A Zola Dictionary Part 33

TOUCHE (M.), a townsman of Pla.s.sans who expressed disbelief in the success of the _Coup d'Etat_. La Fortune des Rougon.

TOUCHE, an Attorney's clerk at Pla.s.sans. He married Sidonie Rougon in 1838, and went with her to Paris, where he started business as a dealer in the products of the South. He was not very successful, and died in 1850. La Curee.

TOURMAL (LES), a family who resided at Bonneville and lived chiefly by smuggling and stealing. The father and grandfather were sent to prison, and the daughter, when shown kindness by Pauline Quenu, rewarded her by attempting to steal such small articles of value as she could conceal.

La Joie de Vivre.

TOUTIN-LAROCHE (M.), a retired candle-manufacturer; now a munic.i.p.al councillor, and a director of the Credit Viticole, the Societe Generale of the Ports of Morocco, and other companies of doubtful standing. His ambition was to enter the Senate, and he clung to Baron Gauraud and Saccard in the belief that they could a.s.sist him. La Curee.

TRICON (LA), a well-known procuress, who numbered Nana among her clients. She had a pa.s.sion for racing, and at the Grand Prix seemed to dominate the crowd.

TROMPETTE, one of the horses in the Voreux pit. It only lived a few months after being taken underground. Germinal.

TRON, a labourer in the farm of La Borderie. He was one of Jacqueline Cognet's lovers, and exhibited jealousy amounting to insanity regarding her. Having been dismissed by his master, he opened a trap-door through which Hourdequin fell and was killed. When he found that Jacqueline would not forgive him for this stupid murder, which ruined her prospects, he set fire to the farm buildings. La Terre.

TROUCHE (HONORE), brother-in-law of Abbe Faujas. Having been unsuccessful in business at Besancon, he followed Faujas to Pla.s.sans, where he went with his wife to live in rooms rented by the Abbe from Francois Mouret. He was of bad character and quite unscrupulous, but by the influence of Faujas he was appointed Secretary to the Girls' Home started by Madame Mouret and other ladies of Pla.s.sans. Having got a footing in the Mourets' house, he soon began to take advantage of his position, and little by little got possession of the whole premises. He did all he could to encourage the idea of Francois Mouret's madness, and after the unfortunate man's removal to the asylum was able with greater ease to carry out his schemes. Mouret having ultimately escaped from the asylum, returned to his home and set it on fire; Trouche perished in the flames. La Conquete de Pla.s.sans.

TROUCHE (MADAME OLYMPE), wife of the preceding, and sister of Abbe Faujas. She accompanied her husband to Pla.s.sans, and contributed largely to the ruin of the Mouret family. Utterly heartless, she stopped at nothing, robbing Madame Mouret of money, clothing, everything that came within her power. Nemesis came with the return of Francois Mouret, who set fire to his house, causing the death of Madame Trouche as well as that of her husband. La Conquete de Pla.s.sans.

TROUILLE (LA), the nickname of Olympe Fouan. La Terre.

TRUBLOT (HECTOR), a young man whom Madame Josserand hoped at one time to secure as a husband for her daughter. He had, however, no thoughts of marriage, and as he was averse to any risk of complications, his habit was to select his female friends from among the maid-servants of his acquaintances. He was employed as correspondent in the office of Monsieur Desmarquay, a money-changer. Pot-Bouille.

V

VABRE, a notary of Versailles who retired to Paris with a fortune, part of which he invested in the house in Rue de Choiseul occupied by the Duveyriers, the Josserands, and others. He had unfortunately a hidden pa.s.sion for gambling in stocks and shares, and when he died it was found that his whole fortune had been dissipated, even his house being heavily mortgaged. Pot-Bouille.

VABRE (AUGUSTE), eldest son of M. Vabre, carried on a silk merchant's business in part of the premises which belonged to his father. He married Berthe Josserand, but as he suffered much from neuralgia, and was, in addition, of a n.i.g.g.ardly disposition, the marriage was not a happy one. An intrigue between Madame Vabre and Octave Mouret followed, and on its discovery she returned to her parents. For a considerable time Vabre refused to forgive his wife, but a reconciliation was ultimately brought about through the intervention of Abbe Mauduit.

Vabre's fortunes were adversely affected by the extension of Madame Hedouin's business, known as "The Ladies' Paradise." Pot-Bouille.

The rapid success of Octave Mouret's business led to the ruin of Vabre, a result to which the extravagance of his wife also contributed. Au Bonheur des Dames.

VABRE (MADAME AUGUSTE), wife of the preceding. See Berthe Josserand.

Pot-Bouille.

VABRE (CAMILLE), son of Theophile Vabre and his wife Valerie Louhette.

Pot-Bouille.

VABRE (CLOTILDE), daughter of Vabre the notary, and wife of Duveyrier.

She did not get on well with her husband, whom she hated, and her only pa.s.sion was for music, which she practised to an inordinate extent.

Pot-Bouille.

VABRE (THEOPHILE), second son of M. Vabre, "a little old man of twenty-eight, a victim to coughs and toothache, who first tried all sorts of trades and then married the daughter of a neighbouring haberdasher." His life was shadowed by suspicions of his wife, with whom he constantly quarrelled. He was with difficulty prevented from making a scene at the marriage of his brother Auguste to Berthe Josserand.

Pot-Bouille.

VABRE (MADAME VALERIE), wife of the preceding, nee Louhette, was the daughter of a wealthy haberdasher. She did not get on well with her husband, who accused her, not entirely without reason, of carrying on a liaison with some one whose name he was unable to discover. Pot-Bouille.

VADON (MARGUERITE), daughter of a linen-draper at Gren.o.ble, found it desirable to come to Paris for a time, and got a situation at "The Ladies' Paradise." She as a well-conducted girl, and ultimately returned to Gren.o.ble to take charge of her parents' shop, and marry a cousin who was waiting for her. Au Bonheur des Dames.

VALENCAY (BARON DE), aide-de-camp to the Emperor. He married the eldest daughter of the Comtesse de Bretigny. L'a.s.sommoir.

VALENCAY (MADEMOISELLE PAULE DE), was very rich and extremely beautiful when at nineteen years old she married the Marquis Jean XII de Hautecoeur. She died within a year, leaving a son named Felicien. Le Reve.

VALENTIN, son of Guiraude, and brother of Sophie. His father, a journeyman tanner, died of phthisis, and Valentin, who had been in daily contact with him, developed the disease. Doctor Pascal Rougon prolonged his life for some time by hypodermic injections of a substance discovered by himself, but the respite was only temporary, for at twenty-one years of age Valentine died of hereditary phthisis. Le Docteur Pascal.

VALERIO II, a horse which belonged to M. Corbreuse and ran in the Grand Prix de Paris. Nana.

VALLAGNOSC (MADAME DE), belonged to an old family of Pla.s.sans. Left a widow with two daughters and one son, she found life difficult on the small remains of a former fortune. In order to a.s.sist his mother, the son, Paul, secured an appointment at Paris in a Government office. Au Bonheur des Dames.

VALLAGNOSC (PAUL DE), an old friend of Octave Mouret, whom he had known at Pla.s.sans. He belonged to an old family, but, being a younger son without money, was obliged to select a profession. He studied law, but meeting with no success, was obliged to accept an appointment in the Ministry of the Interior. He married Mademoiselle de Boves. Au Bonheur des Dames.

VALLAGNOSC (MADAME PAUL DE), wife of the preceding. See Blanche de Boves.

VALQUEYRAS (COMTE DE), a relation of Marquis de Carnavant, who lived in his house. La Fortune des Rougon.

He was a supporter of the Marquis de Lagrifoul, the Legitimist Deputy for Pla.s.sans, who visited him for a fortnight before the election which was dominated by Abbe Faujas. La Conquete de Pla.s.sans.

VALQUEYRAS (MARQUISE DE), in 1873, she was the only representative of a very old family. She was a widow with a little daughter of six, very rich, and equally parsimonious. When Doctor Pascal Rougon called on her to ask payment of his fees, he allowed himself to be put off, and even gave advice regarding the health of the child. Le Docteur Pascal.

VANDERGHAGEN, the medical man employed by the Mining Company of Montsou.

He was so much overworked that it was said he gave his consultations while he was running from place to place. Germinal.

VANDEUVRES (COMTE XAVIER DE), the last member of a n.o.ble family, had gone through a large fortune in Paris. His racing-stable was famous, as were his losses at the Imperial Club, while his ruin was completed by the vast sums which he spent on Nana. His final hope was centred on the race for the Grand Prix de Paris in which he was running two horses, Lusignan and a filly named Nana. Lusignan was the favourite, but Vandeuvres, having arranged his betting, caused the horse to be pulled, so that the filly might win. The ruse was successful, and Vandeuvres gained a large sum, but suspicions having been aroused, he was warned off the turf and expelled from the Imperial Club. Driven to madness, the Comte shut himself up in his stable, and, having set it on fire, perished among his horses. Nana.

VANDORPE, the head stationmaster of the Western Railway Company at Paris. La Bete Humaine.

VANPOUILLE BROTHERS, a firm of furriers in Rue Neuve-des-Pet.i.ts Champs, who were practically ruined when Octave Mouret added a fur department to "The Ladies' Paradise." Au Bonheur des Dames.

VANSKA (COMTESSE), a well-known and rich _mondaine_ of the Second Empire. La Curee.

VANZADE (MADAME), the widow of a general. She was an old lady, rich, nearly blind, and practically helpless. At Pa.s.sy she lived, in a silent old house, a life so retired and regular that it might have been actuated by clockwork. As she required a companion, her old friend, La Mere des Saints-Anges, recommended Christine Hallegrain to her; but the girl, stifling in that dwelling of rigid piety, ended by running off with her lover, Claude Lantier. Madame Vanzade died four years later, and the bulk of her fortune went to charities. L'Oeuvre.

VAQUEZ (JUDITH), an artist's model who lived in Rue du Rocher. She was a Jewess, fresh enough in colouring but too thin. L'Oeuvre.

VAUCOGNE (HECTOR), husband of Estelle Badeuil. At the time of his marriage, Vaucogne was a junior officer of customs, but when his wife's parents retired he took over their _maison publique_. He left everything to the care of his wife, and after her death the establishment ceased to be prosperous. In the end he was turned out by his father-in-law, and the business was given to his daughter Elodie, who showed all the family capacity for management. La Terre.

VAUCOGNE (MADAME HECTOR), wife of the preceding. See Estelle Badeuil. La Terre.

VAUCOGNE (ELODIE), daughter of the preceding, and granddaughter of M.

and Madame Charles Badeuil. She was seven years old when her parents took over the _maison publique_ of her grandfather, and she was then sent to a convent at Chateaudun to be educated by the Sisters of the Visitation. Her holidays were spent with her grandparents, and she was supposed to be under the impression that her parents were carrying on a large confectionery business, but Victorine, a servant who had been dismissed for misconduct, had made her aware of the facts, and when, at eighteen years of age, she was asked in marriage by her cousin Ernest Delhomme, she astonished her grandparents by joining with him in a desire to succeed to the family establishment. La Terre.

VAUGELADE (DUC DE), at one time the master of Gourd, who was his valet.

Pot-Bouille.

VENOT (THEOPHILE), an old lawyer who made a speciality of ecclesiastical cases, and had acquired a fortune by serving the Jesuits. He had retired with a comfortable sum, and led an existence slightly mysterious; received everywhere, saluted very low, even a little feared, as he represented a great and unknown force which he had behind him. An intimate friend of the m.u.f.fats, he did everything in his power to put an end to the liaison between the Comte and Nana, and, though no success attended his efforts for a considerable time, he was able when ruin seemed imminent to save m.u.f.fat from scandal and to console him by a return to the practice of religion. Nana.

VERDIER (BARON), proprietor of a racing-stable. Frangipane, one of his horses, ran in the Grand Prix de Paris. Nana.