Chapter 71 p. 9: To Lawyers
Now I come to the examination of the letters from the masters of the law. This correspondence was prompted by the death of my uncle, and it will be no less extraordinary.
I had written to Mr. C. to complain about the delays in my affairs. This complaint did not seem to please him, as can be seen in the following letter:
To Mr. Berbiguier, Rue Mazarine, No. 54
April 18, 1818
Dear sir,
I must express my surprise by the highly inappropriate tone of your letter.
I have not made you any promises on my own, and I know how to keep the ones I am in a position to make.
I have not made you any promises that are personal to me, and I know how to keep those that I am in the position to make.
I have not made you take any steps, and have personally taken many that could have been avoided. If I had, I would have followed the example of Mr. Y–, currently working in this office, who is well-regarded here. That will be my approach in the future, since I have received so little appreciation for my efforts.
You may do whatever you wish, I have nothing to fear.
Humbly,
C–
To Mr. C, notary in Paris.
May 6, 1818
Dear Sir,
On Monday, May 4, I went to Mr. Y–, notary, to inquire whether you and Mr. J and his lawyers had reached an agreement regarding the documents which are to be used in the liquidation, and must be in your hands, and which you must deliver to Mr. Y-, notary. We had agreed last April 1 that Mr. J– would only ask for 15 days, which I and the co-heirs would agree to.
which are to be used for the liquidation, and which must be in your hands, and which you must hand over to Mr. Y–, notary.
We had agreed, on the 1st of April last, that Mr. J would only ask for fifteen days, which I and the co-heirs would agree to.
Seeing this extension, the steps you have required me to take, and the promises you have made on the subject, I must tell you that all these things are becoming every tedious, both on your part and on that of Mr. J– and the lawyers.
Sir, I await a response from you that will guide me on what I should do.
I have the honor to be.
M.B.
To Mr. J–, Advocate
May 16, 1818.
Sir,
The Berbiguier inheritors, in despair at seeing their patience and financial condition being trifled with, came to my house to definitively find out what measures they should take to obtain justice against those who persist in holding onto their assets. I believed that Mr. C– was solely responsible for these endless delays.
He replied that the delays were in no way his fault but yours. As soon as he received from you the final information needed to settle his account, he did so immediately, and sent it to you to arrive the day after tomorrow to your address. He would provide his account on May 12, the entire net amount.
Now, I beg you, in the name of all that is most sacred, to write to me and set a precise date when you will give us your final decision, I cannot stand to wait. These delays are overwhelming me, and you must be disgusted by them too.
Sincerely,
M.B.
To Mr. Berbiguier, proprietor,
May 25, 1818.
I respectfully greet you, Mr. Berbiguier, and ask you to meet me at the office of Mr. Y– on Friday, May 29, at 7 o’clock in the evening, to attend the discussion to be held regarding the liquidation.
Your very humble and obedient servant,
G–, attorney.
To Mr. J–, Advocate
May 21, 1818.
Sir,
The attorney Mr. S– recently wrote to Mr. C–, inquiring whether he had completed the work concerning my co-hears. The latter replied that he had sent you all the documents relating to my case on the 12th of this month, and that they were all settled.
I asked the attorney to write you, to confirm a date, in order to settle all this definitively. I mailed this letter last Saturday, the 16th; yesterday, I went to see this attorney to discuss your reply.
In truth, I don’t know if your offices are at the Tower of Babel, when you lawyers and notaries talk amongst yourselves. One would think so, seeing how complex a process is for such a simple and insignificant matter.
I am mailing this letter myself, and await your reply as soon as possible. You must be aware that I have been here six years, for a matter that should have been completed a very long time ago.
Sincerely,
M.B.
To Mr. Y–, notary.
May 30, 1818
Dear sir,
Yesterday evening, having gathered at your home, your clerk read the inventory. Since Mr. J– had not submitted all the necessary documents, I beg you to be so kind as to write him, so that this gentleman can provide, as soon as possible, the missing papers which are in his possession. I need to finish this matter.
I ask the lawyers to be ready to submit these statements to you.
I hope that you will be kind enough to act with the greatest efficiency in this matter.
With regards,
M.B.
To Mr. C–, Notary
May 30, 1818
Dear Sir,
According to the information I have from Comaiile, she has just learned from Mr. Y–, notary, that Mr. J– no longer has any papers, and that you have them all, and they are only waiting for you to complete the liquidation matters. I don’t know what to say or think of you on this subject.
You all refuse to communicate with each other. One day it’s Mr. J–, another day it’s the lawyers. It seems, gentlemen , that you simply don’t get along. Could the language of your bickering be the one used at the Tower of Babel? For six years I have been in a furnished lodging, to settle a large inheritance, when the only part that was left was the final arrangements. I must know the reason for these delays that persist in resolving all this. No doubt the fault lies in one of you. I beg you to answer me, and let me know if I will be a Parisian the rest of my life.
I hope that this matter will not be an eternal one, and that you will please satisfy my extremely reasonable request. It must be now, or never.
I hope, Sir, that this affair will not go on forever, and that you will please satisfy the justice of my request, and there would be time, or never.
I can imagine that in the hands of anyone other than a lawyer this matter would have been over a long time ago, but you are like wolves, you would never eat each other.
With all due respect,
M.B.
To Mr. de L–, Advocate
As a lawyer responsible for the interests of the widow, Mrs. Berbiguier, surely you understand that this lady must desire an end to the settlement of a matter that has already dragged on for far too long. She could desire nothing more than to see this concluded, the same for all the other interested parties. I can’t imagine any motive that would cause her to act otherwise. Therefore, I ask you to do everything in your power to bring this unfortunate settlement to an end as soon as possible.
Respectfully,
M.B.
To Mr. C–, Advocate
June 9, 1818 (?)
Dear Sir,
I have invited Mr. J–, advocate, , Mr. de L–, attorney, and Mr. C– notary, as well as Mr. Y–, to finally inform the co-heirs of Mr. Berbiguier’s estate what they will be receiving from it. I fear otherwise that they will have nothing left but shells to share, the oysters having been completely eaten. But I believe I’ve said enough.
It is my honor to be,
M.B.
To Mr. C–, Notary
June 11, 1818.
Dear sir,
I took the liberty of writing to you on the 9th of this month, to invite you to send to Mr. Y– notary, the documents that you have in hand, he is unable to move forward without them. This matter must come to an end, or someone must provide some kind of explanation.
I hope that you will give me a reply of some kind, one that will finally let me know what my position is in this. This matter must come to an end, and I, like all the other interested parties, have the right to expect one.
With respect,
M.B.
To Mr. J–, Advocate.
June 12, 1818.
Sir,
I had the honor of writing to you on the 21st of last May, although you did not bother replying. However, you forwarded the documents related to the inheritance to Mr. Y–, notary. The co-hers were to meet on the 29th of the same month. After the reading of said documents, we soon realized that you still had other critical documents in hand.
What reasons do you have to keep the documents in question? You must understand that this game does not amuse the relevant parties. They look with a shudder at the enormity of the costs that an even longer delay will bring them, and which you should protect them from.
It seems clear that every possible means is being used to drag this affair out. Please, once and for all, put an end to this delay on your part, and let all of us end this.
Sincerely,
M.B.
M. de S to M. Berbiguier.
June 16, 1818.
Sir,
Mrs. Berbiguier wishes to see the affairs of her late husband’s estate concluded as much as you do. Since the beginning of these disputes, all her efforts have been aimed at reaching their conclusion. For a long time, I’ve been pressing for the submission of Mr. J–’s accounts. As soon as they are settled, the liquidation will proceed immediately.
I await the delivery of these records, which were only recently in Mr. L–’s possession.
I will not keep you waiting for my reports on them.
Your humble servant,
S. D.
Mr. Berbiguier to Mr. de S–, Advocate.
This 19th June 1818.
Sir,
I received your letter, sent on the 12th of this month, in which you informed me of the intentions of Mrs. Berbiguier, widow, regarding the estate of her late husband, my uncle. I was very convinced that her intentions were consistent with mine, in this regard.
I sent to letters to Mr. G–, notary, dated June 9 and June 11. He did not reply to either. I asked him to forward to Mr. Y–, notary, the papers he had received from Mr. J–, advocate.
The requests made by Mr. and Mrs. Comaille to these lawyers were in vain, they were always sent back to each other. It was then that I decided to write, though I am no further ahead, since I’m still waiting for a response to my letters to them.
I wrote two letters to Mr. J–, one May 21st, the other June 12th. I begged him to prepare all the documents for presentation, in order to conclude this unfortunate affair which has been dragging on for five years, and not forward them from Judas to Pilate, and spare us all these useless errands which waste our time, exhaust our staff, and empty our purses. As you well know, I am still waiting a response from Mr. J–. From this, I am sure you see the need to force Mr. J– to send all these documents as soon as possible, and for the sake of the co-heirs, urge these gentlemen to act with the greatest diligence.
I ask your forgiveness for my burdening you with so much trouble.
With great honor and the highest consideration,
M.B.
Mr.L– to Mr. Berbiguier.
June 25, 1818
Dear Sir,
I am surprised by your letter stating that you had written two notes to Mr. J– and had not received any reply from him. When I went to see him, he said he had indeed received your letters, but he was unable to reply to them, since you had not given him your address. I told him that you lived on Rue Mazarine, though I did not remember your number. He promised to reply to you. So you can see that the delay you complain about is partly your fault. But everything will soon be repaired.
We all have an equal interest in the prompt conclusion of the affairs of your estate. They are drawing to a close. If they were not completed sooner, it is because they required a lot of work, and therefore, a lot of time. But I hope they will be completed shortly.
Mr. J– has long since handed over the documents to your account, which is now in the hands of Mr. A-, and will then be given to your attorney, Mr. G–, before finally returning it to me. I will keep it for only a short time, I am keen for Madame Berbiguier, yourself, and your other co-heirs, to see an end to all these delays. I’m sure they must tire you all, especially yourself, if your intention was not to move to Paris.
With consideration,
Mr. L–
M.B. to Mr. de L–
June 29, 1818.
Dear Sir,
I received your letter on the 25th of this month, regarding the steps on my behalf you were kind enough to take with Mr. J–. It was wrong for this lawyer to tell you he did not have my address and could not reply to me. When a judgment was rendered in his favor, this lawyer was ble to have that judgment served to me, and since that judgment reached me, he would therefore have had my address, since he had it at the time of service. I would call this a defeat of his argument, but now that your colleague can remember my address owing to your kindness, I am no less eager to hear from him.
You are right to observe that having no interest in settling here, I am keen to conclude our business soon. All of these considerations are in the interest of Madame Berbiguier and all the other interested parties. That is very good of you, and I am pleased to thank you for them, as all my efforts are directed toward this goal.
This city has nothing but roses, and there are far too many thorns. I am looking forward to leaving. I’ve been detained here for six years. The hardships I experience in these delays in concluding my affairs are great, the sacrifices have been ruinous for me. It can’t be a surprise that I want to get away from all this as soon as possible, and return to my own country to find peace and tranquility
My apologies for these steps you have had to take on my behalf with Mr. J–.
With respect,
M.B.
To Mr. J–, Advocate
August 18, 1818
I had the pleasure of writing you two letters, the first dated May 11, and the second, June 13, both concerning the affairs of my uncle’s estate. I don’t know what reasons excuse you from replying. Is it because you’re more wealthy than I am? In that case, it gives me even more regret, which would make me a millionaire today, [1] and less worthy of your contempt. But the loss of my uncle is more painful than losing the estate. I did not collect it, despite his kindness in leaving it to me, and I missed it by a death as sudden as it was surprising. This day, which should have been the happiest of my life, was instead the most unfortunate. I had seen him the day before, and he was healthy. The next day, I was called over, only to see him dying, and that day I lost both his fortune and the best of relatives.
But as you were appointed his executor, you know better than anyone the condition of his estate. How could you not see that the claims Mrs. Berbiguier have made through you about my uncle’s alleged debts could not be real, since with the money he left, he could have easily paid for them during his lifetime?
I beg you, sir, to communicate this to Mrs. Berbiguier.
Sincerely,
M.B.
From Mr. J–, Advocate, to M.B.
August 27, 1818
Dear sir:
I have reviewed the written observations you have made concerning the records I provided. I have been asked to provide what explanations I am able, and I will do so, except for those matters that are foreign to me and can be explained by the notaries.
To expedite matters, I have returned my account to Mr. Y–, and I suggest meeting Tuesday evening in my office, so that he will have all the information available from the heirs and the documents they have provided themselves.
Please accept my humble greeting,
J–
To J–, Advocate
September 5, 1818
Dear sir,
I received your letter, dated August 27th last: it gives me some clarifications which relate to the inheritance, which you say are known to the co-heirs. Having little communication with them, I have not been able to learn anything about it, and Mr. C– has never spoken about it either.
Unfortunately for Mrs. Berbiguier, she is unable to read or write. I ask you to send her my letter dated August 18, if you have not already done so, based on my last communication, to which you have not replied. In that letter, I expressed all my feelings about my uncle’s death, which you must surely comprehend now. I could no better express it than through my letter to the churchwardens of Saint-Roch, asking them to establish a foundation for two masses, one for the late Mr. Berbiguier, my uncle, and the other for me. Surely the living have no less need of prayers than the dead. This foundation also includes burning a five-pound candle in the chapel of the Virgin every year on her feast day. At the invitation of the churchwardens, I went to Mr. Auvray, business director of the parish of Saint-Roch. I offered the first candle and the first two masses at my own expense, not wanting them to be included in the sum I had agreed upon and paid.
Unable to write to Mrs. Berbiguier, the widow, I cannot inform her by letter of everything I would like to tell her. If you would, please communicate my observations to her and read them to her, tell her that I offer to God, at the foot of the Holy Cross, all the sacrifices I am obliged to make or endure, and I am convinced that on the day of the last judgment each will be judged according to their good or bad deeds.
I beg you to hasten the conclusion of this matter and take into consideration the interest of all the co-heirs. The complaints this delay is causing on their part are creating talk that it is time to put an end to.
Forgive me, sir, for the troubles I am causing you. I am very pleased to know all your titles and qualifications, I will be careful not to forget them when I have the honor of writing to the gentlemen of the law from now on.
With respect,
M.B.
M.B to Mr. J–, Advocate, Paris
September 25, 1818
Dear sir,
I received your letter dated the 8th of this month, in which you express your desire to finalize the affairs of my uncle’s estate. Since your intentions and ours are in agreement, I hope you will not delay in rendering your accounts, and convene a meeting of all interested parties for this purpose.
In your capacity as the executor of the will, please do me the favor of letting me know whether you have received all the funds due to the estate, so that we can avoid an even longer extension and perhaps see this through to its end.
I had complained to Mr. de L– about all these delays the last time I saw him.. This lawyer promised me that everything would be completed by the beginning of next October, at which time I could plan my departure and leave this city.
Your reply will help guide my plans here. If this matter drags on any further, I will find myself forced to incur expenses that I would like to avoid, if possible. If I were assured that I would not be obliged to spend the winter here, I will not make any of the provisions that I would otherwise be required to. I thank you for the interest you appear to take in me.
With respect,
M.B.
To Mr. J–, Advocate
October 3, 1818
Dear sir,
I did not fail to reply to your letter dated September 18, but you did not reply to mine until the 25h of the month, in which I asked you if, in your capacity as executor of the will, you had withdrawn all the funds owed for the estate of the late Mr. Birbiguier.
I will tell you again, sir, constantly: Please work with the lawyers to bring this matter to a close. Without that, I cannot know how I should proceed.
With honor,
M.B.
Mr. J– to M.B.
October 3, 1818.
Dear sir,
It is impossible for me to reply to you as quickly and regularly as you require. You have a very intelligent attorney, I would ask that you work through him.
However, I would be happy to give you any information you may require, if you would like to visit in the morning before eleven in the morning, or at four in the evening, starting Wednesday.
With respect,
J–
To Mr. J–, Advocate
October 5, 1818.
Dear Sir,
I received your letter on the 3rd of this month, in which you complain about my excessive level of correspondence with you. You tell me I have a very intelligent attorney with whom I could communicate, and you offer to give me all the information I could desire, if I would come to your house in the morning at 11:00 or in the evening at 4:00. It seems to me, sir, that you could have told me, in your reply, whether or not you had withdrawn all the funds due from the estate of the late Mr. Berbiguier, my uncle, and what the date would be for a final meeting.
I have told Mr. G– several times that this matter would have been much less unfortunate for me had it been entrusted to hands other than yours. The accounts would have been rendered long ago, and I wouldn’t be reduced to consuming my savings here, in a guesthouse, where I have been kept for six years.
It seems that, among yourselves, you do not steal food from each other. Instead, you charge for expenses and labor, and that is not amusing to the co-heirs, or to myself, particularly. I ask you to please answer my request categorically, if you wish to put an end to a correspondence which is not to your liking. I do not see the need to come to your house. Like so many visits before, I think it would prove unfruitful.
With respect,
M.B.
To Mr. De L–, Advocate
October 8, 1818
Dear Sir,
The last time I had the pleasure of seeing you, I complained about the extreme slowness with which you and the other lawyers were completing the affairs of the late Mr. Berbiguier’s estate. You assured me that they would be completed by the beginning of October of this year, and that I would be able to return to my hometown. However, here we are on the 9th of the month, and I have heard nothing that indicates a completion.
I have addressed several letters to Mr. J–, inquiring if he had collected all the funds due on the estate of the late Mr. Berbiguier, in his capacity as executor. I asked him to call a meeting to put an end to this affair.
This lawyer responded to my first two letters, but only to invite me to his house to give him verbally the information I had requested. I have long been accustomed to being paraded around like this, and did not feel it was necessary to respond to this invitation. I contented myself with writing to him with the complaints I have just explained to you, and to put to writing what he no doubt had good reasons to want to explain to me only verbally.
If I regret anything about my uncle’s inheritance, an inheritance which I should have received, it is that I find myself unable to make anyone happy, which I would have done so in fulfilling my uncle’s intentions. But God has ordained otherwise, and I submit to his decrees.
I hope, sir, that you will neglect nothing on your part to bring about the end of our liquidation. I beg you to be good enough to send Mr. J– the papers you are responsible for, if you have not already done so, and summon the co-heirs as soon as possible to a meeting, which will be the final one. Agree on the place, day, and hour, and please take the trouble to address my requests.
With respect,
M.B.
Mr. de L–, to M.B.
October 12, 1818
Dear Sir,
I do not know why you blame me for the delay in the matters of your uncle’s estate, when you know, as I have told you, there is nothing more I could do in this matter, and in fact have taken no action for quite some time. Everything currently depends on Mr. Y–, who is responsible for the settlement; however, it must be said that it is not his fault that this has not been completed. Mr. J–’s account must first be settled. It has not yet been settled due to some difficulties he has caused, and on which we have not been able to agree until now, because, having been absent for a few days during the holiday, I am not fully aware of what has happened and been done over the past month. I will get back to this and do my utmost to bring your affairs to a conclusion. In Mrs. Berbiguier’s best interests, I desire it as much as you do.
With respect and warmest regards,
De L–
To Mr. J–, Notary
October 5, 1818
Dear Sir,
I beg of you to be kind enough, at the first possible meeting, to complete the estate matters with all possible speed, and to communicate the enclosed letter to your colleagues, to which I offer the same request.
Respectfully,
M.B.
To the lawyers responsible for the affairs concerning the default inheritance of Edouard-Xavier Berbiguier.
November 2, 1818
Gentlemen:
I have no intention of attending your assembly. I recall being there once, for reasons that were not paid much attention. Arrange the sauce for your fish as you please, I have no taste for Parisian cooking. What a surprising twist of fate, there is no fish on my plate, though my uncle, Mr. Berbiguier, had reserved it for me. Since this prey has escaped me, arrange your plate as you see fit, and see if it can still be of some use. Give it some sauce, since it may be that only the bones remain. Give it the appearance of some kind of meal, and I will see if we can perhaps feed those who are able to attend the meal. I cook my food in the style of my country, without great expense, and never on anyone else’s budget. I have already tasted a little of this fish, but I did not serve myself, i was content with what you were kind enough to give me.
I beg you, gentlemen, please finish this meal as soon as possible. I will join you for dessert. I do not believe the fruit will look very pleasant, I suspect it will be bland and flavorless.
With the honor to be your servant,
M.B.
From Mr. Y–, Notary, to M.B.
November 30, 1818
Dear sir:
My cousin, Mrs. Comaille, must have told you that the matter is proceeding according to the wishes expressed at the last meetings held at my home.
I will inform the interested parties of your desire to have the gold-headed cane at appraisal value, and not at auction.
With respect,
Y–
To Mr. C–, Advocate
[undated, est. 4/10/1818] [2]Dear sir,
I have come to wish you a good morning, but at the same time, wish you to inform me of the reasons that still exist for these further delays, in a matter that continues to drag out. I expect this kind favor from you so that, based on what information you will kindly provide me, I may use all possible measures to expedite your operations.
With respect,
M.B.
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