chimney-piece.When he had any one to dinner，Madame Magloire lighted the two candles and set the candlesticks on the table.
In the Bishop's own chamber，at the head of his bed，there was a small cupboard，in which Madame Magloire locked up the six silver knives and forks and the big spoon every night.But it is necessary to add，that the key was never removed.
The garden，which had been rather spoiled by the ugly buildings which we have mentioned，was composed of four alleys in cross-form，radiating from a tank.
Another walk made the circuit of the garden，and skirted the white wall which enclosed it.
These alleys left behind them four square plots rimmed with box.
In three of these，Madame Magloire cultivated vegetables；in the fourth，the Bishop had planted some flowers；here and there stood a few fruit-trees.Madame Magloire had once remarked，with a sort of gentle malice：'Monseigneur，you who turn everything to account，have，nevertheless，one useless plot.
It would be better to grow salads there than bouquets.'Madame Magloire，'retorted the Bishop，'you are mistaken.The beautiful is as useful as the useful.'
He added after a pause，'More so，perhaps.'
This plot，consisting of three or four beds，occupied the Bishop almost as much as did his books.
He liked to pass an hour or two there，trimming，hoeing，and making holes here and there in the earth，into which he dropped seeds.
He was not as hostile to insects as a gardener could have wished to see him.
Moreover，he made no pretensions to botany；he ignored groups and consistency；he made not the slightest effort to decide between Tournefort and the natural method；he took part neither with the buds against the cotyledons，nor with Jussieu against Linnaeus.
He did not study plants；he loved flowers.He respected learned men greatly；he respected the ignorant still more；and，without ever failing in these two respects，he watered his flower-beds every summer evening with a tin watering-pot painted green.
The house had not a single door which could be locked.
The door of the dining-room，which，as we have said，opened directly on the cathedral square，had formerly been ornamented with locks and bolts like the door of a prison.
The Bishop had had all this ironwork removed，and this door was never fastened，either by night or by day，with anything except the latch.
All that the first passerby had to do at any hour，was to give it a push.
At first，the two women had been very much tried by this door，which was never fastened，but Monsieur de D——had said to them，'Have bolts put on your rooms，if that will please you.'
They had ended by sharing his confidence，or by at least acting as though they shared it.
Madame Magloire alone had frights from time to time.
As for the Bishop，his thought can be found explained，or at least indicated，in the three lines which he wrote on the margin of a Bible，'This is the shade of difference：

the door of the physician should never be shut，the door of the priest should always be open.'
On another book，entitled Philosophy of the Medical Science，he had written this other note：

'Am not I a physician like them？I also have my patients，and then，too，I have some whom I call my unfortunates.'
Again he wrote：

(End of this chapter)