Chapter M (2)

MOUQUE, father of Mouquet and of Mouquette. He had charge of the horses in the Voreux pit, and also acted as caretaker at a ruined mine known as the Requillart, where the company had given him two rooms to live in. Almost every evening he received a visit from his old comrade Bonnemort. Germinal.

MOUQUET, son of the preceding, was an inseparable companion of Zacharie Maheu, along with whom he worked at the Voreux pit. During the strike he went out of curiosity to see the attack by the strikers on the soldiers who were guarding the mines, and was killed by a stray ball which struck him in the mouth.

MOUQUETTE, daughter of Mouque. She was a putter in the Voreux pit, and lived with her father at the ruined mine of Requillart, where he was caretaker. She was present at the attack by the strikers on the soldiers guarding the Voreux, and when the fatal volley was fired she was killed, in an instinctive attempt to save Catherine Maheu, before whom she placed herself. Germinal.

MOURET, a hatter of Plassans who married Ursule Macquart in 1810 and went to live at Marseilles. He was devoted to his wife, and a year after her death in 1839, he hanged himself in a cupboard where her dresses were still suspended. He left three children, Helene, Francois, and Silvere. La Fortune des Rougon.

MOURET (MADAME), wife of the preceding. See Ursule Macquart. La Fortune des Rougon.

MOURET (DESIREE), born 1844, daughter of Francois Mouret, and sister of Octave and Serge. La Fortune des Rougon.

She was of feeble intellect, and when a girl of sixteen was still mentally like a child of eight. When her mother fell under the influence of Abbe Faujas, and began entirely to neglect her family, Francois Mouret removed Desiree to the home of her old nurse, in whose custody she remained. La Conquete de Plassans.

When her brother Serge was appointed priest of Les Artaud, she accompanied him there. By that time she had grown to be a tall, handsome girl, but her mind had never developed, and she was still like a young child. Her love of animals had become a passion, and at her brother’s home she was able to indulge it to the fullest extent, and to her complete happiness. La Faute de l’Abbe Mouret.

She accompanied her brother to Saint Eutrope, where he became cure, and she continued innocent and healthy, like a happy young animal. Le Docteur Pascal.

MOURET (FRANCOIS), born in 1817, son of Mouret and Ursule Macquart, his wife. He got a situation in the business of his uncle, Pierre Rougon, whose daughter Marthe he married in 1840. They had three children, Octave, Serge, and Desiree. On the retirement of his uncle, Mouret returned to Marseilles and established himself in business there. La Fortune de Rougon.

During fifteen years of close application on the part of Mouret and his wife, he made a fortune out of wines, oil, and almonds, and then retired to Plassans, where he lived on his means, making an occasional deal in wine or oil when a chance occurred. He was not on good terms with his wife’s relations, and placed himself politically in opposition to them by supporting the Legitimist candidate, the Marquis de Lagrifoul. In 1858, having two vacant rooms in his house, he was induced by the Abbe Bourrette to let them to Abbe Faujas, a priest who had been sent to Plassans by the Government to undermine the existing clerical influence there, which had been exercised in support of the Marquis de Lagrifoul. Mouret was a man of narrow and restricted intellect, and his peculiarities became more and more marked as the Abbe Faujas gradually came to dominate the household and induce Madame Mouret to neglect her husband and family for the service of the Church. By degrees Mouret came to be regarded as insane, and his wife having had several epileptic attacks, he was accused of having caused the injuries she had really inflicted on herself. His wrongful removal to the asylum at Les Tulettes followed, and confinement soon confirmed the insanity which before had only threatened. In 1864, his uncle, Antoine Macquart, in order to annoy the Rougons contrived his escape from the asylum, and he returned by night to his home at Plassans. Finding it in the occupancy of Abbe Faujas and his relatives, he was overcome by the fury of madness, and set fire to the house in several places. So thoroughly did he do his work that all the inmates, including himself, perished in the flames. La Conquete de Plassans.

MOURET (MADAME MARTHE), wife of the preceding. See Marthe Rougon.

MOURET (HELENE), born 1824, daughter of Mouret and Ursule Macquart, his wife. La Fortune des Rougon.

When seventeen years old she married M. Grandjean, the son of a sugar-refiner of Marseilles, whose family were bitterly opposed to the match on account of her poverty. The wedding was a secret one, and the young couple had difficulty making ends meet until an uncle died, leaving them ten thousand francs a year. “It was then that Grandjean, within whom an intense hatred of Marseilles was growing, had decided on coming to Paris, to live there for good.” The day after their arrival Grandjean was seized with illness, and after eight days he died, leaving his wife with one daughter, a young girl of ten. Helene, who was a woman of singular beauty, had no friends in Paris except Abbe Jouve and his half-brother M. Rambaud, but from them she received much kindness. Her daughter Jeanne was far from strong, having inherited much of the hereditary neurosis of her mother’s family, along with a consumptive tendency from that of her father. A sudden illness of the girl led to an acquaintance with Doctor Deberle, and this ripened into love between him and Helene, though considerations of duty kept them apart. Meantime, Helene had discovered the beginnings of an intrigue between Madame Deberle and M. Malignon, and in order to break it off was herself placed in such a compromising position towards Doctor Deberle that he became her lover. The discovery of the fact by Jeanne, whose jealous love of her mother amounted to a mania, led to the child’s illness and death, and to her mother’s bitter repentance. Two years later Helene married M. Rambaud, and went to live at Marseilles. Une Page d’Amour.

She lived for many years, very happy, and idolized by her husband, in a house which he owned near Marseilles, close to the seashore. She had no children by her second marriage. Le Docteur Pascal.

MOURET (OCTAVE), born 1840, son of Francois Mouret. La Fortune des Rougon.

A young man of high spirits and somewhat idle habits, he made little progress at college, and failed to pass the examinations for a degree. His father was much annoyed at this, and sent him off to Marseilles to enter a commercial business. The reports regarding him were, however, unsatisfactory, as it appeared that he showed no inclination to settle to hard work and was living a dissolute life.[*] La Conquete de Plassans.

After the death of his parents, Serge Mouret, who was about to take Holy Orders, renounced his share of his father’s fortune in favour of his brother Octave. La Faute de l’Abbe Mouret.

He was appointed a member of the family council which nominally had charge of Pauline Quenu’s fortune. La Joie de Vivre.

After three years at Marseilles he came to Paris, where he secured an appointment as assistant at “The Ladies’ Paradise” through the influence of the Campardons, who were old friends of his mother. He formed the project of advancing his prospects by making love to Madame Hedouin, wife of his employer, but she gave him no encouragement. He resigned his situation, and went as salesman to Auguste Vabre, a neighbouring silk merchant. Vabre’s wife (nee Berthe Josserand) was not on good terms with her husband, and a liaison was formed between her and Octave Mouret, which subsisted for some time before it was discovered by Vabre, who received information from Rachael, his maid-servant. Mouret returned to his former employment at “The Ladies’ Paradise,” and M. Hedouin having died in the interval, he married the widow a few months afterwards. He had developed keen business ability, with large ideas, and under his management the shop became one of the most important in the district. Pot-Bouille.

In Mouret’s hands the business of “The Ladies’ Paradise” continued to grow, and repeated extensions of the building became necessary. While one of these was in progress, Madame Mouret, who was inspecting the work, fell into a hole, and as a result of her injuries died three days afterwards. Mouret remained a widower, and devoted himself to the extension of his business, though it was believed that a liaison with Madame Desforges was not the only entanglement of its kind. On the introduction of Madame Desforges he came to know Baron Hartmann, director of the Credit Immobilier, who became interested in him, and eventually found the money necessary to carry out the vast schemes of extension which he had long had in mind. By this time Denise Baudu had come to “The Ladies’ Paradise” as a saleswoman, and from the first Mouret had taken an interest in her. This was probably increased by the fact that she resisted all his advances, and refused all his offers. Ultimately he became so infatuated by her that he asked her to marry him, which she agreed to do. By this time the success of “The Ladies’ Paradise” had become triumphant, and the smaller traders of the district were being crushed out of existence, and driven one by one into bankruptcy. Au Bonheur des Dames.

He assisted at the burial of his cousin, Claude Lantier the artist. By this time he had become very rich, was decorated with the Legion of Honour, and was desirous of giving the impression of an enlightened taste for art. L’Oeuvre.

Octave Mouret, whose immense fortune continued to increase, had towards the end of 1872 a second child by his wife Denise Baudu, whom he adored, though he again began to lead a somewhat irregular life. Their little girl was puny, but the younger child, a boy, took after his mother, and grew magnificently. Le Docteur Pascal.

[*] It is interesting to note that by a curious oversight M.
Zola in _Pot-Bouille_ refers to Octave Mouret as having
passed the examination for his bachelor’s degree before
leaving Plassans, and states that at Marseilles the lad
showed a passion for business life, being able during his
three years’ stay there to make a sum of five thousand
francs (two hundred pounds), which he took with him to
Paris.

MOURET (MADAME CAROLINE), first wife of the preceding. See Madame Caroline Hedouin.

MOURET (MADAME DENISE), second wife of Octave Mouret. See Denise Baudu.

MOURET (SERGE), born 1841, son of Francois Mouret. La Fortune des Rougon.

He was a young man of nervous temperament and of somewhat delicate health. Educated at Plassans, he took his degree at the college there, and it was intended that he should go to Paris to study for the bar. The state of his health caused his departure to be delayed, and meantime he, like his mother, fell under the influence of Abbe Faujas. Ultimately he decided to abandon the study of the law in order to become a priest, and against the wishes of his father he entered the Seminary at Plassans. La Conquete de Plassans.

After being ordained to the priesthood he was appointed cure of Les Artaud, a small village in Provence, to whose degenerate inhabitants he ministered with small success. From his parents he had inherited the family taint of the Rougon-Macquarts, which in him took the form of morbid religious enthusiasm bordering on hysteria. Brain fever resulted, and bodily recovery left the priest without a mental past. Dr. Pascal Rougon, his uncle, in the hope of saving his reason, removed him to Paradou, the neglected demesne of a ruined mansion, where he left him in the care of Albine, the keeper’s niece. Here Serge slowly recovered his health, though the memory of his past was gone, and his mental development was that of a boy. In that enchanted garden, lush with foliage and with the scent of flowers, the drama of life unfolded, and Serge, loving Albine, and oblivious of his vows unwittingly broke them. A chance meeting with Brother Archangais, and a glimpse of the world outside the Paradou, recalled to Serge the recollection of his priesthood, and, filled with horror, he tore himself from Albine and returned to his cure of souls. A fierce struggle between love and duty followed, but in the end the Church conquered, and Albine was left to die, while Serge threw himself even more feverishly than before into the observances of his faith. La Faute de l’Abbe Mouret.

Sent later to Saint-Eutrope, at the bottom of a marshy gorge, he was cloistered there with his sister Desiree. He showed a fine humility, refusing all preferment from his bishop, waiting for death like a holy man, averse to remedies, although he was already in the early stage of phthisis. Le Docteur Pascal.

MOURET (SILVERE), born 1834, son of Mouret, the hatter, and Ursule Macquart, his wife. After the death of his father, Silvere went to live with his grandmother Adelaide Fouque. Though poorly educated, he was fond of reading, and his lonely life with this old half-imbecile woman increased his own tendency to visionary dreamings. “He was predisposed to Utopian ideas by certain hereditary influences; his grandmother’s nervous disorders became in him a chronic enthusiasm, striving after everything that was grandiose and impossible.” His Uncle Antoine Macquart, who hoped through him to annoy the Rougons, encouraged him in his Republican views, and after the _Coup d’Etat_ he joined the insurrection which then arose. Miette Chantegreil, a young girl to whom he was tenderly devoted, accompanied him, but was shot in the attack by regular troops. He was taken prisoner, and having been brought back to Plassans, was executed there. La Fortune des Rougon.

MOUSSEAU (ABBE), a priest at Plassans. La Conquete de Plassans.

MOURGUE, a peasant of Poujols, who, armed with a fork, had taken part in the insurrectionary rising against the _Coup d’Etat_. He was made prisoner, and was led to Plassans, tied by the arm to Silvere Mouret, who had also been arrested. He was shot at the same time as Silvere by Rengade, the gendarme. La Fortune des Rougon.

MOUTON, a cat which belonged to the Quenus, and was a favourite of little Pauline. Le Ventre de Paris.

MUCHE, the name by which Louise Mehudin’s son was known in the market. He was befriended by Florent, who taught him to read and write. Le Ventre de Paris.

MUFFAT (MAMAN), wife of General Muffat de Beuville, who was created Comte by Napoleon I. She was an insufferable old woman, who was always hand-in-glove with the priests, and had an authoritative manner, which bent every one to her will. Her daughter-in-law, Comtesse Sabine, was entirely under her dominion, and was forced by her to lead an almost cloistered existence. Nana.

MUFFAT DE BEUVILLE (COMTE), son of the preceding and of General Muffat de Beuville. Brought up in the strictest manner by his mother, his life was one of cold and severe propriety, and being regarded with favour at the Court, he was appointed Chamberlain to the Empress. He married Sabine de Chouard, by whom he had one daughter, Estelle. For seventeen years of married life his career was a pattern of all the virtues, until a chance meeting with Nana led to an infatuation amounting to mania. Everything was sacrificed to her, and no degradation to his self-respect seemed too high a price to pay for her favour. Disgusted for a time by her liaison with Fontan, he left her, and turned for amusement to Rose Mignon, but the infatuation for Nana reasserted itself, and he recovered her good graces by inducing Bordenave to give her a part which she greatly desired in _La Petite Duchesse_, a play by Fauchery. He spent vast sums upon Nana, giving her a magnificent house in the Avenue de Villiers. Her influence over him became complete, and he even accepted Daguenet, her former lover, as his son-in-law. He overlooked too his wife’s numerous liaisons, as he required her signature to enable him to raise still more money for Nana. Muffat’s means were coming to an end, however, and the scandal reached such a height that he was forced to resign his position at the Tuileries. It was only when he learned that Nana was carrying on a liaison with his own father-in-law, the aged Marquis de Chouard, that he finally broke with her, and coming once more under the influence of Venot, he sought forgetfulness of the past in an exaggerated devotion to the service of the Church. Nana.

MUFFAT DE BEUVILLE (COMTESSE), wife of the preceding. See Sabine de Chouard. Nana.

MUFFAT DE BEUVILLE (ESTELLE), daughter of the preceding. At sixteen she was thin and insignificant, seldom speaking, but after her marriage to Daguenet, she exhibited a will of iron, and completely dominated her husband. Nana.

MULLER (BLANCHE), a favourite actress at the Theatre des Varietes. La Curee.

MUSSY (M. DE) was an admirer of Renee Saccard, and aspired to be her lover. He received an appointment on the staff of the London embassy. La Curee.

N

NANA. See Anna Coupeau.

NANA, name of a filly in the racing stable of Vandeuvres. She had been beaten in several races, and when run for the Grand Prix de Paris was looked on as an outsider. The success of the filly by fraudulent means led to the disqualification of the owner. Nana.

NAPOLEON III, Emperor of the French. Referred to in _Son Excellence Eugene Rougon_ and in _La Debacle_.

NATHANSOHN, a stockbroker. He came from Besancon, where his father was a watchmaker. He was very fortunate in his speculations, and soon became a man of consequence. His Jewish caution prevented him from becoming involved with Saccard in the affairs of the Universal Bank, and when that institution collapsed he was in a position to snatch a fortune from its ruin. L’Argent.

NAUD, a shoemaker in Rue d’Antin who felt severely the competition of Octave Mouret’s great shop. Au Bonheur des Dames.

NAUDET, a cousin of the Quenus. He was a member of Pauline’s family council, and consented to her emancipation. La Joie de Vivre.

NAUDET, a picture-dealer who for some years had been revolutionizing the trade. He put aside the old cautious methods, the watching for pictures by beginners, bought for ten francs and sold for fifteen. To judge by his appearance he might have been a nobleman, and his habits were in keeping; he was, in fact, a pure speculator in pictures, caring nothing for art. But he unfailingly scented success; he guessed what artists ought to be taken up, not the ones likely to develop the genius of a great painter, but the one whose deceptive talent, set off by a pretended display of audacity, would command a premium in the market. He speculated, in fact, on the ignorance and vanity of amateurs. It was he who invented Fagerolles as a fashion, and made large sums out of his works. His success in forcing up the prices of pictures turned his head to some extent, and he even talked of crushing out all the other dealers. The exaggerated rise in the price of pictures came, as was inevitable, to an end, and in the fall which followed Naudet was practically ruined. L’Oeuvre.

NEGREL (MADAME), sister of M. Hennebeau, the manager of the Montsou mines. She was married to a captain, and after she became a widow lived at Avignon on a small income, contenting herself with little in order that she might properly educate her son Paul. Germinal.

NEGREL (PAUL), son of the preceding. He was an engineer at the Voreux pit, an appointment which he received from his uncle, M. Hennebeau, with whom he lived, being treated as one of the family. Madame Hennebeau, notwithstanding a liaison which subsisted between her and Negrel, planned for him a marriage with Cecile Gregoire, an arrangement which was only prevented by the murder of the girl by old Bonnemort. Negrel posed as taking no interest in the affairs of practical life, but in the terrible disaster at the Voreux pit he threw himself into the work of rescue with an ardour beyond praise. Germinal.

NOEMI, an actress at the Vaudeville. Madame Deberle admired the realistic manner in which she died in a piece she played. Une Page d’Amour.

NORINE, a vendor of salted provisions, who went around the neighbourhood of Cloyes. La Terre.

NORMANDE (LA), the sobriquet of Louise Mehudin. Le Ventre de Paris.

NOUGAREDE, an old senator who was on the point of asking the hand of Clorinde Balbi after having seen her at a ball in the character of Diana the huntress. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

O

OCTAVE, the favourite lover of Blanche de Sivry. Nana.

ORVIEDO (PRINCE D’), came to Paris from Spain with an immense fortune made on the Stock Exchange. There were strange stories told regarding the sources of his wealth; stories not more creditable than those told of the armed bandits of former days, for his robberies, though less open, were more dangerous. For twenty years he took his share of booty in all the great financial swindles. He ultimately died of apoplexy. L’Argent.

ORVIEDO (PRINCESS D’), was for a time one of the most curious notabilities of the Second Empire. At the command of her mother, the Duchesse de Combeville, she married the Prince in ignorance of the source of his regal fortune, estimated at three hundred millions of francs (twelve millions sterling). It was said that for twenty years the Prince had appropriated the lion’s share of every great piece of financial rascality on the Bourses of France and Spain. After his sudden death from a stroke of apoplexy, the Princess shut up the great house in the Rue Saint-Lazare and retired with a maid to three rooms on the second floor, where she lived the life of a recluse. From thenceforth she lived solely for deeds of charity on a colossal scale. During five years she founded the St. Mary’s Infant Asylum, the St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum, an Asylum for the aged at Chatillon, a hospital in the suburbs of Paris, and an institution known as _L’Oeuvre du Travail_, in which were boarded three hundred waifs and strays from the streets of Paris. On these foundations, and on other charities, she spent in five years over a hundred millions of francs. For some time Saccard assisted her in a disinterested way in carrying out her schemes, and later he rented from her the premises in which he started the Universal Bank. As time went on, the Princess seemed to be swayed more and more by the desire of restitution to the poor of the uttermost remnants of her husband’s fortune. In the end, when she had divided it all, she retired to a convent of Carmelites, walled off from the world. L’Argent.

OZIL, a pointsman at the junction for Dieppe, between the tunnel and the station of Malaunay. He was in love with Flore, who for a time seemed to encourage him. He was dismissed from his post on account of grave negligence caused by Flore, who distracted his attention in order that he might allow the Havre express to dash into a train loaded with ballast. The accident was only averted by a new automatic signalling apparatus. La Bete Humaine.

P

PACHE, a soldier in the 106th regiment of the line, in the squad of Corporal Jean Macquart. He brought from his native village strong religious principles, and was in the regular habit of saying his prayers outside his tent. The example of his companions, however, made him a bad soldier, and during the battle of 1st September, 1870, he left the ranks, and took refuge in a tavern. After the capitulation of Sedan, he was imprisoned along with his regiment on the promontory of Iges. Moved by famine, he concealed some bread from his companions; but having been denounced by Chouteau, he refused to share the spoil, and was murdered by Lapoulle, who stabbed him with a knife. La Debacle.

PAILLOT, a farmer in the neighbourhood of Montsou. Germinal.

PALETTE (LA MERE), a poultry-seller at the Central Markets in Paris. Le Ventre de Paris.

PALOQUE, a judge. He and his wife were said to be the ugliest couple in Plassans, and in addition were far from popular. Madame Mouret having asked the assistance of Madame Paloque in connection with the Home for Girls proposed by Abbe Faujas, she agreed to act on the Committee, and became Treasurer. At the opening ceremony, however, the Bishop omitted to make reference to her services, and she took great offence, becoming afterwards very irregular in her work, and declining to perform any duties that she did not fancy. This ultimately led to the appointment of a paid Secretary for the institution, Honore Trouche, the brother-in-law of Abbe Faujas being selected. The Paloques were antagonistic to Faujas, but on getting a hint from Madame de Condamin that he had the backing of the Government and would see that they were rewarded, they came over to his side, and assisted him in “the conquest of Plassans” by the Bonapartist candidate. La Conquete de Plassans.

PARABOULOMENOS, a name given by the pupils of the college of Plassans to the youth who served in the kitchen. L’Oeuvre.

PARALLELUCA, the sobriquet given by the pupils of the College of Plassans to a scullery-maid employed there. It was alleged that there was a love-idyll between her and Paraboulomenos, both of whom were extremely ugly. L’Oeuvre.

PASCAL (LE DOCTEUR). See Pascal Rougon.

PATOIR, a veterinary surgeon at Cloyes. La Terre.

PAUVRE ENFANT, a young trooper of the 5th regiment of the line, who was fatally wounded at the battle of Sedan, and died in the ambulance at Remilly. He received the name because he continually repeated the words regarding himself, saying that his mother had always called him so. He died in the arms of Henriette Weiss, whom in his delirium he named “Mother.” La Debacle.

PAYAN, a stone-cutter from the South, whose friends had views of making him an artist. He was a lover of Clarisse Bocquet, and pilfered from her a large quantity of furniture given her by Duveyrier. Pot-Bouille.

PECHARD (ANTOINE), a neighbour of the Fouans. He owned eighteen acres of land when he married La Grande, who brought him seven acres more. He died young, leaving one daughter. La Terre.

PECHARD (MADAME), wife of the preceding. See La Grand. La Terre.

PECHARD (MADEMOISELLE), daughter of Antoine Pechard and Marianne Fouan, his wife. As she insisted on marrying a poor youth named Vincent Bouteroue, her mother cast her out. Misfortunes pursued the young couple, both of whom died within a few years, leaving two children in profound misery. La Terre.

PECQUEUX, a stoker in the employment of the Western Railway Company. He was married to Mere Victoire, the old nurse of Severine Aubry. His original intention was to qualify as an engine-driver, but time passed without advancement, and later there was an insuperable barrier in his own conduct, for he was given to drinking bouts which converted him for the time into a savage animal, capable of any violence. His wife lived at Paris, while Philomene Sauvagnat helped him to pass the hours he was compelled to spend at Havre, an arrangement which had the concurrence of Victoire. Pecqueux had the devotion of a dog for his comrade Jacques Lantier, who concealed his vices and shared with him a love for their engine, “La Lison.” Philomene, however, excited his jealousy by her attentions to Lantier, and the former friendship of the two comrades became changed to fierce enmity. At length it happened that one night, as their engine was drawing eighteen trucks of soldiers towards the seat of war in Prussia, Pecqueux in a sudden access of madness attacked Lantier, and, after a fierce struggle on the narrow foot-plate, the two fell off, and were cut in pieces beneath the wheels. La Bete Humaine.

PEIROTTE, receiver of taxes at Plassans. He was taken as a hostage by the Republican insurgents and was inadvertently shot by the troops which crushed the rising. La Fortune des Rougon.

PEQUEUR DES SAULAIES (M.), sub-prefect of Plassans. He fell into disfavour with the Government on account of the election of a Legitimist Deputy. For some time he was afraid to compromise himself with Abbe Faujas, but having received a hint from Madame de Condamin, who had influential friends in Paris, he allied himself with the Abbe. The result was the election of Delangre, who though nominally independent, was actually the Government candidate. La Conquete de Plassans.

PEQUIGNOT, a friend of the Lorilleux. He was a furniture dealer. L’Assommoir.

PERDIGUET, a singer known to Malignon, who promised to take him to the children’s party at Deberle’s house. Une Page d’Amour.

PERE COLOMBE, owner of the _Assommoir_, a public-house which was largely the scene of the downfall of Coupeau and Gervaise Macquart, his wife. L’Assommoir.

PEROU (LA MERE), an old woman employed by Gourd, the concierge, to do cleaning work. Terrorized by his brutality she agreed to accept less wages. Pot-Bouille.

PHASIE (AUNT), was the wife of Misard, and the mother of Flore and Louisette. She was a cousin of the Lantiers and was godmother to Jacques, who was left in her charge when his parents went to Paris. Her first husband died, leaving her with two daughters, and she married for a second time Misard, a little man, cunning and avaricious, who was five years her senior. Jacques found them later, living in Normandy at Croix-de-Maufras on the line to Havre, where Misard was signalman, and his wife had charge of the level crossing. It was a miserable existence, without neighbours or any one to speak to, without even anything to look at, except the trains constantly rushing past. Aunt Phasie, as she had always been called by Jacques Lantier, was a tall, handsome woman, but since her second marriage she had aged so rapidly that at forty-five she looked over sixty. The truth was that between her and Misard there was going on a duel to the death; Aunt Phasie had received a legacy of a thousand francs from her father, and this she obstinately refused to allow her husband to share, having indeed hidden the money to prevent him from taking it. Misard, overcome by avarice, slowly killed his wife with poison placed in the salt, but, though she had the strongest suspicions, she would nether take action against him nor tell him the hiding-place of her little hoard. And so she died, carrying the secret with her; but in the end she triumphed, for search as he might, Misard never discovered the hidden treasure. La Bete Humaine.

PICHINETTE, a horse entered for the Grand Prix de Paris. It was withdrawn before the race. Nana.

PICHON (JULES), a clerk who lived in the house in Rue de Choiseul occupied also by Octave Mouret. His means were small, and he was obliged to work hard, frequently till late at night, his wife being necessarily left much alone. Pot-Bouille.

PICHON (MARIE), wife of the preceding. She was a daughter of M. and Madame Vuillaume, by whom she was strictly brought up. A dreamy unpractical woman, she fell under the influence of Octave Mouret, her next-door neighbour, and a liaison existed between them for a considerable time, with results which caused much annoyance to her parents. Pot-Bouille.

PICHON (LILITTE), infant daughter of the preceding. Pot-Bouille.

PICHON (ROSALIE), Madame Helene Grandjean’s maid-servant. She was an honest country girl who had been brought to Paris by Abbe Jouve on the recommendation of a village priest, in whose house she had been brought up. She served her mistress faithfully, and ruled Zephyrin Lacour, her sweetheart, with a hand of iron. Une Page d’Amour.

PICOT, a soldier of infantry who belonged to the first division of the seventh Army Corps. After the defeats of Wissenbourg and Froeschwiller, Picot, half dead with fatigue and slightly wounded, was left behind in a ditch with his comrade Coutard of the first corps. They were only able to rejoin the army at Rheims on 22nd August, 1870, arriving with their clothes worn out and covered with mud, and having more the appearance of bandits than of soldiers. La Debacle.

PICOU (M.), a townsman of Plassans who expressed disbelief in the success of the _Coup d’Etat_. La Fortune des Rougon.

PIED-DE-CELERI, a friend of Coupeau. He had a wooden leg, from which he received his nickname. L’Assommoir.

PIEDEFER (LAURE), kept a cheap restaurant in Rue des Martyrs, which was much frequented by a certain class of demi-mondaines. Laure appeared to be on intimate terms with her customers, as they usually kissed her when they entered. Nana.

PIEDEFER (ZOE), an artist’s model who lived in Rue Campagne-Premiere. She was a tall brunette. L’Oeuvre.

PIERRE, Dr. Deberle’s butler. Une Page d’Amour.

PIERRE, an employee at _Au Bonheur des Dames_. He was waiter in the dining-room of the shop assistants. Au Bonheur des Dames.

PIERRON, a miner employed at the Voreux pit. He was a widower with a little girl aged eight, Lydie, when he married for the second time, the daughter of La Brule. Though he took part in the strike he betrayed his companions, giving information to the company through Dansaert, his wife’s lover. After the attack on the pit Pierron was arrested by mistake, and was taken off with handcuffs at his wrists as far as Marchiennes, to the great amusement of his mates. He was subsequently promoted to be captain of a gang, but his excessive zeal made him disliked by his men. Germinal.

PIERRON (LYDIE), daughter of the preceding, was a fragile child, who when ten years old was already working in the pit. Her constant companions were Jeanlin Maheu and Bebert Levaque, with whom she made many raids in search of food during the strike. She was killed by the volley fired by the troops at the strikers attacking the Voreux pit. Germinal.

PIERRONNE (LA), the second wife of Pierron, was a daughter of La Brule. She was allowed by the Company to sell sweetmeats and biscuits, which were a considerable source of revenue. Dansaert, the head captain of the Voreux pit, was her lover, and through him she obtained various favours, giving him in exchange information as to the intentions of the strikers. After the strike she was enabled to acquire the little _Estaminet du Progres_. Germinal.

PIFARD, an usher at the college of Plassans, whose wonderful nose kept betraying his presence behind doors when its owner went eavesdropping. L’Oeuvre.

PILLERAULT, a speculator on the Bourse, whose guiding principle was recklessness; he declared that he plunged into catastrophes whenever he paused to reflect. He was ruined by the failure of the Universal Bank. L’Argent.

PIOT AND RIVOIRE, a firm of furniture-dealers, whose business was seriously affected when Octave Mouret added a furniture department to “The Ladies’ Paradise.” Au Bonheur des Dames.

PIQUETTE kept an _estaminet_ at Montsou, where Chaval lodged. Germinal.

PLOUGUERN (M. DE) was a member of the Chamber of Deputies during the reign of Louis Philippe. After the Revolution of February, 1848, he manifested a sudden affection for the Republic, and later, when the Emperor granted him the refuge of the Senate, he was a Bonapartist. He was a man of high birth and breeding, and though a sceptic, defended religion and family life. During a journey in Italy he met Comtesse Balbi, whose lover he remained for thirty years. According to some, Clorinde Balbi was his daughter. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

PLUCHART, a former workman who was now secretary of a branch of the International Association of workers. He had been Etienne Lantier’s foreman at Lille, and at his request came to Montsou to address the miners there. As a result of his visit ten thousand miners joined the International Association. Germinal.

POIRETTE (LE PERE), a countryman of Bennecourt, with small eyes and the face of a wolf. He was the owner of an old cottage, which Claude Lantier and Christine rented from him for two hundred and fifty francs a year. L’Oeuvre.

POISSON (M.), who was originally a cabinet-maker, served his time as a soldier, and ultimately got a place as a policeman, which he considered more certain and respectable. He married Virginie, who afterwards went into business as a dealer in groceries and sweetmeats in the shop previously occupied by Gervaise Coupeau. Auguste Lantier, who had for some time lodged with the Coupeaus, remained with the Poissons, and lived at their expense. M. Poisson affected not to observe the resulting liaison between his wife and Lantier. L’Assommoir.

POISSON (MADAME), wife of the preceding. See Virginie. L’Assommoir.

POLAND, a pet rabbit which belonged to Rasseneur, and was a favourite of Souvarine. Germinal.

POMARE (LA REINE), a rag-picker, who had formerly been one of the handsomest women in Paris. Now, for the sake of a laugh, the women of the district made her drink absinthe, after which the street boys would chase her and throw stones. Nana.

PORQUIER (DR.) the fashionable medical man of Plassans. He had considerable influence, and this was secured by Abbe Faujas on behalf of the Government’s candidate for the representation of Plassans by the promise of an appointment for his son, Guillaume, a young man who had hitherto given him much trouble. La Conquete de Plassans.

PORQUIER (GUILLAUME), son of Dr. Porquier, had been sent to Paris to study, but did nothing there but get into debt. He caused his father much distress, and was supposed to afford the worst possible example to the youth of Plassans, whom he was believed to lead into all kinds of mischief. Ultimately, as a reward to his father, who had supported Delangre as representative of Plassans, Porquier was appointed chief clerk at the post office. La Conquete de Plassans.

POUILLAUD, a fellow-pupil of Claude Lantier and Pierre Sandoz at the college of Plassans. While there he was an inveterate practical joker, one of his escapades being the transformation of Professor Lalubie’s room into a _chapelle ardente_. L’Oeuvre.

POWELL (MISS), second assistant in the corset department at _Au Bonheur des Dames_. She was able to play the piano, a talent of which the other assistants were jealous. Au Bonheur des Dames.

POZZO (LUIGI), Secretary to the Sardinian Minister at Paris. “Diplomatist, painter, musician, and lover.” A friend of Clorinde Balbi. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

PRICE, an English jockey who mounted the filly Nana in the Grand Prix de Paris. Nana.

PRINCE IMPERIAL. Referred to in _Son Excellence Eugene Rougon_.

PROUANE, a retired non-commissioned officer in the navy, who acted as beadle to Abbe Harteur, as well as fulfilling the duties of Mayor’s clerk. He eked out a livelihood by gathering shell-fish, but when he had any money he was usually in a state of intoxication. La Joie de Vivre.

PRULLIERE, an actor at the Theatre des Varietes, where he played in _La Blonde Venus_ and _La Petite Duchesse_. Nana.

PRUNAIRE (LE PERE), a maker of sabots, who lived at Vivet. Furious at the conduct of his daughter Clara, he threatened to go to Paris and break her bones with kicks of his sabots. Au Bonheur des Dames.

PRUNAIRE (CLARA), daughter of a clog-maker in the forest of Vilet, came to Paris and got a situation in “The Ladies’ Paradise.” She lived a fast life, and, after alluring Colomban away from Genevieve Baudu, his intended wife, she ultimately disappeared. Au Bonheur des Dames.

PUECH, senior partner of the firm of Puech and Lacamp, oil-dealers in Plassans; was father of Felicite Puech. La Fortune des Rougon.

PUECH AND LACAMP, a firm of oil-dealers in Plassans, who were in financial difficulties when Pierre Rougon married Felicite, the daughter of the senior partner. The money put into the business by Rougon retrieved the position of the firm, and, the two partners having retired soon afterwards, he acquired the sole interest in it. La Fortune des Rougon.

PUECH (FELICITE). See Madame Felicite Rougon.

PUTOIS (MADAME), one of the workwomen employed by Gervaise Coupeau in her laundry. She was a little, lean woman of forty-five, “who worked at her ironing table without even taking off her bonnet, a black bonnet trimmed with green ribbons turning yellow.” In character she was severely respectable. L’Assommoir.

Q

QUANDIEU, the oldest captain of the Montsou mines. During the strike, the energetic position taken up by him saved the Mirou pit from destruction by the infuriated strikers. Germinal.

QUENU (MADAME) was a widow with one son when she married her second husband, M. Quenu, a clerk in the sub-prefecture at Le Vigan. Three years after, M. Quenu died, leaving a son. Madame Quenu lavished all her affection on Florent, her elder son, and stinted herself to the verge of starvation in order that he might continue his legal studies. Before these were completed she succumbed to the hardship of her life. Le Ventre de Paris.

QUENU, the half-brother of Florent. After the death of his mother, he was taken to Paris by Florent, who supported him by teaching. He was at first idle and unsettled, but after Florent’s arrest he was taken in by his uncle Gradelle, to whose business of pork-butcher, as well as to a considerable sum of money, he ultimately succeeded. After his uncle’s death he married Lisa Macquart, who had previously assisted in the shop, and they had a daughter, Pauline. Business prospered, and the Quenus were soon in a position to remove to larger premises. Florent on his return from exile was kindly received by Quenu, who later on took no part in the efforts made by his wife to induce his brother to leave voluntarily. He was ignorant of his wife’s action with reference to the subsequent arrest of Florent. Le Ventre de Paris.

He died of apoplexy in 1863, six months after the death of his wife, leaving a will under which M. Chanteau, his cousin became the guardian of his daughter Pauline. La Joie de Vivre.

QUENU (MADAME LISA), wife of the preceding. See Lisa Macquart.

QUENU (PAULINE), born 1852, daughter of Quenu, the pork-butcher, and Lisa Macquart, his wife. A quiet, amiable child, she unwittingly gave Mlle. Saget, who bullied her, information regarding her uncle Florent’s history, which led to the clamour against him in the Market, and ultimately to his arrest. Le Ventre de Paris.

After the death of her father, who left her a fortune of a hundred and fifty thousand francs, Pauline went in 1863 to live at Bonneville with M. Chanteau, her guardian. She soon endeared herself to her relatives, and became much attached to her cousin Lazare. As she grew up and her nature developed, it became more and more her pleasure to sacrifice herself to her friends. She allowed her fortune to be squandered by the Chanteaus, and though engaged to be married to Lazare, she released him in order that he might marry another girl with whom he had become infatuated. After his mania became acute, it was she who endeavoured to comfort him, and to dispel his unreasoning fear of death. She never married. La Joie de Vivre.

After the death of Chanteau, she remained at Bonneville, resolved never to marry, in order that she might devote herself entirely to Lazare’s little son, Paul. Le Docteur Pascal.

QUINETTE, a glover in Rue Neuve Saint-Augustine, whose business was seriously affected by the competition of “The Ladies’ Paradise.” Au Bonheur des Dames.

QUITTARD (AUGUSTE), son of Francoise Quittard. He was a child of six years of age, who was so ill of typhoid fever that he could not be removed from Bazeilles when the place was attacked by the Prussians. Early in the day, his mother was killed by a cannon ball, and the poor child lay for hours tossing with fever and calling for her. He was burned to death in his bed, as the Prussians, infuriated by the length of the struggle, wantonly set fire to the village. La debacle.

QUITTARD (FRANCOISE), widow of a mason, and now caretaker of the dye-works at Bazeilles, which belonged to Delaherche. Before the battle all the workers made their escape into Belgium, but Francoise was unable to leave on account of the illness of her little son. Early in the attack by the Prussians, the unfortunate woman was killed by a cannon ball. La Debacle.

R

RABIER, a tanner of Beaumont. He was a brother of Madame Franchomme, and after her death she left the child Angelique in the care of him and his wife. They treated the girl with such cruelty that she ultimately ran away, finding shelter with the Huberts. Le Reve.

RACHAEL, the maid-servant in Auguste Vabre’s household. As Octave Mouret and Madame Vabre did not bribe her sufficiently, she revealed their intrigue to Vabre. She acted as his housekeeper for some time, but had to leave after the reconciliation between him and his wife. Pot-Bouille.

RAMBAUD (M.), half-brother of Abbe Jouve, had a large business in the Rue de Rambuteau, where he sold oil and other southern produce. Along with Abbe Jouve he showed much kindness to Helene Grandjean after the death of her husband, and was a constant visitor at her house. Later on, the Abbe tried to arrange a marriage between Rambaud and Helene, but at her request the decision was delayed. Meantime the love episode with Doctor Deberle intervened, followed by the death of Jeanne. Two years afterwards the marriage took place, Rambaud having previously sold his Paris business and removed to Marseilles. Une Page d’Amour.

He retired from business and went to live at Marseilles. Having by his marriage become a cousin of Madame Lisa Quenu, he was appointed a member of the family council which nominally had charge of her daughter’s fortune. La Joie de Vivre.

Rambaud led a happy life with his wife, whom he adored. Le Docteur Pascal.

RAMBAUD (MADAME), wife of the preceding. See Helene Mouret.

RAMOND (DR.), a pupil and fellow-practitioner of Dr. Pascal. He wished to marry Clotilde Rougon, but she refused him, and he subsequently married Mademoiselle Leveque. When Doctor Pascal was seized with an affection of the heart, Ramond diagnosed the nature of the illness, and subsequently attended him with unremitting care until his death. Le Docteur Pascal.

RAMOND (MADAME), wife of the preceding. See Mademoiselle Leveque. Le Docteur Pascal.

RANVIER (ABBE), succeeded Abbe Jouve as cure at Montsou. He was of socialistic tendencies, and blamed the middle classes, who he said robbed the Church, for all the horrors produced by the strike at Montsou. Upon the troops who had been called on to fire upon the strikers, he called down the anger of God, predicting an hour of justice in which fire would descend from heaven to exterminate the bourgeoisie. He was finally removed by the Bishop as too compromising. Germinal.

RASSENEUR kept a tavern with the sign _A l’Avantage_ between the settlement of the Deux-Cent-Quarante and the Voreux pit. He was formerly a good workman, but as he was an excellent speaker, and placed himself at the head of every strike, he was dismissed by the Mining Company. His wife already held a licence, and when he was thrown out of work he became an innkeeper himself. It was in his house that Etienne Lantier found lodgings when he first came to Montsou, and Souvarine also lodged there. Rasseneur’s readiness of speech gave him great influence with the miners, but a rivalry arose between him and Lantier, whose new theories caught the popular ear. This jealousy caused him to take a side against the strike, solely because it had been proposed by Lantier, and this attitude made him very unpopular. But after the failure of the strike, which he had all along predicted, the inconstancy of the crowd turned in his favour and he soon regained his old popularity. Germinal.

RASSENEUR (MADAME), wife of the preceding. At the time her husband was dismissed from the pit, she already held a licence, and they subsequently worked together to extend the business, in which they had considerable success. She was much more radical in politics than her husband, but during the strike trouble was careful to show extreme politeness to everyone. Germinal.

RASTOIL, a neighbour of Francois Mouret. He was a rich man about sixty years of age, who had been president of the civil tribunal of Plassans for over twenty years. He was a Legitimist, and his house was used as a convenient meeting-place for the party. For some time he refused to compromise his political position with Abbe Faujas, who had all along concealed his opinions. Ultimately, however, he supported the candidate for the representation of Plassans proposed by Faujas, for which he was rewarded by an appointment for his son. La Conquete de Plassans.

RASTOIL (MADAME), wife of the preceding, was a listless and somewhat prudish woman whose old entanglement with M. Delangre was still remembered with amusement in the cafes. She was consulted by Madame Mouret regarding the Home for Girls proposed by Abbe Faujas, and ultimately agreed to act on the committee. La Conquete de Plassans.

RASTOIL (ANGELINE), elder daughter of M. Rastoil, the president of the civil tribunal of Plassans. Though twenty-six years old, and now very yellow and shrewish-looking, she still adopted the role of a young girl, and had hopes of securing a husband. La Conquete de Plassans.

RASTOIL (AURELIE), second daughter of M. Rastoil. Like her sister Angeline, she was plain-looking, and posed as a girl fresh from school, in the uncertain hope of gaining a husband. La Conquete de Plassans.

RASTOIL (SEVERIN), son of M. Rastoil, the president of the civil tribunal of Plassans. “He was a tall young man of five and twenty, with a badly shaped skull and a dull brain, who had been just called to the Bar, thanks to the position which his father held. The latter was anxiously dreaming of making him a substitute, despairing of his ever succeeding in winning any practice for himself.” On the suggestion of Abbe Faujas he took a share in starting the Club for Young Men at Plassans. After the election of M. Delangre as representative of Plassans, Rastoil received the appointment of assistant public procurator at Faverolles. La Conquete de Plassans.

RAVAUD, a captain of the 106th Regiment of the line, commanded by Colonel de Vineuil. A young soldier in his company was the first of the wounded to be taken to the ambulance in Delaherche’s house on 1st September, 1870. In March, 1871, captain Ravaud was at Paris, in a regiment of recent formation, the 124th of the line. Jean Macquart was corporal in his company in this regiment. La Debacle.

READING (LORD), proprietor of a racing stable. Bramah, one of his horses, once gained the Grand Prix de Paris. Nana.

REBUFAT, a farmer whose land adjoined that inherited by Adelaide Fouque. He purchased the Fouque property when it was sold by Pierre Rougon. After the death of his wife Rebufat and his son Justin treated her niece Miette Chantegreil very harshly. La Fortune des Rougon.

REBUFAT (MADAME EULALIE), wife of the preceding; “a big, dark, stubborn shrew.” She was a sister of Chantegreil, and was therefore the aunt of Miette, who lived with her after her father’s conviction. La Fortune des Rougon.

REBUFAT (JUSTIN), son of Rebufat. “A youth about twenty years old, a sickly, squint-eyed creature, who cherished an implacable hatred against his cousin Miette.” La Fortune des Rougon.

REMANJOU (MADEMOISELLE), an old lady who lived in the same tenement house in Rue de la Goutte d’Or as the Coupeaus and the Lorilleux, where she made a scanty livelihood by dressing dolls. She was one of the guests at the Coupeaus’ wedding party. L’Assommoir.

RENAUDIN, a notary at Paris, who adjusted the Contract of Marriage between Auguste Vabre and Berthe Josserand. He acted in concert with Duveyrier in selling some heritable property to the loss of other members of the family. Pot-Bouille.

RENAUDIN, a medical man at Grenelle. Josephine Dejoie was at one time cook in his house. L’Argent.

RENGADE, a gendarme whose eye was accidentally destroyed by Silvere Mouret during a struggle for possession of a carbine after the entry of the insurgents into Plassans. La Fortune des Rougon.

REUTHLINGUER (BARON DE), a banker, and possessor of one of the largest fortunes in Europe. He was a friend of Clorinde Balbi, and from her received valuable information on political subjects. Son Excellence Eugene Rougon.

RHADAMANTE, the sobriquet of a professor at the college of Plassans. He was supposed never to have laughed. L’Oeuvre.

RICHOMME, one of the captains of the Voreux pit. He tried in vain to prevent a collision between the strikers and the troops, and even when bricks were being thrown he went between two parties, imploring one and advising the other, careless of danger. He was one of the first to fall when the troops ultimately fired. Germinal.

RIVOIRE, a member of the firm of Piot and Rivoire. Au Bonheur des Dames.

ROBERT (MADAME), a regular customer at the restaurant Laure Piedefer. She was jealous of Nana’s relations with Satin, and revenged herself by writing anonymous letters to Muffat and to other lovers of her enemy. Nana.

ROBIN-CHAGOT (VISCOUNT DE), vice-chairman of the board of directors of the Universal Bank. He was selected for the position in the belief that he would sign anything put before him without making too many inquiries. L’Argent.