The doctor's miserliness was not mere talk; it was real, and it had an
object. From the year 1817 he cut off two of his newspapers and ceased
subscribing to periodicals. His annual expenses, which all Nemours
could estimate, did not exceed eighteen hundred francs a year. Like
most old men his wants in linen, boots, and clothing, were very few.
Every six months he went to Paris, no doubt to draw and reinvest his
income. In fifteen years he never said a single word to any one in
relation to his affairs. His confidence in Bongrand was of slow
growth; it was not until after the revolution of 1830 that he told him
of his projects. Nothing further was known of the doctor's life either
by the bourgeoisie at large or by his heirs. As for his political
opinions, he did not meddle in public matters seeing that he paid less
than a hundred francs a year in taxes, and refused, impartially, to
subscribe to either royalist or liberal demands. His known horror for
the priesthood, and his deism were so little obtrusive that he turned
out of his house a commercial runner sent by his great-nephew Desire
to ask a subscription to the "Cure Meslier" and the "Discours du
General Foy.
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