The Invitation

Over dinner, Joseph told Napoleon that in nine days, he would be taking part in an experiment to measure the speed of light at the French Academy of Sciences. He said that if Napoleon was interested, he could find a way to get leave and bring him along to see the world.

Napoleon looked thoroughly unimpressed, but Joseph could tell from his eyes that he was actually quite tempted. His words were just a case of a dead duck keeping its beak shut—stubbornly refusing to admit it. So while Napoleon pondered the matter, Joseph took the opportunity to eat a few more pieces of meat.

After seeing his younger brother off, Joseph continued with the final stretch of his studies at Lycée Louis-le-Grand. One morning, after finishing a rhetoric class, he stepped out of the classroom and ran straight into Armand.

"Ah, isn't that our great scientist?" Armand laughed as he came over. "Hey, I never thought you'd write a paper like that! Listen, old pal, you owe me compensation. Because of you, I've had a miserable time these past few days. You have no idea—my uncle has been praising your talent every day, and my own dear father spends twenty-four hours a day using you as an example to lecture me... It's all because of you that my heart has suffered such terrible wounds lately..."

"Ah, Armand," Joseph said. "I sympathize, but as I've told you before, parents always love praising other people's children in front of their own. But when they're writing their wills and dividing up their estates, they only ever remember the dim-witted children in their own family. So there's really nothing to it. You don't need to fret over this."

"The compensation I'm asking for isn't just about that," Armand said, shaking his head. "I've seen this sort of thing plenty of times! But damn it, just yesterday, my sweet Fanny asked about you, too. She even said she hoped she'd get to meet you. And the old man didn't object! Good heavens! It's heartbreaking... No, you have to make it up to me."

Fanny was Armand's younger sister, and he doted on her. He loved showing off to others that he had such a sister. But if one of his cronies said he wanted to meet the lovely girl, Armand would fall out with him on the spot. He knew perfectly well that his friends were as unreliable as he was and were not the sort of men anyone could entrust with a lifetime. They ought to have enough self-awareness to know which young women they should keep away from. If one of them dared ask to meet Fanny despite knowing she was Armand's sister, then it wasn't just a matter of having designs on her; it also meant he didn't consider Armand a friend. So Armand would have no hesitation in falling out with such a man.

"My friend," Joseph said, "since this concerns your sister, that's a reasonable request. All right, tell me what sort of compensation you want."

"So readily?" Armand's eyes widened. Then he reached out and grabbed Joseph by the shoulder. "You want to meet my Fanny?"

"No. Not at all," Joseph replied at once.

"Hmm." Armand let go, but then suddenly caught on. "You mean you don't feel honored? You don't want to meet my lovely Fanny?"

"You've got something wrong with your head!" Joseph cursed.

"You're right, my friend." Armand didn't argue. He sighed, then continued, "I know my attitude about this sort of thing isn't quite right, but I just can't control myself."

"Actually, it's no big deal," Joseph reassured him. "You can still be saved, so don't give up on treatment—Well, what I meant to say was, your sister is lucky to have such a protective brother. But there are far too many irresponsible playboys these days."

"But I will say, among my friends, you're a rare one: not especially awful or dangerous, and a little more like a gentleman. So I think I could tolerate you getting just a little closer to Fanny..."

"That's not right, Armand," Joseph said. "That's not something you should be saying. Aren't you the one who hates 'gentlemen' most of all? Hahaha..."

"All right, I'm a hypocrite. Happy now? Anyway, the day after tomorrow evening is my sister Fanny's sixteenth birthday. Our family has invited some friends over to celebrate with her. I figure that among all my friends, you're the only one who's even halfway decent... So, are you free? Don't you dare say you're busy. I know you—you've got absolutely nothing on right now. I've already promised you'd come."

"The day after tomorrow?" Joseph looked up at the sky. "It should be sunny for the next few days. I still have time to send my suit out to be cleaned."

"Hey, Joseph, you just got a six-hundred-franc prize. Are you really not going to get yourself another suit? You need at least four to rotate through. But... you don't go out much or visit salons, so at least two should do."

"I'm short on money," Joseph said, shaking his head.

"My uncle says that even if you're short on money now, you'll definitely be richer than he is someday," Armand said.

"Then what sort of gift should I bring?" Joseph asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Armand said. "Just come."

Joseph thought carefully about Armand's father inviting him to their home and the hints Armand had dropped. It all made sense, really.

The Lavoisier family was one of Paris's noble families. Their title was not especially high—they were only viscounts—but Parisian nobles were always arrogant. To them, someone like Joseph, a "Corsican noble," was beneath notice; even "provincial nobles" were little more than ignorant country bumpkins. A few decades earlier, someone of Joseph's standing would not have been fit to be a guest in their home.

But things were different now from how they had been a few decades ago. France's economy had been poor in recent years, and that had affected the nobles' incomes. Everything in Paris was expensive, and making a living there was no easy matter. Parisian nobles, especially the minor nobility, were generally having a hard time of it. Armand's father and the great chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier were cousins. Compared with the great chemist, who was skilled at managing his affairs, Armand's family was much worse off. Though they were nobles, the yield from their limited lands could not cover the family's expenses—especially with two playboys in the household. Without the frequent help of their cousin, Armand's family would already have been buried in debt.

Now Armand's sister was growing up, too. In families of the minor nobility at this time, sons other than the eldest often received no inheritance at all. They could only become lawyers, merchants, artists, or the like, and support themselves with their skills. Daughters had even less security. Generally speaking, if a nobleman's daughter was to marry someone of comparable standing, her family had to provide a large dowry. That was a heavy burden for many noble families. So, to save on dowry costs, some families gave their daughters smaller dowries and married them off to men in the provinces, or simply sent them to a convent.

From their earlier conversations, Joseph knew that Armand's sister, Fanny, was dearly loved by the family. Both Armand and his father were very fond of her. Now that she was growing up, her marriage had become a source of concern for everyone. If they wanted to find her a match of equal standing, Armand's family simply couldn't afford the dowry. Marry her off to some provincial bumpkin? Neither Armand nor his father could accept that. As for a convent, anyone who dared suggest that to Armand would get a glove thrown in his face without hesitation!

Thinking about his own circumstances, Joseph realized that he was actually a pretty good match. He was a noble, even if only a Corsican noble, and that still counted. He didn't have much money or standing yet, but his prospects were excellent. If Armand's family married Fanny to him, they would not have to pay much of a dowry. Joseph was someone Armand knew and trusted, and with the great chemist's opinion of him, they needn't worry that Fanny would have a hard life after marrying him. Viewed that way, Joseph could understand why Armand's family had invited him.

Two days later, Joseph put on his only suit and took a public carriage to Armand's home on Rue Le Peletier. He got off not far from the house and looked around. At once, he spotted the ruins of the famous Royal Academy of Music.

This was the opera house featured in the famous musical The Phantom of the Opera in later times. It had been built in 1671, but was destroyed by a great fire in 1763. It was not rebuilt until the Second Empire. For now, all that remained was a ruin scorched by the blaze.

Armand's home stood beside the ruins. For a nobleman, his house was quite large: a two-story townhouse with a garden in front and another behind.

Following the address, Joseph made his way to the door. Music could already be heard faintly from inside the house. A servant stood at the entrance to greet the guests. Joseph went up and gave his name. The servant immediately went in to announce him, and a short while later, Armand appeared, beaming.