BUREAUCRACY


BY


HONORE DE BALZAC



Translated By Katharine Prescott Wormeley





DEDICATION

To the Comtesse Seraphina San Severino, with the respectful
homage of sincere and deep admiration

De Balzac

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I — THE RABOURDIN HOUSEHOLD

CHAPTER II — MONSIEUR DES LUPEAULX

CHAPTER III — THE TEREDOS NAVALIS,
OTHERWISE CALLED SHIP-WORM

CHAPTER IV — THREE-QUARTER LENGTH PORTRAITS
OF CERTAIN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

CHAPTER V — THE MACHINE IN MOTION

CHAPTER VI — THE WORMS AT WORK

CHAPTER VII — SCENES FROM DOMESTIC LIFE

CHAPTER VIII — FORWARD, MOLLUSKS!

CHAPTER IX — THE RESIGNATION

ADDENDUM

ADDENDUM

The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy.

Baudoyer, Isidore
  The Middle Classes
  Cousin Pons
Bianchon, Horace
  Father Goriot
  The Atheist's Mass
  Cesar Birotteau
  The Commission in Lunacy
  Lost Illusions
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  The Secrets of a Princess
  Pierrette
  A Study of Woman
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  Honorine
  The Seamy Side of History
  The Magic Skin
  A Second Home
  A Prince of Bohemia
  Letters of Two Brides
  The Muse of the Department
  The Imaginary Mistress
  The Middle Classes
  Cousin Betty
  The Country Parson
In addition, M. Bianchon narrated the following:
  Another Study of Woman
  La Grande Breteche
Bidault (known as Gigonnet)
  Gobseck
  The Vendetta
  Cesar Birotteau
  The Firm of Nucingen
  A Daughter of Eve
Bixiou, Jean-Jacques
  The Purse
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  Modeste Mignon
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  The Firm of Nucingen
  The Muse of the Department
  Cousin Betty
  The Member for Arcis
  Beatrix
  A Man of Business
  Gaudissart II.
  The Unconscious Humorists
  Cousin Pons
Brezacs (The)
  The Country Parson
Bruel, Jean Francois du
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  A Start in Life
  A Prince of Bohemia
  The Middle Classes
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  A Daughter of Eve
Camps, Madame Octave de
  Madame Firmiani
  A Woman of Thirty
  A Daughter of Eve
  The Member for Arcis
Chaboisseau
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  A Man of Business
Chatelet, Marie-Louise-Anais de Negrepelisse, Baronne du
  Lost Illusions
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
Chessel, Madame de
  The Lily of the Valley
Cochin, Emile-Louis-Lucien-Emmanuel
  Cesar Birotteau
  The Firm of Nucingen
  The Middle Classes
Colleville
  The Middle Classes
Colleville, Flavie Minoret, Madame
  Cousin Betty
  The Middle Classes
Desplein
  The Atheist's Mass
  Cousin Pons
  Lost Illusions
  The Thirteen
  Pierrette
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  The Seamy Side of History
  Modest Mignon
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  Honorine
Desroches (son)
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  Colonel Chabert
  A Start in Life
  A Woman of Thirty
  The Commission in Lunacy
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  The Firm of Nucingen
  A Man of Business
  The Middle Classes
Dutocq
  The Middle Classes
Falleix, Martin
  The Firm of Nucingen
Falleix, Jacques
  The Thirteen
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
Ferraud, Comtesse
  Colonel Chabert
Finot, Andoche
  Cesar Birotteau
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  A Start in Life
  Gaudissart the Great
  The Firm of Nucingen
Fleury
  The Middle Classes
Fontaine, Comte de
  The Chouans
  Modeste Mignon
  The Ball at Sceaux
  Cesar Birotteau
Fontanon, Abbe
  A Second Home
  Honorine
  The Member for Arcis
Gaudron, Abbe
  Honorine
  A Start in Life
Gobseck, Jean-Esther Van
  Gobseck
  Father Goriot
  Cesar Birotteau
  The Unconscious Humorists
Godard, Joseph
  The Middle Classes
Granson, Athanase
  Jealousies of a Country Town
Gruget, Madame Etienne
  The Thirteen
  A Bachelor's Establishment
Keller, Francois
  Domestic Peace
  Cesar Birotteau
  Eugenie Grandet
  The Member for Arcis
La Bastie la Briere, Ernest de
  Modeste Mignon
La Billardiere, Athanase-Jean-Francois-Michel, Baron Flamet de
  The Chouans
  Cesar Birotteau
Laudigeois
  The Middle Classes
Louis XVIII., Louis-Stanislas-Xavier
  The Chouans
  The Seamy Side of History
  The Gondreville Mystery
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  The Ball at Sceaux
  The Lily of the Valley
  Colonel Chabert
Lupeaulx, Clement Chardin des
  The Muse of the Department
  Eugenie Grandet
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  Ursule Mirouet
Metivier
  Lost Illusions
  The Middle Classes
Minard, Auguste-Jean-Francois
  The Firm of Nucingen
  The Middle Classes
Minard, Madame
  The Middle Classes
Minorets, The
  The Peasantry
Mitral
  Cesar Birotteau
Nathan, Madame Raoul
  The Muse of the Department
  Lost Illusions
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  Ursule Mirouet
  Eugenie Grandet
  The Imaginary Mistress
  A Prince of Bohemia
  A Daughter of Eve
  The Unconscious Humorists
Phellion
  The Middle Classes
Poiret, the elder
  Father Goriot
  A Start in Life
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
  The Middle Classes
Rabourdin, Xavier
  At the Sign of the Cat and Racket
  Cesar Birotteau
  The Middle Classes
Rabourdin, Madame
  The Commission in Lunacy
Rubempre, Lucien-Chardon de
  Lost Illusions
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  Ursule Mirouet
  Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
Saillard
  The Middle Classes
Samanon
  A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
  A Man of Business
  Cousin Betty
Schinner, Hippolyte
  The Purse
  A Bachelor's Establishment
  Pierre Grassou
  A Start in Life
  Albert Savarus
  Modeste Mignon
  The Imaginary Mistress
  The Unconscious Humorists
Sommervieux, Theodore de
  At the Sign of the Cat and Racket
  Modeste Mignon
Thuillier
  The Middle Classes
Thuillier, Marie-Jeanne-Brigitte
  The Middle Classes
Thuillier, Louis-Jerome
  The Middle Classes